IAFF 4192-80/6186-80: National Security Crisis Simulation
Charles Dunne
Students work together in teams to engage in applied research, project design, or semester-long simulations. Restricted to Juniors and seniors in the Elliott School with a minimum GPA of 3.4 at the time of registration.
IAFF 6378-10: North Africa After Arab Spring
Ambassador (ret.) Gordon Gray
The popular protests that began in Tunisia over a decade ago catalyzed the uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East that came to be known as the Arab Spring. The outcomes in the four countries of North Africa – Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia – have been dramatically different. They therefore offer a fascinating platform for understanding the challenges of transition and stabilization. This course will examine the unique characteristics and policies of each country, as well as the drivers of popular discontent that they share. It will also look at how foreign actors and transnational issues (e.g., migration and terrorism) continue to affect developments in these four countries. By the end of this course, students will have developed an analytical framework to assess current and future developments in North Africa, the Middle East, and beyond. They will be able to identify core U.S. interests in the region, understand the different tools available to policymakers, and explain how best to orchestrate those tools.
IAFF 6361 Middle East Studies Cornerstone
Arie Dubnov
Multidisciplinary foundation course for the Middle East studies program. Introduction to key issues. Taught Fall 2025.
IAFF 6379 Middle East Studies Capstone
Sina Azodi
The capstone project marks the peak of your MA journey. Its final goal is to produce a research paper, along with a public presentation, that represents the culmination of the Middle East Studies MA curriculum. The Capstone can focus on a policy issue or any other aspect of the modern Middle East, in line with the curriculum of the program, subject to the approval of the Program Director and with the support of a capstone advisor. Each MA program at the Elliott School has its own version of the capstone project; the MESP one is distinctive in some respects, and students should not assume that all policies and procedures are identical to those in other programs. The Middle East Studies capstone is designed to showcase the substantive expertise, linguistic and analytical skills students have gained throughout the course of their degree program. The Capstone should demonstrate foreign language capability by incorporating interviews and/or primary sources in the appropriate regional language where appropriate to the research. Taught Fall 2025.
PSC 6478 International Relations of the Middle East
Marc Lynch
Why has the Middle East been the site of so much armed conflict, protracted political stalemate, and transnational violence? Why have its problems consumed so much of the energy and attention of global powers? How has U.S. foreign policy shaped the region since World War II? What explains the new lines of alliance and conflict since 2011? How should we understand the rise of sectarianism and jihadist movements? What best explains the causes and effects of major wars in Middle East? What are the major drivers of alliances and rivalries among the region’s powers? Why has the region been afflicted by so many proxy wars and insurgencies? This course examines the major theoretical frameworks for understanding the international politics of the contemporary Middle East. Among the major issues covered are the formation of the Middle East state system, alliance politics, the causes and effects of wars, peace negotiations, America’s role in the region, Israel’s relations with its neighbors, the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, international political economy, Iran’s role in the region, transnational jihadist movements, transnational mobilization and identity politics. The course considers historical cases such as well as contemporary issues. The goal throughout is to think through the value and significance of the major theoretical approaches to the international relations of the Middle East, and their application to policy debates. Taught Fall 2025.
IAFF 6378 Readings in Arab Politics and Society
Dina El-Hefnawy
This course offers individual advanced level Arabic instruction on themes related to the student's academic course of study and intellectual interests. Topics, readings, and assignments will be discussed with the instructor at the beginning of the semester, with instruction and expectations targeted at the student's current level of proficiency. Please note that this course may be taken more than once, with a new individualized syllabus each term, and can be used to satisfy Middle East Electives or Professional Field courses on the MESP course of study. Taught Fall 2025.
IAFF 6378 Iran in the Middle East
Sina Azodi
Iran has long played a critical role in the international relations of the Middle East –historically one of the most tumultuous regions in the world. In this graduate course, we will critically discuss Iran's foreign and security policies, against the backdrop of its controversial nuclear and missile programs, support for proxy groups, and its contentious relations with other regional players, especially Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Israel. The aim of this course is to familiarize students with goals, characteristics, and evolution of Iran’s regional policies and the daunting challenges it faces. Some of the questions that this course aims to address: How do Iranians look at the region? What are Iran’s strategic goals in the Middle East? How does the rest of the region look at Iran? What are the driving forces behind Iran’s foreign and security policies? Taught Fall 2025.
IAFF 6378 US Foreign Policy in the Middle East
Ambassador (ret.) Gordon Gray
This course examines U.S. engagement in the Middle East since the 1940s by studying the evolution of U.S. policy, reviewing key decisions, and assessing 21st century challenges. Students will build on this foundation to determine what U.S. national security interests are – and what U.S. priorities should be – in this region, and how the current inflection point in the global world order affects them. The course also seeks to provide an analytical framework for better understanding differing perspectives on U.S. policy. Student presentations, writing assignments, and active class discussion will help students improve the analytical, written, and oral communications skills essential for a successful career in international affairs. The instructor is a former career diplomat who served as a U.S. Ambassador and as a Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs. Taught Fall 2025.
IAFF 6378 Political Economy of the Middle East
Shana Marshall
This course will introduce students to the political foundations of the region’s economy. We will examine how the economy of the MENA has been shaped by encounters with external actors (foreign traders, colonizing governments, transnational firms, international financial institutions, development agencies, etc.) but also how the region has impacted the global economy, with a special focus on the Gulf states and their role in shaping global financial markets. We will examine the legacy and ongoing impact of Western development and reconstruction agencies and their discourses, with special attention to the region's agrarian zones as well as zones transformed by imperial wars. Other important regional actors such as militaries, oil companies, sovereign wealth funds and labor movements will also be examined. This course will introduce students to mainstream political economy approaches concurrently with their critiques, in order to provide an understanding of the evolution of theories and practices of economic development and their political origins. Taught Fall 2025.
IAFF 6378 Refugees & Displaced People in Middle East
Reva Dhingra
This course offers students the opportunity to learn about the current dynamics of displacement and migration in the Middle East. The Middle East is the site of significant forced displacement—both across and within borders. Conflicts in the region over the past decade have driven millions from their homes. Yet states in the region are also the destination and origin for millions of migrants seeking economic and social opportunities. Rapidly intensifying climate change is also driving increasing movement primarily within countries. Together, these mobility dynamics have indelibly shaped the region’s politics, society, and economy. Students will engage with academic literature from across disciplines as well as policy texts reflecting important current debates. We will cover key topics including: forced migration including refugees and internal displacement, climate change and mobility, labor migration, determinants of immigration policy, and the role of non-state and humanitarian aid. We will also discuss specific cases, including Syrian and Palestinian displacement and labor migration in the Levant. Taught Fall 2025.
