For decades, we tended to think about the Middle East as a region of the world perpetually trailing behind the arc of history — unable to arrive at democracy, economic interdependence, cooperative regionalism, and peace. But what if the Middle East is not a laggard, but a laboratory for 21st-century geopolitics? What if we approach the Middle East through a different lens, as an arena where global and regional powers (United States, Russia, China, Iran, Israel, Egypt, Turkey, etc.) compete to shape a new political order, offering us invaluable insights into the possible futures of global politics?

Geopolitics in the 21st-Century Middle East will explore the actors, trends, and dynamics that created the modern Middle East and shape it today and provide possible scenarios for the future. Featuring experts from across Stanford and the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, as well as experts from other institutions, the course starts with a historical overview of the formation of the modern Middle East. It will also analyze the role of states, authoritarianism, and violent non-state actors in the region. The course will then examine how various countries — Egypt, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, and Turkey, for example — approach the deep transformations taking place in the Middle East. Toward the end of the course, students will consider scenarios for the future, including how the Middle East intersects with broader changes in the international system. Finally, the course will discuss prospects for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and evaluate whether the current tumult in the Middle East could create unexpected opportunities for broader regional peace.

Guest lecturers include Ali Yaycıoğlu (Director, Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies, Stanford), Lisa Blaydes (Professor in Political Science and Senior Fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford), Amichai Magen (Visiting Professor and Fellow in Israel Studies, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford), Hanin Ghaddar (Senior Fellow, Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics, Washington Institute), Cole Bunzel (Hoover Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford), Hesham Sallam (Senior Research Scholar, Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford), Ayça Alemdaroğlu (Associate Director, Program on Turkey, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford), Abbas Milani (Director, Hamid and Christina Moghadam Program in Iranian Studies, Stanford), Benjamin Miller (Professor of International Relations, University of Haifa), and Ghaith al-Omari (Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation Senior Fellow, Washington Institute).