A Regional Study of The Middle East

The Middle East?

North Africa and the Middle East

The Middle East vs. the U. S. Latitude Lines

The Approach Things change rapidly in the Middle East so we are not using a text book. Articles and PowerPoints are posted in the handout section of Schreiner One. You are also expected to keep up with current events in the region. We will begin each class with a brief discussion of what is going on.

The Approach We will explore the key features that make the Middle East what it is and define the problems that exist there. We will begin with an overview of the land and the peoples of the region. We will then examine the beliefs and practices of Islam, the main human feature of the area, as well as the history of the region from the time of Mohammed to 1918. This will be followed by an examination of the characteristics of each of the key national actors in the region, country by country. Finally, we will discuss the major crises and conflicts that plague this area of the world and affect our own lives.

MEASURING COURSE OUTCOMES  Course outcomes will be measured by a series of essay examinations. There will be 1000 points in the course. Four quizzes at 200 points each and a final examination at 200 points will determine the grade.  FINAL GRADE: 900 – 1000 points A 800 – 899 points B 700 – 799 points C 600 – 699 points D below 600 points F

OFFICE HOURS I am in class on Tuesdays and Thursdays 1:15-2:30 and 4:05 -5:20, and from 12:15-1:05 on Thursdays. Office hours are from 12:00 -1:00 and 2:30-4:00 on Tuesdays and 2:30-4:00 on Thursdays but meetings at other times are possible by mutual agreement. To set an appointment, please contact me at Email: rlhatchett@schreiner.edu or Telephone: 792-7461. Drop-ins are also welcome in AC Schreiner 214 anytime.

The Middle East: Land and Peoples

Middle East: Climate Regions

The Sahara

Rub al-Khali: “The Empty Quarter”

Southern Israel E.J. PALKA

Sinai E.J. PALKA

WATER - A Critical RESOURCE Water is critical for life, food production, and industrial processes. 9 out of 14 North African, Middle Eastern and Southwest Asian states face water-short conditions. The North African and Middle Eastern states all have rates of natural population increase above the world average, increasing the stress on water sources.

Dwindling Renewable Water Supply Per Capita (Minimum adequate 1700 Cubic feet) Country 1955 1990 2025 Kuwait 147 23 9 Qatar 808 75 57 Bahrain 1,427 117 68 Saudi Arabia 1,266 306 113 UAE 6,196 308 176 Jordan 906 327 121 Yemen 1,098 445 152 Israel 1,229 461 264 Tunisia 1,127 540 324 Algeria 1,770 689 332 Libya 4,105 1,017 359 Morocco 2,763 1,117 590 Egypt 2,561 1,123 630 Oman 4,240 1,266 410 Lebanon 3,088 1,818 1,113 Iran 6,203 2,203 816 Syria 6,500 2,087 732 Turkey 8,509 3,626 2,186 Iraq 18,441 6,029 2,356 Sudan 11,899 4,792 1,993

The Nile River

Egypt: The “Gift of the Nile” 95% of the Egyptian people live on 5% of the land! Nile Delta

The Tigris & Euphrates and Other River Systems

The Jordan River System:

Mountain Ranges Taurus Mts. Zagros Mts. Atlas Mountains Hejaz Mts. Ahaggar Mts Hejaz Mts.

The Atlas Mountains, Morocco

The Ahaggar Mountains, Sahara

Hejaz Mountains, Saudi Arabia

Taurus Mountains, Turkey

Zagros Mountains, Iran

Fresh Groundwater Sources

Israeli Kibbutz E.J. PALKA

Wadis – Instant Springs

Desert Oases

Hail Oasis In Saudi Arabia

Modern Oasis

Desalinization Plants

The Middle East: Natural Vegetation

A Regional Study of The Middle East

Iraqi Elections March 7, 2010 All 325 seats to the Council of Representatives Leader: Ayad Allawi Nouri Al-Maliki Ibrahim al-Jaafari Party : al-Iraqiyya State of Law National Iraqi Alliance Seats won: 91 89 70 Popular vote: 2,631,388 2,620,042 1,976,412 Percentage : 25.87% 25.76% 19.43%

Al-Qaida Return in Iraq Sheikh Sabah al-Janabi, a leader of the Awakening Council – also known as the Sons of Iraq – told The Guardian that many of his members have not collected their salaries for the last two months and some, he believes, are now taking money from their former enemies. The US handed over control of the Sons of Iraq to the Iraqi government in late-2008. The program since has been plagued by complaints about distrust and delays in paying salaries, as well as almost daily bombings or shootings targeting Awakening Council leaders and members. Brig. Gen. Patrick M. Higgins commander of U.S. Special Forces in Iraq said last week, “Though weakened by the deaths of top leaders and a drop-off in foreign funding, al-Qaeda in Iraq's ‘cellular structure’ remains pretty much intact.”

Withdrawal Schedule in Question? "If I were asked about the withdrawal, I would say to politicians: the U.S. Army must stay until the Iraq Army is fully ready in 2020." Iraqi Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Babakar Zebari.

POPULATION DISTRIBUTION

Population of Key Middle Eastern Countries   Estimated 2009 Population Egypt 78,513,000 Turkey 77,804,000 Iran 67,037,000 Algeria 34,199,000 Morocco 31,993,000 Iraq 30,428,000 Sudan 30,121,000 Saudi Arabia 24,949,000 Yemen 23,363,000 Syria 20,196,000 Tunisia 10,216,000 Libya 6,203,000 Jordan 6,202,000 Rest of Region 18,937,000 Regional Total 460,163,000 Israel 7,353,000 Population of Key Middle Eastern Countries

POPULATION DISTRIBUTION The Middle East is more urbanized than is often assumed. At least 190 cities in the region have populations that exceed 100,000, and 22 cities exceed 1 million. Cities with populations between 100,000 and 500,000 have become relatively numerous during the second half of the twentieth century and are found in almost all Middle East countries. Despite the trend of increasing urbanization, most of the people of the Middle East still live in villages, but traditional nomads make up less than 2% of the peoples of this region.

Peoples of the Middle East The Middle East constitutes the center of Islamic and Arab identity, but there is actually a complicated mosaic of peoples. Enumerating populations is difficult in most Middle East countries, and quantifying religions and linguistic groups is even more of a problem because such quantification often confronts very sensitive issues. Governments often attempt to obscure the number-and therefore the influence-of minority ethnic groups, such as Kurds in Turkey, Iran and Iraq (and other countries involved in "Kurdistan") or Druzes in Lebanon.

Turks Azerbijianis Kurds Arabs Persians Bakhtiari

Demographic Rates Most Muslim countries of North Africa and Southwest Asia double their population every 29 years. In Israel, Jews have one of the lowest birthrates in the Middle East, doubling their population every 60 years. Most growth in Israel’s population comes from immigration.

Population Migrations Immigration, emigration, and internal migration play a significant role in defining the contemporary pattern of peoples in the Middle East. For example, immigration into the region (by Jews, Indians, and Pakistanis) and migration within the region (by Palestinians, Jordanians, Egyptians, Jews, Lebanese, Kurds, and others) have dramatically increased some populations and profoundly altered the ethnic composition of some states.

Bahrain Qatar Kuwait Lebanon Israel UAE

Languages

Religions In the Middle East Muslims number about 368 million, more than 92 percent of the population of the region. Christianity is the second-largest religion, with approximately 12 million adherents, and Judaism is third with approximately 4.8 million

Haram Al Sharif (The Temple Mount)

Dome of the Rock

The Western Wall

E.J. PALKA THE WESTERN WALL

The Western Wall

Church of the Holy Sepulcher

E.J. PALKA CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY

Kaaba

Mosque of the Prophet, Medina

A Region of Wealth?

OIL AND NATURAL GAS RESERVES

World Oil Reserves

Petroleum Reserves by Country Billion Barrels Date of Information Saudi Arabia 264,100,000,000 1 January 2009 est. Canada 178,100,000,000 Iran 137,600,000,000 1 January 2010 est. Iraq 113,500,000,000 Kuwait 101,500,000,000 Venezuela 98,590,000,000 United Arab Emirates 97,800,000,000 Russia 79,000,000,000 Libya 46,000,000,000 Nigeria 36,220,000,000 Kazakhstan 30,000,000,000 Qatar 27,190,000,000 United States 21,320,000,000 China 15,700,000,000 Algeria 15,150,000,000 Angola 13,500,000,000 Mexico 13,350,000,000

Source of U.S. Oil Imports, 2008 The Persian Gulf supplies 26% of US imports 83 percent of Japan’s about half of China’s, and 27 percent of Europe’s. The Middle East is also a substantial supplier to India. Source: Energy Information Administration

The Middle East: Land and Peoples