What do we know?

 Hey hey! Get ready for my last blog post!! 

The question today is (summarized): what is the most important for outsiders to understand about the international politics of MENA? 

 

To start my response to this question, I want to go back to the first few class sessions that we had. I remember the first or second day of class, my professor had us discuss what ideas we, as a class, had about the Middle East. Before instructing any sort of factual lesson, we spent time discussing the stereotypes and implicit bias we had about the MENA region. He had us question what the popular media coverage was like and what information we had been fed by the media and our own cultures in general. The professor literally started at the beginning, the course name: International Politics of the Middle East. What do we mean by ‘international politics’? What sorts of preconceived ideas might come with IR labels? What does the ‘Middle East’ even mean? Where does that name come from? 

One variation of a map of the Middle East (source)

 

Beginning the class like this was really important to me. As you start to learn about something, it is vital to first identify and address your own implicit biases. I would argue that the first thing for outsiders to do in order to understand more about the international politics of MENA is to start with their own preconceived ideas. Not to forget these biases, but instead to consider the ways in which these biases were formed. If someone skips this step, it is easy to fall into a reflexive loop. 

Merriam-Webster's definition of 'implicit bias' (source)

Part of this confrontation of preconceived ideas means unlearning the idea that all areas of the Middle East are the same. I think it is important for people to know that the Middle East and North Africa is an incredibly diverse region, with so many different identities. There is not one version of the ‘Middle East’: it is a region made up of many countries, ethnic groups, environments, religions, and so much more. These diverse identities have been created and nurtured over thousands of years. The Middle East is an incredibly historic region, and several subregions are particularly important to major world religions. 

A common portrayal of the Middle East is that it is a region prone to conflict. Throughout history, power has fluctuated in the area, frequently due to outside powers. For example, after the first world war, Britain and France invoked mandates in the region in order to control regional politics from the outside. This marked the rise of the massive involvement of outside powers in the region, which continues on today. In my opinion, this is also important for an outsider to understand about the Middle East: throughout history varying outside powers have been intertwined with the region, and sometimes proponents for conflict.

The trend of outside powers propelling conflict became particularly prominent with the rise of oil in the Middle East. Within the last century, the oil industry has been woven with the story of much of the Middle East. Even countries without oil are involved because of shifting power dynamics in international politics. 

In general, like any other region in the world, there’s a lot to know about the Middle East. Even though I just spent a semester studying the politics of the region, one of the most important things I’ve learned is how much I still don’t know. And especially in a generalized blog like this, I still may have even portrayed some aspects in an inaccurate way. 

So I think my biggest advice for an outsider in learning about the Middle East, is simply to start at the beginning. Whatever you think you know, challenge those beliefs. There’s assuredly a lot more to it.