PSCI 261
The Arab-Israeli Conflict Fall 2023
Division II Writing Skills
This is not the current course catalog

This tutorial will cover the Arab-Israeli dispute–from both historical and political science perspectives–from the rise of the Zionist movement in the late nineteenth century to the present day. It will examine the various explanations that scholars have offered for why the conflict has persisted for so long, how it has evolved over time, the role that outside powers have played in shaping it, and how its perpetuation (or settlement) is likely to impact Middle East politics in the future. More specifically, the class will examine the origins of the Zionist movement; the role that the First World War played in shaping the dispute; the period of the British mandate; the rise of Palestinian nationalism; the Second World War and the creation of the state of Israel; the 1948, 1956, 1967, and 1973 Arab-Israeli wars; Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon and its consequences; the promise and ultimate collapse of the Oslo peace process during the 1990s and early 2000s; the rise of groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad; the rightward shift in Israeli politics since 2000; the intensification of Israeli-Iranian antagonism and its implications; the shift in Israel’s relations with the Sunni Arab world that has occurred in recent years; and the future of the conflict.