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Learning Module
7.0
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EuroMed Progressive Policy: I. Maghreb
and Middle East
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Academic Coordinator
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Profª. Paloma González Gómez del Miño | Complutense University of Madrid
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Abstract
The Mediterranean area has
been permanently in the spotlight, and more in recent years due to the end
of bipolarity and wider disparity between the Northern and Southern countries.
Both internal and international dynamics for the countries of the Maghreb
and The Middle East, as well as the evolution of the European Union, justify
the study of this region. Now new factors and challenges are emerging in
the area with relations improving between both shores as well as improvements
within each country. Moves both at an international as well as a region level
have caused the region to become more heterogeneous and at the same time
created substantial complementary nexuses.
The recent history of the Maghreb and the Middle East is intimately linked
to the processes of national construction and the different degrees of attachment
to external actors. In order to analyze the Arabic regional system, it is
important to consider factors such as internal character -political systems,
intra-regional development, socioeconomics, religion, energy wealth, conflict
etc. - and international factors by virtue of its geography (point of intersection
between three continents), of its geology (by the importance of its energy
resources that make up 65% of the world's petroleum reserves and 25% gas
reserves) and by its geotheology (as it is the origin of the Jewish, Christian
and Muslim monotheisms).
The end of the bipolar system appeared to be a perfect opportunity for the
remodelling of a new international order in the Maghreb and the Middle East,
with significant moves of planning and intervention. In regards to de facto
accomplishments, these initiatives have been losing their dynamism, however,
this does not mean that these countries are no longer present on the international
agenda as well as in domestic politics of a wide range of countries, becoming
an active element in the political discourse. The countries of this area
are sunk in a process, embryonic and fragmented, of partial reforms with
a modest level of success in confronting their main challenges such as democratization,
human rights, the status of women and their role in economic globalisation.
The Maghreb and Middle East scene, because of its potential in terms of culture,
energy, social, geographic and demographic characteristics, throughout the
XXI century, it is inevitable that it will have a relevant position in the
world. For this reason, we considered the module that we have presented here
as fundamental for all those that wish to deepen their understanding of the
Euro-Mediterranean area.
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Course Objectives
- The main objective is
to know, analyze and deepen in political, social, economic, cultural and
international reality of the space of Maghreb and the Middle East.
- To extend the specialized teachings on the Maghreb and the Middle East,
being conjugated the contributions of diverse scientific areas: International
Relations, Economy and Public International Law
- To facilitate the knowledge and use of the methods and techniques of analysis
and information at the international level.
- To equip the students with a satisfactory professional experience, by means
of the accomplishment of specialized practices that enables them for its
total insertion in the labor market.
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Programmatic
Contents
PART I: POLITICAL, SOCIAL,
CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS REALITIES OF THE ARAB-MUSLIM SCENE
01. The enlarged Mediterranean: Actors, Subjects and factors. Homogeneities
and heterogeneities.
02. State-building of the Magrheb and Middle East countries.
03. Political and socioeconomical systems.
04. Islam: Religion versus Politics.
05. Regional democratization.
06. National identity and modernization.
07. Human Development Indexes: education, health, literacy, mortality.
08. Energetic security: Potential of the region in the international scene
09. Islamism: An emerging reality
10. Islamic Terrorism
PART II: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
11. International and intraregional relations.
12. Conflicts Identification: Iran, Irak, Lebanon, Palestinian-Israeli conflict,
Western Sahara.
13. Israel versus Palestinian Territories: Wars between the actors, Intifadas,
international actors policies, the United Nations.
14. European Union foreign policy.
15. The Euromed process: Evolution, objectives/main goals, outcome.
16. Construction of a free trade area (2010): An uncertain future.
17. United States foreign policy in the area: Constants, common and differentiator
elements of the American's Administrations (1945-2008).
18. The participation of others actors in the regional area: Russia, Japan,
China and India.
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Teaching Units »»»
7.1
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Culture, Religion, National Identity and Modernization
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7.2
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Political, economical and social vectors
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7.3
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International Relations and Foreign Policy
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