European Union and Mediterranean:
Historical, Cultural, Political, Economic and Social Bases
MASTER ON-LINE
COMPLUTENSE
UNIVERSITY OF MADRID





Learning Module

7.0
EuroMed Progressive Policy: I. Maghreb and Middle East                      

Academic Coordinator

Profª. Paloma González Gómez del Miño | Complutense University of Madrid

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.


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.
   

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.


Teaching Units
»»»

7.1
Culture, Religion, National Identity and Modernization                         
7.2
Political, economical and social vectors
7.3
International Relations and Foreign Policy






European Higher Education Area
| ES
Complutense University of Madrid · Research Team THEORIA


Der Zeit ihre Kunst,
der Kunst ihre Freiheit