History of the Middle East Midterm

A. Short Answers: For each, provide identifying clues (Who/What/Where/When); Why the term is important to the country(countries) it is related to; and Why the term is important to our course. The best responses will be a paragraph in length.

1. British Mandate

2. King Hussein

3. Lebanon's National Pact of 1943

4. Hezbollah and Hamas

5. Persian Gulf War

6. Osama Bin Laden

7. Ayatollah Khomeni

8. Bashar Al Assad

9. Al Qaeda

10. September 11th attacks

11. Iranian Hostage Crisis

12. Jihad

13. Palestine

14. Saddam Hussein

15. The Taliban

B. Essays: The best essays will be at least five pages in length and will have an introduction, supporting paragraphs, and conclusion. You should also make reference to the textbook, the book Islam, and discussions (including your articles) where appropriate.

1. In the second half, we discussed Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, the Maghreb (Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco), along with terrorist groups ISIS, Al Qaeda, and the Taliban. How do you characterize the stability of each nation? For each, provide a brief synopsis of the major issues facing the country, and how their history throughout the twentieth century factors into the present challenges. Which country is the most stable? Why? Which is the most unstable? Why? How does Islam impact the countries? How has terrorism impacted each?

2. What is the future of the Middle East? What are the most important developments to keep an eye on for the future? What are the three most important things you've learned this semester? If you were teaching History of the Middle East, what would you emphasize in your course?