Shifting Sands: Balancing U.S. Interests in the Middle East
Printed Curriculum [$20]
Downloadable Curriculum [$16]
Classroom Set [$9.75ea] (10 min)
Twelfth edition. July 2008.
Overview
Western civilization has always had a unique relationship with the Middle East. The West's religious impulse and political models were sparked by contact with the region. During the Crusades, exposure to the wealth and learning of Middle Eastern cities forced Europeans to acknowledge their own backwardness. With the rise of the West in the modern era, the Middle East was seen as the antithesis of Western progress and dynamism. Today, the region continues to maintain a potent grip on our imagination. For Americans, the oil resources of the Persian Gulf, our attachment to Israel, and fears about terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction have made the Middle East an increasingly critical area of U.S. involvement.
Shifting Sands: Balancing U.S. Interests in the Middle East analyzes the mix of interests and values that have drawn the United States into the Middle East. This unit asks students to consider the principles behind America's presence in the Middle East and provides students the opportunity to understand and evaluate U.S. policy both from the U.S. and Middle Eastern perspectives.
Readings
The background reading in Shifting Sands: Balancing U.S. Interests in the Middle East has been written to prepare students to thoughtfully consider the policy choices facing our country.
- Part I surveys the history of our country's involvement in the Middle East through the Persian Gulf War.
- Part II examines the rise of political Islam, issues of regional and international security, and other critical issues that shape the Middle East today.
Framework of Policy Options
The four distinct policy directions, or options, at the core of the unit are designed to help students clarify their thoughts and, ultimately, articulate their own views. Each is grounded in a clearly defined philosophy about the U.S. role in the world and our country's stake in the Middle East. By exploring a broad spectrum of alternatives, students gain a deeper understanding of the competing values and assumptions that frame the debate on U.S. policy toward the Middle East.
Suggested Five-Day Lesson Plan
The Teacher's Resource Book accompanying Shifting Sands: Balancing U.S. Interests in the Middle East contains a day-by-day lesson plan and student activities.
- Day One asks students to form hypotheses about the causes of the Iranian revolution by exploring significant events in Iranian history.
- Day Two calls on students to assume the roles of key Middle Eastern leaders in evaluating America's impact on the Middle East. An optional supplement to the lesson employs Google Earth satellite imagery to provide additional information about Middle Eastern governments, oil and water resources, and economic and social indicators.
- Days Three and Four engage students in a simulation in which they act as advocates for the four options.
- Day Five asks students to apply their own recommendations for U.S. policy to three hypothetical regional crises.
- Optional Lesson One maps the Arab-Israeli conflict using historical maps.
- Optional Lesson Two gives students the opportunity to create their own
partition plan for Palestine in 1947 using contemporaneous data.
- Optional Lesson Three examines Middle Eastern literature.