HIST 3520: Lebanon in Modern Middle East

Course Description

HIST 3520studies the modern history of Lebanon and the country's involvement in broader Arab and Middle Eastern politics from the period when Lebanon's modern boundaries were established in 1920 to 2005 when Syrian troops were forced to leave the country. The course focuses on the relations of the Lebanese state, its various ethno-confessional communities and political groupings with the Great Powers like France, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and the United States of America, as well as with the influential Arab states in the region, in particular Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Particular attention is paid to the impact of the Arab-Israeli conflict and the presence of Palestinian refugees on internal Lebanese politics. The course also analyzes the diverse, sometimes contrasting, visions among Lebanon's various local elites towards the country's place in the region and the world and how these visions underwent change in light of evolving internal social and external political developments. (AY).