26] Impasse and New Intifada

TBA.

25] The Peace Process

Comment on the following articles:

a) Principles of a Peace Agreement-- Oslo, Norway.
b) Yitzhak Rabin, "The Price of Occupation,"
c) The Taba Negotiations

24] Transformation of Palestinian Politics

Comment on the following articles:

a) Yasser Arafat, "We recognize Israel'
b) Hannan Mikhail-Ashrawi, "The Meaning of the Intifada"
c) Charter of the Islamic resistance Movement of Palestine (Hamas)

23] Reaching for Peace: United Nations Security Council Resolutions

Chapter 23. Reaching for Peace
by Marco Mua

After the 1967 and 1973 Arab-Israeli wars, the UN passed two resolutions in order to create peace. These resolutions remain unimplemented. Also, Israel and Palestine interpret the requirements of the resolutions very differently.

UN Resolution #242 was passed in 1967. It stated that Israel must withdraw from occupied territories. The problem with establishing peace is that UN resolutions are written in ambiguous language that can be interpreted very differently from various parties. The UN did not state which territories Israel is supposed to withdraw from. Israel interprets resolution 242 as meaning that Israel has to withdraw from some but not all territories.

Israel feels that they already met the requirements of the resolution by returning the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt. Instead, the Palestinians interpret resolution 242 as requiring Israel to return the Golan Heights to Syria, and return all of the West Bank and Gaza strip to Palestinian control. I want to add that even if this UN resolution was written in less ambiguous language, it would still be irrelevant because the UN has little power to enforce their resolutions. The UN cannot even enforce their resolution pertaining to the border dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

The UN ruled that Eritrea had to give up the small and poor town of Badame to Ethiopia. Eritrea refused to give the town up, and the UN has not been able to enforce their ruling on the border dispute. If the UN cannot enforce resolutions between 2 poor African nations, then they certainly won’t have the power to resolve anything in the Middle East.

UN resolution #338 calls upon a cease-fire between Israel and Palestine. This is impossible. Palestine will continue to launch suicide bombing attacks against Israeli citizens. They will continue to do this as long as their land is occupied and their communities continue to get bulldozed by Israeli’s. Palestinians are sick of living in an open-air prison environment that resembles a refugee camp.

Many Palestinian homes are bulldozed by the Israeli military. That is what’s causing the anger. They are being humiliated by an outside force in their own land. Unless this changes, then the suicide attacks will continue. Of course, Israeli will continue to attack Palestinians since innocent Israeli’s are getting blown up on buses and in cafes. The closest these two sides came to peace was when Israeli Prime Minister Rabin recognized Palestinian self-government in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

Unfortunately, Prime Minister Rabin was assassinated. Prime Minister Sharon succeeded Rabin and is a well-known hawk. Sharon has rapidly expanded Jewish settlements on occupied Palestinian land, which is causing even more violence and resentment. Recently, Sharon uprooted most settlements on the Gaza strip and returned the entire Gaza strip to the Palestinians. This is not as significant as it sounds. The Palestinians gain valuable coastal land from the Israelis. However, the Israeli still control the airspace, borders, and ports. Israeli fighter jets still fly over the coastal strip. I’m guessing Israeli’s economy will continue to benefit from the Gaza strip, while Palestine will remain poor.

In conclusion, I feel the Israel/Palestinian conflict has been prolonged due to American interests in the region. As I mentioned in class, America openly supported Iraq during the 1980-1989 Iran-Iraq war. America supported Iraq, while they were secretly supporting Iran at the same time. America wanted to prolong the war and ensure that both sides would be tremendously weakened as a result of the long fighting.

The US did not want to see a winner. They wanted to prolong the war for as long as possible. The weaker the Middle-East is, the more control the US will have over valuable Middle-Eastern oil reserves. It seems to have worked for the US. The Middle-East is still underdeveloped and weak today. Especially Iran and Iraq. That allows for the US to dominate and control Middle-East oil. With that being said, I strongly believe the US has the same goal in regards to Palestine. Israel is an American weapon that is used to further weaken the oil-rich Middle-East. Israel exists in order to weaken the Middle-East and to prevent further Middle-Eastern sovereignty.

22] Arab Assertions: Out of Despair Revive Nationalism

Comment on the following articles;

a) Nizar Qabbani, 'The Catastrophe of Arab Defeat"
b) Palestinian National council, 'The National Charter"

21] The Creation of the State of Israel

Comment on the following articles:

a) UN General Assembly, "The Partition Plan: Resolution #181'
b) UN General Assembly, "Palestinian Right of Return; Resolution #191"
c) The Israeli Knesset, the Law of Return

20] Palestine on the Eve of World War II

Comment on the following articles:

a) Ted Swedenburg, "The Palestinian Revolt, 1936-1939"
b) The Arab Response to the Proposed Partition of Palestine
c) The British Government's White Paper on Palestine
d) The Biltmore Program

19] The Balfour Declaration and the Mandate Period

Comment on the articles below:

a) The Balfour Declaration: A Jewish Home in Palestine
b) The General Syrian Congress, "Our Objection to Zionism and Western Imperialism"
c) James Ramsay MacDonald, "Letter to Chaim Weizmann"
d) Vladimir Jabotinsky, "Let us Settle Palestine and Transjordan'

18] Zionism

Comment on the two articles below:

a) Theodore Herzl, Zionism: The Vision of an Eventual Jewish State
b) Rashid Rida, "Pay Attention to Zionist Encroachment,"
c) "Tiberias, " Warning of Zionist Colonization

17] Sluglett and Farouk-Sluglett, "Divide and Rule in British-Controlled Iraq"

Post comments here.

17] Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Divide India; Create Pakistan

Post comments here.

15] Challenges to New Nations: Afghanistan, Turkey, and the Fertile Crescent

Please post article summary and your thoughts here.

14] Vahakn N. Dadrian, "The Fate of the Armenians in World War I"

Post comments on this article.

13] Conflicting Promises During World War I

Comment on the following articles:

1. Sharif Husayn ibn Ali, "Desire for Arab Independence"
2. Sir Henry McMahon, "Qualifying British Pledges"
3. "The Sykes-Picot Agreement on Dividing Up Arab Lands"

12] Jamal al-Din al-Afghani, "Plan for Islamic Union"

Comment on this early idea of/for an Islamic union/unity.

11] Social and economic Change in the Ottoman Empire

Comment on either one of these articles:

1. Suraiya Faroqhi, "Ottoman Peasants"
2. Hanna Battatu, Political Centralization in Iraq and Kurdistan
3. Donald Quataret, "Manufacturing Workshops"
4. Alexander Scholch, "European Trade with Palestine"

10] Decrees from the Ottoman Tanzimat

Decrees From the Ottoman Tanzimat
by Marco Mua

The Tanzimat was an Ottoman reform movement that occurred between 1839 and 1876. The Tanzimat reforms were known as a reordering. These reforms included civil, economic, educational, and politial decrees within the Ottoman empire. Ottoman reforms were brough on by Ottoman bureaucrats familiar with developments in the West. These reforms aimed at creating a centralized Ottoman administration. This was very shrewd so that the Ottoman empire could try and maintain control over it’s expanding empire. Of course, the Ottoman empire eventually collapsed under its own weight!

In order to centralize control, the Ottoman empire conducted tax assessments, employed tax collectors, secured land titles, and revamped the courts. Of course, tax collection is the key to maintaining and expanding the empire thru the collection of revenue.

In order to solidify and legitimize the empire, the Ottomans realize that they have to keep the majority of it’s citizens happy. If the citizens are happy, then they can further produce revenue for themselves, and of course the empire. This sounds like America! As a way of protecting the people, the Ottoman Empire issued the Ottoman Bill of Rights in 1856. This showed the willingness of the Ottoman state to embrace and protect it’s non-Muslim population as full citizens. There was strong protection of persons and property during this reform period. It was also legal for foreign ownership.

Three main parts of the reform movement are summarized in the Gulhane Proclamation of 1839:

1. Guaranty insuring to our subjects perfect security for life, honor, and fortune.
2. Regular system of assessing and levying taxes.
3. Levy of troops. Strong property rights. Public servants must receive a good salary.

In conclusion, I feel that the Ottoman reform movement was an excellent way to improve living standards within the empire. If you want to improve a nation or an empire and increase prosperity, the nation must start by protecting the rights of it’s citizens. Without strong protection of property rights, where is the incentive to work hard and build? The protection of property rights greatly increase prosperity and the overall national economy. That was a great aspect of the Ottoman reform movement.

Currently, the poorest nations in the world include those nations who have little to no property right protection. The Ottoman reform movement knew that the best way to solidify their empire was by protecting and enhancing the rights of the people. This was shrewd. This was most impressive since this empire was constantly being weakened by powerful British imperial ambitions.

In the face of the British threat, the Ottomans were able to build a modern transportation, communication, and education system. Eventually, the British and other western nations dominated industry and technology, while a Muslim nation such as Ottoman Turkey, was left behind in technology capabilities. In the future, I want to study how and why this occurred, and what the Muslim world is doing to branch this divide.

9] Suraiya Faroqhi, "Ottoman Women's Lives"

Comment on Suraya Faroqhi's view of women during the time of the Ottoman Empire

8] Debate on the Persian Conquest of Kandahar

Post comments on the debate between Shah Abas and Emperor Janahgir.

7] ibnu Khaldun, "Effective Rule"

Post comments here, on Ibnu Khaldun's idea of effective rule.