http://mepi.state.gov/ Gov 365N/MES 323K

 

 

 

Questions for Class 25: April 22, 2008

 

 

1. Under what political conditions might an independent Arab

bourgeoisie emerge? Discuss the relative possibilities of its emergence

under bunker, bully, monarchical and semi-democratic conditions? To what

extent, under what sorts of conditions, might it act as a transnational

bourgeoisie?

 

2. We have looked at some of the Arab plans for reform,

such as the Alexandria Statement of March 14, 2004, and the Arab Human

Development Report for 2002, 2003, and for 2004. Reform

and greater freedom are supposed to come from

within the region, via local initiatives (such as POGAR of the

UNDP). But AHDR 2004 does admit a "half-way house" scenario,

whereby "a program endorsed by external forces would induce a series

of internal reforms in the Arab countries" (p. 20). Does either the United

States or the EU have programs compatible with those of the Arab reformers?

 

3. To what extent can "Old" Europe and the United States work

together to promote reform in Iran and the Arab world?

 

4. Is the MENA really in transition or are we observers just

stuck in an old paradigm that no longer works?