Explain and analyze the events, relationships, and dynamics that shaped a the event or crisis you’ve picked.

Specialized Project: How Did We Get Here?
General Instructions:

This project will demonstrate your ability to synthesize discipline-specific
material. The project involves conducting independent research. 12-15 pages
(Times, double spaced).

Specific Instructions:

Pick a current political or security crisis in one country in the MENA. Using your resources and
research in the online library, construct an essay that analyzes that crisis.
The essay should open with an introductory paragraph that presents a
contestable thesis statement. The statement should be contestable because the
purpose of the essay is to prove that the thesis is correct with elegant
research. Your objective is to explain “how we got here.” You want to
explain and analyze the events, relationships, and dynamics that shaped a the
event or crisis you’ve picked.

An acceptable example: “Qatar’s recent diplomatic crisis with
the Gulf Community Council did not unravel out of nowhere, but is predicated on
a history of antagonism and controversial relationships with state and
non-state actors dating back two decades.”

Why it is okay: This statement advances a claim that the student will set out
to prove with evidence in a well-cited paper. Note that someone might not agree
with the claim until they see the supporting research — that is what makes the
statement contestable. The student can use accessible evidence and information
in peer-reviewed sources to support the paper, meaning this topic does not
require access to anything classified or unobtainable information like
on-the-ground interviews. The claim specifies a time frame and does not attempt
to declare an ongoing situation finished. The statement does not attempt to
predict the future, but is oriented towards analyzing the trajectory of events
leading up to the crisis — it focuses on “how we got here.”

A bad example: “Elections have created undemocratic results
in Egypt because of Islam.”
Another: “Islamists will never be tamed into political
systems.”

Why these don’t work: These claims are not helpful because they’re vague. In
the case of the first one, it’s also generalizing a complicated matter and
positing that there’s a single cause to a phenomenon (it’s never possible to
reduce a crisis or political struggle to a simple cause). If the intent is to
examine the role of religion in Egypt’s political processes, it’s not clear
from the statement what role Islam plays or how specifically it affects
elections. It’s also not clear which elections the student intends to write about
— perhaps the paper is about the Arab Spring? Perhaps the Mubarak era? Most
importantly, there is no easy way to prove this claim to be correct or
incorrect — it might involve too much speculation or personal impression. What
kind of evidence could support it? In the case of the second example, the
question is posed as forward-looking when the objective is to look back for
analysis. Moreover, the topic makes an absolute prediction using
“never.” Finally, the term “Islamists” covers a broad range
of groups from violent extremists to political parties who are already
participating in the political process. Therefore the claim is impossible to
substantiate with research.
Once
you have a topic in mind, please feel free to submit it in our forum
“Ideas for the Specialized Topic” so we can engage with your ideas.
Having the right framework as you set out can really help the research process!

Questions to help you get started:
What
are the historical circumstances that led to the crisis?
Who are the key actors contributing to or working to resolve the crisis?

Next offer analysis and synthesis of this information:
What
do key scholars and/or analysts say about the crisis? Compare points of view.
What possible solutions could mitigate the circumstances or help resolve the
political crisis? Remember to supply at least three possible solutions or
outcomes to avoid “putting all the eggs in one basket” or trying to
predict the future.

The paper should engage the leading
works on your topic and have a new bibliography of sources.
The paper should incorporate citations and evidence.
Avoid writing about personal impressions and construct a scholarly,
research-based argument anchored in evidence and citations of authoritative
academic sources.

Finding Peer-Reviewed Sources
One of the easiest ways to find peer-reviewed academic
sources is using Summon, the University’s library database search engine: http://apus.summon.serialssolutions.com/#!/. Once you enter your search terms, look to the left side
of the screen. You’ll see an option to click “Peer Review” and this
will filter the results for you. You can try other filters to manage the
results, like “Journal articles,” or you can limit the date of
publication to aim for recent studies. You might even filter the results by
discipline (you can select “International Relations” as one option,
for example). New sources (CNN, MSNBC, Fox) are not appropriate or necessary
for completing this assignment.
Because
some crises are still ongoing, you may need to cite something from news to have
current information. If this is the case, choose your sources from a reputable
site and try to cross-check the information. Using research institutes can also
be helpful for avoiding polemical news sites.
Here are some peer-reviewed journals to
Explore:
(Full list here: https://guides.nyu.edu/mideast/journals).
Arabica: https://brill.com/view/journals/arab/arab-overview.xml.
Digest of Middle East Studies: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/19493606.
British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/cbjm20/current.
Middle East Studies: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/fmes20/current.
International Journal of Middle East
Studies: https://ijmes.uark.edu/#:~:text=IJMES%20is%20a%20peer%2Dreviewed,region%20from%20all%20over%20the.
The Middle East Journal: https://www.mei.edu/education/middle-east-journal.
Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/cicm20/current
Iranian Studies: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/cist20/current.
Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/cjmm20/current.
Israel Affairs: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/fisa20/current.
Journal of Israeli History: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/fjih20/current.
Middle East Critique: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/ccri20/current
The Journal of North Africa Studies: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/fnas20/current.
Turkish Studies: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/ftur20/current.
Contemporary Arab Affairs: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rcaa20/current.
Journal of Islamic Law and Culture: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rilc20/current.

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