Question #3:
Looking at the last 6 months, what issues have defined our foreign policy in the Middle East. This should be an action-based assessment. What interests do these policy points serve and why?
The Palestinian-Israeli conflict has been an issue that definitely defined The U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. Israel is an ally of the U.S. that receives a lot of foreign aid from the states. It’s a priority for the U.S. to protect Israel so it’s obvious where its’ loyalty lies. Israel also has good relations with Egypt; Egypt is crucial to the security of Israel, so that makes them an automatic ally that receives quite a bit of funds as well. It’s an on-going issue that makes pointing out allies clear as well as seeing who the top recipients of foreign aid are.
Question #4:
Provide me with a timeline of the AK Party’s ascent to power in the Turkey and the policies that they have enacted while in office. Please note any major scandals on your timeline as well.
AK Party’s ascent to power has a lot to do with a party that preceded it known as the Welfare Party (WP). It all started when Turkey found an interest in Islam in the 1980s and 1990s. As Islam started to play a bigger role in society:
1983 – the Islamic Welfare Party was founded.
1995 – WP became the first Islamic party to win in a general election with an overwhelming victory.
1998 – scandal; WP was banned because of charges that they were disturbing the secular order. I feel like it was only a matter of time before they did something the secularists were upset about—it’s hard to expect an Islamic party to remain strictly secular.
After their party was banned, members joined another Islamic party known as the Virtue Party, which in 2001, was also banned.
2001 – A...
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...hip with Saudi Arabia is also a good one. They both maintain distinguished status and potentials on multiple levels. King Abdul Aziz Al Saud said, “Arabs are in need of Egypt and Egypt is in need of Arabs,” establishing the importance of each other (“Egypt-Saudi Relations”).
Works Cited
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"Egypt's Role Remains Vital To Middle East Peace Process." The Christian Science Monitor. The Christian Science Monitor, n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.
"Egyptian-Saudi Relations." Egyptian-Saudi Relations. State Information Services, n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2014.
Fortin, Jacey. "The Islamists' Anniversary: Ten Years Of AKP Rule In Secular Turkey." International Business Times. IBT Media Inc., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2014.
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Andersen, Roy, Robert F. Seibert, and Jon G. Wagner. Politics and change in the Middle East: sources of conflict and accommodation. 9th ed. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1982. Print.
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Gerner, Deborah J., and Philip A. Schrodt. "Middle Eastern Politics." Understanding the contemporary Middle East. 3rd ed. Boulder, Colo.: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2008. 85 -136. Print.
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