1. Read carefully the following brief background (a to d) as a theoretical framework for an explanation of how major world events are related to one another, and how our understanding [or lack of understanding] of relations between phenomena can influence our perception, our judgment, our worldview, and even our value system. Critical thinking helps us see the big picture by focusing not just on the component parts of a system but more importantly on how the component parts of a system interact to generate a collective dynamics, which can help us explain not just "what happened" but also "why it happened" and "who did it." (a) Since the end of the Second World War (1939-1945), the Middle East region has probably been in the news more than any other world region because it has been engulfed by major conflicts and wars in which millions of people were killed or displaced. For example, according to The World Economic Forums Global Risks Report 2016, the top five highest concerns (mass involuntary migration, state collapse, interstate conflict, unemployment or underemployment, and governance failure) in the next 18 months, as nominated by 750 experts, are essentially blamed on current events in the Middle East region (see "What are the biggest threats in 2016?" The World Economic Forums Global Risks Report 2016, https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/what-are-the-biggest-threats-in-2016/). Estimates of Iraqi casualties since 2003 range from hundreds of thousands to well over a million (See "Iraq study estimates war-related deaths at 461,000," BBC, 10/16/2016, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-24547256; See also "Poll: Civilian death toll in Iraq may top 1 million," Los Angeles Times, 9/14/2007, http://rempost.blogspot.com/2007/09/poll-civilian-death-toll-in-iraq-may.html). The United Nations estimates that in 2014 there were more than 13 million people displaced by wars in Iraq and Syria alone (See "U.N. says 13.6 million displaced by wars in Iraq and Syria," Reuters, 11/12/2014, http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/12/us-syria-crisis-refugees-idUSKCN0IV16320141112). In 2015, more than one million migrants and refugees fleeing war and starvation arrived in Europe unleashing a European migration crisis which contributed to the British vote to quit [Brexit] the European Union on June 23, 2016 (See "Migrant crisis: One million enter Europe in 2015," BBC, 12/22/2015, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35158769). Brexit and immigration seem to have impacted presidential campaign rhetoric and discourse in the United States (Donald Trump's immigration plans: start by deporting 3 million 'criminals', The Guardian, 11/13/2016, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/13/trump-deportation-immigration-criminals) . In addition to the above, there are more than 5 million Palestinian refugees (some 41% of all Palestinians) who continue to live in 58 UN registered Palestinian refugee camps in Palestine-Israel, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon because they are denied the right to return to their homes in Palestine (See the Palestine refugees and refugee camps as mapped by the United Nations Relief and Work Agency, UNRWA: http://www.unrwa.org/userfiles/2011011352710.pdf). (b) The list of conflicts and wars includes but is not limited to: (1) the Palestine-Israel wars since 1948, (2) the wars in Afghanistan since 1979, (3) the Iran-Iraq war of 1980-1988, (4) the wars in Iraq since 1990, (5) the war on terrorism since September 11, 2001, (6) the war in Libya since 2011, (7) the war in Syria since 2011, and (8) the war in Yemen since 2015. In many cases these devastating wars and conflicts caused a serious drain on public resources and caused lasting structural damages to the state, society, and infrastructure. They often create weak states, failing states, or even failed states which are unable to govern their entire space, unable to contain their internal conflicts, and unable to control their external borders in a region marked by a high level of cultural integration. Chaos, anarchy, and 'ungoverned spaces' opened the door for non-state actors including armed groups and terrorists to take the law into their own hands and seek support from regional and international powers which are sometimes eager to instigate or escalate wars and spillover conflicts along the lines of their geopolitical alliances. (c) This is how these conflicts and wars have local (within a single country), regional (within the Middle East region), and global (worldwide) connections with a broader rivalry between two loose and sometimes undeclared international coalitions/alliances of states or geopolitical axes (defined in this course as Axis 1 and Axis 2). The current LEADING members of Axis 1 countries include the United States, the United Kingdom, France, the State of Israel, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia. The current LEADING members of Axis 2 countries include Russia, China, Iran, and Syria. Rivalry between these two geopolitical axes is often behind major world events, drives current issues in the news, and steers US domestic and global geopolitics. (d) The current MAIN adversaries in the Middle East region are the United States and Israel (and their local/regional/global allies) against Iran and Syria (and their local/regional/global allies). Other leading states (including Russia) are essentially aligned with one axis or the other for specific national or strategic goals. The top root cause of the confrontation between the MAIN adversaries is the Palestine-Israel conflict (for example, Israel considers Palestine the homeland of world Jewry, whereas Iran considers Palestine the homeland of the Palestinians and considers Israel an illegitimate state). In 1979 Egypt ended the state of war with Israel by signing a peace treaty with Israel and de facto joining Axis 1 countries, whereas in 1979 Iran ended its alliance with Israel by turning over the Israeli embassy in Tehran to the Palestine Liberation Organization and de facto joining Axis 2 countries. Confrontation between the MAIN adversaries continues to escalate over the years. For example, while the Obama administration kept telling us for more than 5 years that Syrian President Assad must go before ending the Syria war which killed hundreds of thousands of Syrians and threw millions into refugee camps (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSBRk10E5R8), Hillary Clinton Email Archive has told us belatedly why: "The best way to help Israel deal with Iran's growing nuclear capability is to help the people of Syria overthrow the regime of Bashar Assad" (https://wikileaks.org/clinton-emails/Clinton_Email_November_Release/C05794498.pdf). This revelation may have inspired President-elect Donald Trump to note: "we've spent $6 trillion in the Middle East... We will stop looking to topple regimes and overthrow governments, folks! Remember $6 trillion! 6 trillion in the Middle East! 6 trillion!" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0fbDUWe4ko). 2. With the above brief theoretical and historical background in mind, review carefully and thoughtfully the information provided in the following PowerPoint slides of Topic 1: 94, 99, 103, 96, 101, 100, 104, 107, 127, 112, 108, 86, 110, 124, 111, 113-117, 119, 121, 87, 125, 122, 140-144. Begin with the "Four Major Middle East Events of 1979" (during which Egypt left Axis 2 and joined Axis 1, whereas Iran left Axis 1 and joined Axis 2, see slide 94). 3. Based EXCUSIVELY on your critical thinking and your learning from the theoretical and historical background and from the assigned PowerPoint slides, write a CONCISE essay (250-350 words) in which (1) you provide a clear explanation of why strange bedfellows such as the "Christian Zionists" in the United States, the "Jewish Movement" in the Soviet Union, and the "Muslim Mujahideen" in Afghanistan in the 1980s were all brought together and laser-focused on ONE common goal (to defeat the Soviet Union, which at the time bans the emigration of Soviet Jews to Palestine because US-backed Israel had defeated the TWO main Arab Soviet allies (Egypt and Syria) in 1967, and (2) you draw a clear comparison between the main actors, motives, goals, and means of the war in Afghanistan in the 1980s and the war in Syria since 2011. Note that the US government, the Soviet government, the Saudi government, and the Pakistani government are ACTORS who formulate and decide policy, whereas US Central Intelligence (CIA), Soviet Committee of State Security (KGB), Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Saudi "Wahhabi Islam," or US-backed "Muslim mujahideen" are essentially "instruments" or "tools" or "agencies" or "agents" or "means" for policy implementation. 4. Sources for homework assignments MUST be cited briefly (including the author and slide number, for example: Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, slide 100) and ONLY between parentheses in the text so I can verify them quickly while grading and writing feedback. Write your name (NOT the name of the instructor) on the homework assignment. Each homework assignment in this course must be formatted as a Microsoft Word file and uploaded through the TurnItIn link (View/Complete) by the deadline. No other submission will be accepted. Homework 1 is worth 10 points (10 percent of your final grade) and is due by 1/26/17 at 7 pm

1. Read carefully the following brief background (a to d) as a theoretical framework for an explanation of how major world events are related to one another, and how our understanding [or lack of understanding] of relations between phenomena can influence our perception, our judgment, our worldview, and even our value system. Critical thinking helps us see the big picture by focusing not just on the component parts of a system but more importantly on how the component parts of a system interact to generate a collective dynamics, which can help us explain not just "what happened" but also "why it happened" and "who did it." (a) Since the end of the Second World War (1939-1945), the Middle East region has probably been in the news more than any other world region because it has been engulfed by major conflicts and wars in which millions of people were killed or displaced. For example, according to The World Economic Forums Global Risks Report 2016, the top five highest concerns (mass involuntary migration, state collapse, interstate conflict, unemployment or underemployment, and governance failure) in the next 18 months, as nominated by 750 experts, are essentially blamed on current events in the Middle East region (see "What are the biggest threats in 2016?" The World Economic Forums Global Risks Report 2016, https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/what-are-the-biggest-threats-in-2016/). Estimates of Iraqi casualties since 2003 range from hundreds of thousands to well over a million (See "Iraq study estimates war-related deaths at 461,000," BBC, 10/16/2016, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-24547256; See also "Poll: Civilian death toll in Iraq may top 1 million," Los Angeles Times, 9/14/2007, http://rempost.blogspot.com/2007/09/poll-civilian-death-toll-in-iraq-may.html). The United Nations estimates that in 2014 there were more than 13 million people displaced by wars in Iraq and Syria alone (See "U.N. says 13.6 million displaced by wars in Iraq and Syria," Reuters, 11/12/2014, http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/12/us-syria-crisis-refugees-idUSKCN0IV16320141112). In 2015, more than one million migrants and refugees fleeing war and starvation arrived in Europe unleashing a European migration crisis which contributed to the British vote to quit [Brexit] the European Union on June 23, 2016 (See "Migrant crisis: One million enter Europe in 2015," BBC, 12/22/2015, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35158769). Brexit and immigration seem to have impacted presidential campaign rhetoric and discourse in the United States (Donald Trump's immigration plans: start by deporting 3 million 'criminals', The Guardian, 11/13/2016, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/13/trump-deportation-immigration-criminals) . In addition to the above, there are more than 5 million Palestinian refugees (some 41% of all Palestinians) who continue to live in 58 UN registered Palestinian refugee camps in Palestine-Israel, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon because they are denied the right to return to their homes in Palestine (See the Palestine refugees and refugee camps as mapped by the United Nations Relief and Work Agency, UNRWA: http://www.unrwa.org/userfiles/2011011352710.pdf). (b) The list of conflicts and wars includes but is not limited to: (1) the Palestine-Israel wars since 1948, (2) the wars in Afghanistan since 1979, (3) the Iran-Iraq war of 1980-1988, (4) the wars in Iraq since 1990, (5) the war on terrorism since September 11, 2001, (6) the war in Libya since 2011, (7) the war in Syria since 2011, and (8) the war in Yemen since 2015. In many cases these devastating wars and conflicts caused a serious drain on public resources and caused lasting structural damages to the state, society, and infrastructure. They often create weak states, failing states, or even failed states which are unable to govern their entire space, unable to contain their internal conflicts, and unable to control their external borders in a region marked by a high level of cultural integration. Chaos, anarchy, and 'ungoverned spaces' opened the door for non-state actors including armed groups and terrorists to take the law into their own hands and seek support from regional and international powers which are sometimes eager to instigate or escalate wars and spillover conflicts along the lines of their geopolitical alliances. (c) This is how these conflicts and wars have local (within a single country), regional (within the Middle East region), and global (worldwide) connections with a broader rivalry between two loose and sometimes undeclared international coalitions/alliances of states or geopolitical axes (defined in this course as Axis 1 and Axis 2). The current LEADING members of Axis 1 countries include the United States, the United Kingdom, France, the State of Israel, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia. The current LEADING members of Axis 2 countries include Russia, China, Iran, and Syria. Rivalry between these two geopolitical axes is often behind major world events, drives current issues in the news, and steers US domestic and global geopolitics. (d) The current MAIN adversaries in the Middle East region are the United States and Israel (and their local/regional/global allies) against Iran and Syria (and their local/regional/global allies). Other leading states (including Russia) are essentially aligned with one axis or the other for specific national or strategic goals. The top root cause of the confrontation between the MAIN adversaries is the Palestine-Israel conflict (for example, Israel considers Palestine the homeland of world Jewry, whereas Iran considers Palestine the homeland of the Palestinians and considers Israel an illegitimate state). In 1979 Egypt ended the state of war with Israel by signing a peace treaty with Israel and de facto joining Axis 1 countries, whereas in 1979 Iran ended its alliance with Israel by turning over the Israeli embassy in Tehran to the Palestine Liberation Organization and de facto joining Axis 2 countries. Confrontation between the MAIN adversaries continues to escalate over the years. For example, while the Obama administration kept telling us for more than 5 years that Syrian President Assad must go before ending the Syria war which killed hundreds of thousands of Syrians and threw millions into refugee camps (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSBRk10E5R8), Hillary Clinton Email Archive has told us belatedly why: "The best way to help Israel deal with Iran's growing nuclear capability is to help the people of Syria overthrow the regime of Bashar Assad" (https://wikileaks.org/clinton-emails/Clinton_Email_November_Release/C05794498.pdf). This revelation may have inspired President-elect Donald Trump to note: "we've spent $6 trillion in the Middle East... We will stop looking to topple regimes and overthrow governments, folks! Remember $6 trillion! 6 trillion in the Middle East! 6 trillion!" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0fbDUWe4ko). 2. With the above brief theoretical and historical background in mind, review carefully and thoughtfully the information provided in the following PowerPoint slides of Topic 1: 94, 99, 103, 96, 101, 100, 104, 107, 127, 112, 108, 86, 110, 124, 111, 113-117, 119, 121, 87, 125, 122, 140-144. Begin with the "Four Major Middle East Events of 1979" (during which Egypt left Axis 2 and joined Axis 1, whereas Iran left Axis 1 and joined Axis 2, see slide 94). 3. Based EXCUSIVELY on your critical thinking and your learning from the theoretical and historical background and from the assigned PowerPoint slides, write a CONCISE essay (250-350 words) in which (1) you provide a clear explanation of why strange bedfellows such as the "Christian Zionists" in the United States, the "Jewish Movement" in the Soviet Union, and the "Muslim Mujahideen" in Afghanistan in the 1980s were all brought together and laser-focused on ONE common goal (to defeat the Soviet Union, which at the time bans the emigration of Soviet Jews to Palestine because US-backed Israel had defeated the TWO main Arab Soviet allies (Egypt and Syria) in 1967, and (2) you draw a clear comparison between the main actors, motives, goals, and means of the war in Afghanistan in the 1980s and the war in Syria since 2011. Note that the US government, the Soviet government, the Saudi government, and the Pakistani government are ACTORS who formulate and decide policy, whereas US Central Intelligence (CIA), Soviet Committee of State Security (KGB), Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Saudi "Wahhabi Islam," or US-backed "Muslim mujahideen" are essentially "instruments" or "tools" or "agencies" or "agents" or "means" for policy implementation. 4. Sources for homework assignments MUST be cited briefly (including the author and slide number, for example: Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, slide 100) and ONLY between parentheses in the text so I can verify them quickly while grading and writing feedback. Write your name (NOT the name of the instructor) on the homework assignment. Each homework assignment in this course must be formatted as a Microsoft Word file and uploaded through the TurnItIn link (View/Complete) by the deadline. No other submission will be accepted. Homework 1 is worth 10 points (10 percent of your final grade) and is due by 1/26/17 at 7 pm