Online Resources »

A Globalization: Focusing on the Middle East

the experience in many developing countries in the Middle East has shown that policy interventions and economic restructuring programs have contributed to huge economic distress and social instability in many countries. As a result, many states resorted to coercive and undemocratic measures in order to quell the social unrest emanating from economically-destabilizing policy interventions. What Middle Eastern countries need is a form of economic development that tackles poverty and unemployment – without breeding inequality and concentration of wealth – with a view to human rights, democracy, and civil liberties of each citizen.

A Shift in Arab Views of Iran

Among the results of a recently published poll of Middle Eastern countries is a shift in opinion of Arab countries from rejecting an Iranian nuclear program to having a positive perception of it.

Iran's President Unveils New Long-Range Drone Aircraft

Iran unveiled its newest a long-ranged unmanned bomber, amidst a series of announcements about new Iranian military advances.

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Quizzes »

Great Decisions 2010 Spring Quiz Series - The Persian Gulf

Online topic quizzes are an ideal test of readers' knowledge of the Great Decisions 2010 articles and the Spring Updates!

Great Decisions 2010 Winter Quiz Series - The Persian Gulf

Online topic quizzes are an ideal test of readers' knowledge of the Great Decisions 2010 articles.

GD 2006 Quiz 2 - Iran

The election of Iran's conservative president has raised concern that hardliners will shape policies against U.S. interests. How can the U.S. check Iran's influence in Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries in the region? How will the U.S. and the international community mitigate the crisis over Iran's nuclear ambitions?

In the Classroom »

Classroom Resources for Great Decisions 2010 From Scholastic - The Persian Gulf

FPA and Scholastic have partnered to bring educators additional resources, all free, on the Great Decisions 2010 topic: The Persian Gulf. These articles appear in The New York Times Upfront, the current events newsmagazine for teens published with The Times.

Leonard Marks Foundation Essay Contest for Creative Thought and Writing on American Foreign Policy

The American Academy of Diplomacy sponsors the Leonard Marks Foundation Essay Contest for Creative Thought and Writing on American Foreign Policy. Participants in the contest must submit an essay of no more than 1,500 words on five pre-selected challenges for American diplomacy, and propose a policy course to address that challenge over the next one to three years.

2010 AFSA National High School Essay Contest

Enter the American Foreign Service Association's (AFSA) 2010 National High School Essay Contest. The deadline for submission is April 15, 2010.

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Recommended Readings »

Reset: Iran, Turkey, and America's Future

What can the United States do to help realize its dream of a peaceful, democratic Middle East? Stephen Kinzer offers a surprising answer in this paradigm-shifting book. Two countries in the region, he argues, are America's logical partners in the twenty-first century: Turkey and Iran.

Besides proposing this new "power triangle," Kinzer also recommends that the United States reshape relations with its two traditional Middle East allies, Israel and Saudi Arabia.

The Devil We Know: Dealing with the New Iranian Superpower

In The Devil We Know, ex–CIA operative Robert Baer shows how Iran has maneuvered itself into the elite superpower ranks by exploiting Americans' false perceptions of what Iran is—by letting us believe it is a country run by scowling religious fanatics, too preoccupied with theocratic jostling and terrorist agendas to strengthen its political and economic foundations. The reality is much more frightening—and yet contained in the potential catastrophe is an implicit political response that, if we're bold enough to adopt it, could avert disaster.

Israel and Palestine - Two States for Two Peoples: If Not Now, When?

The Boston Study Group on Middle East Peace is comprised of professional and academic members with strong interest in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Some have been intensely engaged with this subject for decades. Others have closely followed the conflict within the context of their professional work in conflict resolution, international law and international relations, religion, and U.S. foreign policy.

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