عنوان

The Balance of Power in the Middle East: When Nations, Borders, and Identities Collide

Number

TL49710

.Language of Text, Soundtrack etc

انگلیسی

Title Proper

The Balance of Power in the Middle East: When Nations, Borders, and Identities Collide

General Material Designation

[Thesis]

First Statement of Responsibility

Karla Winter

Subsequent Statement of Responsibility

Frost, Eric G.

Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.

San Diego State University

Date of Publication, Distribution, etc.

2017

Specific Material Designation and Extent of Item

88

Text of Note

Place of publication: United States, Ann Arbor; ISBN=978-0-355-59391-4

Dissertation or thesis details and type of degree

M.S.

Discipline of degree

Homeland Security

Body granting the degree

San Diego State University

Text preceding or following the note

2017

Text of Note

Israel is a small nation of western values geographically centered amid Middle East instability and often the target of regional hostilities. An enduring US alliance began after Israel declared independence in 1948, founded upon mutually shared values and moral responsibility, which often clash with Middle East ideologies and traditions. US economic support has enabled Israel to develop military and defense security systems that until recently were unrivaled in the region. Tensions in the Middle East have existed in the form of the Sunni-Shi'ite divide since the death of the Prophet Muhammad and continue to affect the balance of power through ongoing battles for regional hegemonic dominance. This thesis will examine the history and progression of some of the major ideological and political divides leading to the current Iranian threat in the region and specifically the threat to Israel. The discovery of oil and the rise of nationalism in Iran were followed by the fall of the Ottoman Empire resulting in the complexity of redrawing of borders leading to international missteps that continue to adversely impact the region today. The overthrow of the Shah during the 1979 Iranian Revolution produced a shift in ideology that created a new strategic structure of power by returning to a theocratic form of governance. The regime's primary goals are to export its ideology regionally together with a commitment to annihilate the Jewish State. Iran's military expansion to include nuclear ambitions, combined with precision weapons buildup in Syria and Lebanon, has amplified Israeli security concerns resulting in the development of US-led international policies to deter Iran's progress. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is discussed, together with the rise of the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah and its activities in Lebanon, Syria, and the Golan Heights-all of which pose an existential threat to Israel. The 2017 resignation of the Lebanese Prime Minister and the denunciation of Iran and Hezbollah by Saudi Arabian leadership have intensified regional tensions. An already brewing conflict beginning between Israel and Hezbollah may escalate from imminent to inevitable and may broaden to involve responses from the entire region and the international community.

Middle Eastern history; Middle Eastern Studies; International Relations

Subject Term

Social sciences

Mahmoodi, Venus

Frost, Eric G.

Subdivision

Homeland Security

San Diego State University

Call Number

1988254207; 10743928

Electronic name

p

[Thesis]

276903

a

Y