Reflections

As I finally settle down from the stress of finals, I wanted to reflect on my last semester, specifically what I have gained from the class and how I am looking forward to using my knowledge in the future.

I am incredibly thankful Professor Webb took the time to teach this class. It was a genuinely strong learning environment. I appreciate the way the class was structured, personally I am more of a sit in lecture and take notes kind of girl. However this was more of an application class, taking what we had learned and applying it to situations, specially the second half of class. Sometimes I found this to be a bit difficult, but I would believe that is due to the fact that I have never had a class structured this way and this was also the first time learning this information. I have studied the Kuwait War and Saddam Hussein in other classes but the level of analysis is what made the class different for me. However, often times I felt mildly out of place in the class, being only one of the two sophomores in the class was quite intimidating. Being surrounded by Middle Eastern Studies majors and International Studies majors (with their concentrations in the Middle East) often led to a feeling in in-superiority. I certainly don't think anyone in the class thought less of me because of my age or grade year but their knowledge certainly outshined mine and I was left with a feeling I couldn't contribute. Sometimes, I will blame myself, I am often to scared to speak what I am thinking for fear of being wrong and embarrassing myself and as I am growing older this thought is certainly fading away however still prevalent in classes where the majority of people are older. Honestly though, I really did learn much from the course. I would argue that my writing has improved immensely.

While the class was writing intensive, I am so happy that we blogged instead of composing weekly papers or something awful like that. Blogging allowed me to be more free with my thoughts and really give my opinion and not just research or regurgitate information the professor had taught us. Blogging in this class has inspired me to keep blogging and I have opened a new blog so I can keep posting my thoughts for all of the internet to see and read, hopefully someone will be interested. I didn't understand the value of presentation until this course. The way we present information affects the way it is perceived and understood. I apologize for my lack of info graphics on this post, I am not quite sure how to post a picture being thankful unless I use a shameless selfie of me giving the thumbs up sign because I am happy with everything I have learned and accomplished from this semester (I feel as though that might be a tad embarrassing).

I didn't just personally grow from the course, my knowledge about how international relations has grown as well. I believe I have gained enough information to apply levels of analysis to different scenarios around the world. Not only that, but I have gained more insight on the history of the Middle East and how often issues of today stem from yesterdays solutions.

All in all, thank you Professor Webb and to all my classmates from the knowledge I have gained from you this semester and the enjoyment I got out of the class. I wish you a great next semester.

Sincerely,
Danette

I must keep blogging!

As we are getting to the end of the semester, I realized my blogging as lagged a bit. However the news in the Middle East has not. I think one of the most exciting and contentious bits of news (not that I am understating the mass murder of Syrian citizens and the bombings back and forth by Israel and Palestine are any less interesting) is the status of Palestine.

The UN General Assembly recently voted and gave Palestine Observer State status, however this doesn't do much physically it lends itself to legitimacy in name.  Giving Palestine this legitimacy is mildly concerning to me. A UN mandate is what officially created the state of Israel. While I am all for a two state resolution, I don't believe Palestine should have gained the legitimacy it now has until a two state solution has been established. I feel as though this means any group of organized individuals who want a state in an area that already been established as a state can gain Observer status from the UN. I think this could be applicable to the Kurds in Northern Iraq, or the Northern Council in Italy or even the people of Catalonia from Spain. These are all independent groups of people who want freedom from the country they currently preside in, however they don't gain Observer status form the UN.

I understand that Palestine was once a state, but as we have talked about in class borders are arbitrary, often drawn by colonial powers to strategic purposes. Who is to say that long ago the people of Catalonia or the Kurds of Iraq didn't once have their own state but due to borders are now confined and chained to an arbitrary state.

I also think it is interesting that the United States threaten to pull foreign aid from Palestine if they ever applied for a higher status in the UN. However when Palestine did apply Congress threatened to pull the aid and then the President requested they didn't. Also quite humorous was I thought some of the article titles regarding the elevated status of Palestine. Many writers referred to this as a blow to the U.S. and to Israel. I agree with it being a blow to Israel but to the U.S. not so much. The U.S. still has the veto power, so therefore Palestine will never reach higher than observer status (unless there is a solution to the Israel/Palestine conflict).