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" The Balance of Power in the Middle East: When Nations, Borders, and Identities Collide "
Karla Winter
Frost, Eric G.
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Latin Dissertation
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| Language of Document
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English
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| Record Number
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804874
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| Doc. No
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TL49710
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| Call number
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1988254207; 10743928
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| Main Entry
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Mahmoodi, Venus
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| Title & Author
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The Balance of Power in the Middle East: When Nations, Borders, and Identities Collide\ Karla WinterFrost, Eric G.
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| College
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San Diego State University
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| Date
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2017
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| Degree
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M.S.
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| field of study
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Homeland Security
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| student score
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2017
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| Page No
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88
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| Note
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Place of publication: United States, Ann Arbor; ISBN=978-0-355-59391-4
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| Abstract
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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.
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| Subject
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Middle Eastern history; Middle Eastern Studies; International Relations
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| Descriptor
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Social sciences
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| Added Entry
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Frost, Eric G.
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Homeland SecuritySan Diego State University
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