 Hello and thank you for your interest in the SOAS online summer school of 2020 and the Middle East in Global Politics programme. My name is Reem Abul-Fadl, I'm a senior lecturer in comparative politics of the Middle East and I'm the programme convener. I'm very much hoping to welcome you in late June for two weeks of packed online learning. I'm guessing you might be drawn to this course because you'd like to understand better what shapes global affairs, patterns of war, migration, inequality and protest, and how these are rooted in Middle East realities. For example, why is the question of Palestine unresolved into the 21st century? Why did the Arab world see uprising after uprising in 2010 and 2011? And why exactly are US and European affairs so relevant to both sets of processes? How come in today's Turkey, Kemal Atatouk's image is still everywhere? And what was his westernization project? What precisely was Islamic about the revolution in Iran? And why is Iran still a top US foreign policy concern? More broadly, how do the global and local intersect? And can we really think in terms of such a division? This course will help you make these connections and answer these questions. So how do we do this? Well, we begin by asking what is the Middle East? Middle of what and east of where? Who said so and who still said so? Here we sample the writings of a really important thinker for Middle East and post-colonial studies, Edward Said, and I recommend you check out this video for a flavour. Then we get stuck into the history, thinking about European empire and anti-colonial resistance, and how decolonisation intersected with Cold War and Western power politics. We think about empire in the present day, and we look at key regional players such as Egypt, Turkey, Iran, and the Gulf States. We'll be hosting guest speakers for you to learn and engage with. Colleagues who've regularly joined me in the past include Tunisian activist and scholar Nada Trigi, UK Gulf relations expert David Waring, and public historian and Wikipedia expert Kelly Foster. So what do you get for your two weeks' hard work? Well, here are your learning outcomes. They include familiarity with international relations themes and scholarship, a good grasp of relevant history and current affairs, and improved transferable skills of analysis and argument. Formally, you get 15 UK credits as long as you complete the final essay, and above all, you get an immersion in Middle East politics that opens up a host of opportunities afterwards. Previous students have actually stayed on to take the MSc in the politics of the Middle East that I co-convene at SOAS. Others have gone to the region for language study or for professional reasons. I'm hopeful that you will do the same and encourage you to get in touch with any questions. Thank you.