This course examines some of the major themes in the history of the Arab Middle East since the breakup of the Ottoman Empire following World War I. Primary emphasis is on the role played by issues of identity in the development of national structures in the Arab East (Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf States). Major themes include the nature of Islamic community, the structure and legacy of Ottoman rule, the post- Ottoman settlement and the impact of colonial rule, the emergence of nationalist politics and the growth of the contemporary Arab state system, oil and the politics of family rule in the Gulf States, and the relationship between religion and politics