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A Reflection on the MENA region

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Before this class, my knowledge was lacking in understanding the nuances of the relationships between MENA states, political tendencies, and the overall history of the MENA region.  While I had a basic understanding of all of these, I lacked a cohesive understanding of the region.  While I have only scratched the surface within the region, I feel that I have a more cohesive picture of the Middle East, understanding the greater complexities of what makes this region unique.  I also better understand the creation of the region and how that has resulted in the prolonged issues of the region.   It may sound simple, but looking at this region through the traditional paradigms of international relations theory is most important.  Many people view the states of this region as unique, often behaving differently than other states in the international community.  However, by the end of this class, it has become clearer that this region can be at least mostly...
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  The Consequences of the Demise of Iraq By: Adam Mast The 2003 American invasion of Iraq turned the Middle East region on its head, introduced new regional players and competitions, and cemented the presence of the American military within the region. A Brief History The modern story of Iraq began in 1990, when current Iraqi President Saddam Hussein launched a full-scale invasion into the neighboring state, Kuwait, in order to place himself atop the Arab world hierarchy.    After the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, Iraq was left weakened and did not fully recover from the war.  Hussein yearned to wield the Arab community to form a quasi-military bloc. This was not successful.  This left Iraq isolated within its region, alone in its mission of conquest to expand Iraq’s influence within the region.   Saddam Hussein Image Source: https://www.cnn.com/2013/10/17/world/meast/saddam-hussein-fast-facts/index.html This invasion prompted an extremely rare inter...
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  Water Consumption This week, we discussed the politics and implications of water usage in the MENA region.  Water is an essential source for every state and person.  Currently, the future of water inventory within MENA is not promising.  Many states are using significantly more water than they are consuming, and this issue will only get worse in the future.   I used two websites (watercalculator.org and waterfootprint.org) to calculate my water usage.  After answering a slew of questions about my water consumption on watercalculator.org, my total gallons per day is estimated to be 1,599.  It is important to note that I answered the questions based on my current living habits at Dickinson, not based on my household at home.   The United States average gallon used per day is 1,599.  Comparing my numbers to the U.S average, I do fall below.  This may be because the website calculates water based on household size.  My house...
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  The “Others” in our Communities by: Adam Mast Last week, my blog discussed my narrowed worldview, and featured a broader discussion of the effect certain environments can have on one’s life. As mentioned previously, I grew up in a small, slightly-rural, suburban town called Harleysville, located 40 minutes outside of Philadelphia. Growing up in this town admittedly provided me with a narrowed point of view, but I hope to have done work to undo the narrowed perspective and widen my view of the world.   A map of Harleysville, Pennsylvania      In Harleysville, the religious makeup is predominantly Christian, split between Protestant and Catholic. There is also a strong population of Evangelical Christians,  a movement of protestant Christianity devoted to more traditional and conservative values, with a focus on being “born again” after you proclaim your loyalty to god. Both sets of my grandparents consider themselves Evangelical Christians and t...
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Where I live; Where They Live By: Adam Mast Coming from a small, slightly rural, suburban town in Pennsylvania, has undoubtedly left me with a narrowed perspective of the world. I am cognizant of this, but on some occasions, it becomes even more obvious. This was the case on Tuesday when my International Relations of the Middle East and North Africa course met virtually with students who attend the American University of Sharjah (AUS). After this session, it was reiterated that my scope of the world can be limited.   The American University of Sharjah The AUS student that I was paired with was born in Dubai and has lived there her entire life. She expressed her love for urban environments, as they provide her with seemingly infinite new activities to try and people to meet. She explained that when she visits more rural areas, she feels overwhelmed by the lack of things to explore.   Dubai   Growing up in a more rural, small town in Pennsylvania, I though...
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