Contextualization

The Middle East region has been marked, from the 20th century to the present day, by intense and complex political, territorial, and religious conflicts. This geographical area comprises countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, among others, and is of great relevance to the global economy, especially due to oil production and trade.

Understanding the conflicts in the Middle East is not a simple task, as it involves a series of factors, from the legacy of European colonizations in the region after World War I, the creation of the State of Israel after World War II, to contemporary issues such as the so-called 'Arab Spring' and the War in Syria.

There are several key concepts to understand these issues, such as nationalism, Zionism, colonialism, imperialism, ethnocentrism, religious fundamentalism, among others. In our project, we will delve into these concepts and also understand how these conflicts influence the lives of the peoples living in this region and how this reverberates on the international stage.

To deepen your studies on the subject, we recommend the following sources:

• Book 'A History of the Middle East' by William L. Cleveland. This book provides an overview of the region's history, discussing the main events from the 19th century to the present day.

• Documentary 'Promises' available on the Netflix platform. This documentary explores the perspective of Israeli and Palestinian children on the conflict between their countries.

• Book 'The Invention of Tradition' by Eric Hobsbawm and Terence Ranger. This book analyzes how traditions are constructed and transformed by societies, including an analysis of nationalism.

• Website 'BBC News - Middle East'. The BBC section dedicated to the Middle East offers a large amount of reports and analysis on recent events in the region.

Practical Activity

Activity Title: 'Diplomatic Conference Simulation on Conflicts in the Middle East'

Project Objective:

The objective of this activity is to simulate a United Nations diplomatic conference, where students will represent different countries and organizations involved in the Middle East conflict. Students will have to prepare speeches, negotiate solutions, and make decisions as if they were the official representatives of these countries and organizations. This will enhance their understanding of the different viewpoints and interests at stake in the Middle East conflict, as well as the complex dynamics of negotiation and decision-making in international diplomacy.

Detailed Project Description:

Students will be divided into groups of 3 to 5 people. Each group will represent a relevant country or organization, such as the United States, Iran, Israel, Palestine, Hamas, Hezbollah, Saudi Arabia, among others. Students will have to research the role and perspective of their represented entity in the Middle East conflicts and prepare a speech that reflects their position.

During the simulation, groups will have to present their speeches, negotiate with other groups, and try to find solutions to the conflict. Although it is a simulation exercise, students should strive to reproduce the reality of international diplomacy as faithfully as possible, which includes respecting diplomatic protocol and the complexity of negotiations.

Materials Needed:

• Internet access for research;
• Notebook and pen for notes;
• Materials for making representative posters of the countries/organizations (optional).

Detailed Step-by-Step for Activity Execution:

1. Divide the class into groups of 3 to 5 students. Each group will represent a relevant country or organization for the Middle East conflicts.

2. Students will have one week to research the role and perspective of their country or organization in the Middle East conflicts. They should seek information about the history of the conflict, the interests of their country or organization, their policies and actions, their position in relation to other actors, etc.

3. Based on this research, each group must prepare a speech that reflects the position of their country or organization.

4. On the day of the simulation, each group will present their speech. After all presentations, there will be a space for questions and discussions. Groups can ask each other questions and debate different viewpoints.

5. After the round of questions and discussions, groups will have to negotiate with each other to try to find solutions to the conflict. They can propose agreements, peace negotiations, interventions, etc.

6. At the end of the simulation, each group must write a report on the experience, which includes an introduction contextualizing the conflict, the development of the activity including an explanation of the chosen representation, their actions and conclusions drawn from the simulation, and finally, the bibliography used to support their position.

Project Submission:

As a result of the project, each group must submit the following:

• The written speech that was presented during the simulation.

• A written report on the simulation experience. This report should include:

  1. Introduction: Contextualization of the conflicts in the Middle East and explanation of the role and perspective of the country or organization that the group represented.

  2. Development: Details on the preparation for the simulation (research, speech preparation, negotiation strategy, etc.), participation in the event (speech presentation, negotiations, decisions made, etc.), and the results achieved.

  3. Conclusions: Reflections on the experience, the learnings, the challenges faced, and what the group could have done differently.

  4. Bibliography: Indication of the sources used for research and preparation of the speech and report.

The report must be submitted in digital format (Word or PDF) one week after the simulation. Each group member will be evaluated both for their performance during the simulation (preparation, speech presentation, participation in negotiations, etc.) and for the quality of the final speech and report.