Instructions:
Answer to each question should be between 800 and 1000words The answers will require that you offer your own critical point of view supported by evidence. Citations are not required, neither are they discouraged. However, please avoid lengthy quotations.
Questions:
1. The division of the Middle East through the Sykes-Picot agreement has been staunchly debated since its inception. What should constitute Middie Eastern order has reached no consensus, despite the resignation of regional authorities to state centric norms. The regional revolutions and the rise of Islamic State once again highlight these concerns. In your estimation, would regional security be more likely to be achieved by greater integration of the Middle East in connection with the notions of Arab nationalism, maintaining the status quo characterized by imposed post-colonial borders, or further fragmentation along with greater autonomy. For example: The potential federalization of or the creation of independent state units in Iraq and Syria along Kurdish, Shi'ite and Sunni lines?
2. The Green Movement in Iran has failed to achieve any discernible concessions from the political elites. Equally, however, the protests did not push Iran towards self-destruction as has been the case in the neighboring Arab states. With the death of Hashemi Rafsanjani and the confinement of reformist figures such as Hussein Mosavi and Muhommed Khatemi, the Green Path of Hope would seem to be in peril. What is the condition of the Green Movement today? Can it be resurgent, and if so, can political change be achieved without the levels of violence seen in the 'successful' revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt?