Test 2 Flashcards
quietists
Clerics should advise but not rule
vilayet e-faqih
A book by Ayatollah Khomeini that argues that government should be run in accordance with traditional Islamic law (sharia), and for this to happen a leading Islamic jurist must provide political “guardianship” over the people and nation. It laid the groundwork for the Iranian revolution and was incorporated into the Iranian Republics constitution.
UNSCOM
created by UNSC 687. UN special commission on the Disarmament of Iraq. Was created after the Gulf War to restrict Saddam Hussain’s ability to create WMD’s. While he did this he Bizarrely tried to hide his compliance. Alternatively co-operating and stonewalling. The US viewed it as a means to weakening Saddam and hoping for a Coup.
Twin Pillar Policy
The policy of relying on Iran and Saudi Arabia for security in the region. Both would be armed but Saudi Arabia would be viewed as the junior partner. The key to the policy was reliance on the Shah to be the “Regional Policeman” The two pillar policy dramatically collapsed during the Iranian Revolution.
Reflagging tankers
Refers to the US policy in 1987 of putting US Flags on Kuwaiti tankers and giving them US naval escorts. This was a reaction to Iranian air attack on gulf shipping and a similar offer to Kuwait from the USSR. The escorts resulted in the largest mobilization of the US navy since Vietnam.
Pearl Roundabout
Was a traffic roundabout that was the sight of anti-government protests in 2011 against the government of Bahrain. It gained symbolic importance to protester and was consequently demolished by the government.
Over the Horizon
Refers to the Gulf Monarchies resistance to having an actual US military presence in their countries. With the wave of Anti-US Islamist sentiment sweeping the region after the Iranian revolution they were afraid to be seen as too close with the US. They preferred their security to be guaranteed by a US “Just over the horizon” This Later broke down during the Gulf War when a direct US military presence was necessary to counter Iraq.
OPEC
Was founded in 1960 by Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Venezuela as a forum for coordinating among themselves in dealing with oil companies. It is still significant in global politics and has played a major role of many events in the middle east and around the world such as the 1973 oil crisis and the Gulf Wars.
The nakba
Also known as the Palestinian exodus, occurred in 1948 when 700,000 native palestinians were expelled to make way for the creation of a new Jewish state.
The Iranian Revolution
The Iranian revolution occurred in 1978-9 as a result of the Shah’s unpopularity due to his opulent life, economic mismanagement and his attempts to secularize the culture that enraged and empowered the Islamist elements in the country. The revolution caused a wave of Shia unrest across the Middle East but specifically in Iraq and Bahrain. The revolution caused world oil prices to nearly double and motivated the Iran-Iraq war.
The Iran-Iraq War
Occurred from 1980-1988. The war was started by Saddam Hussain who was responding to the Iranian revolution. He was concerned about the effects of rising Shia islamist sentiment in Iraq and wanted to take advantage of the purges taking place in the Iranian Military. At first Iraq was successful but they were later driven back by an Iranian counter offensive before regaining the initiative along with US diplomatic and naval intervention leading Iran to agree to a ceasefire in 1988..
The Gulf War
Began due to Saddam Hussain’s belief that Kuwait, the UAE, Israel, the US and Europe were conspiring against him to topple his regime by holding oil prices down and sabotaging his weapons development. In 1990 he invaded Kuwait and took total control of the country. The US responded by building a coalition and driving Sadat out with relative ease in 1991. The war sparked an uprising in Iraq called antifida which was violently quelled and led to the creation of UNSCOM to investigate Iraqi weapons development.
The Arab Spring/Uprisings
Also known as the Arab Spring was a loose political movement or set of movements that started in Tunisia and spread throughout the Middle East. It led to the fall of not only the Tunisian regime but also that of Gaddafi in Libya and Mubarak in Egypt as well as other less successful revolutionary movements in the gulf states and the ongoing civil war in Syria.
The Carter Doctrine
was a policy which stated that the United States would use military force if necessary to defend its national interests in the Persian Gulf. The Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force was created for that purpose. This was in response to the Iranian revolution and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
Dual Containment
Our policy of trying to contain both Iraq and Iran after the Iranian revolution
Muslim Brotherhood
A Sunni Arabic political and social organization that seeks to instal Sharia law not through coercion but social revolution.
Gulf Cooperative Council
The GCC was formed in 1981 as a response to growing insecurity within the smaller Gulf Kingdoms caused by the Iranian Revolution. While the Kingdoms had long been resistant to Saudi influence preferring British and American protection they set aside their fears of Saudi Dominance and join with them in joint economic and security measures.
al-Jazeera
Qatari news agency that came to prominence during the Iraq war by reporting civilian and US casualties against the wishes of the US government. They are banned in Saudi Arabia. They also played a pivotal role in the Arab Spring by making the choice to frame the uprisings as a regional movement not isolated events
Kurds
An ethnic minority that spans Turkey Iraq and Iran. They got a raw deal from the British by not getting their own state and are our lead ally against IS.
The oil crisis (1973)
Occurred as a result of US support for Israel in the Arab-Israeli war. After Saudi Arabia and Iran placed an embargo on Oil Imports to the US. The Crisis resulted in skyrocketing oil Prices and the US level threats of force to acquire oil. The crisis was eventually resolved diplomatically as the Arab-Israeli conflict was brought to an end and the US government sold arms to the Saudi’s and strengthened Iranian economic ties.
UNSCR 242
Resolution that ended the 1967 war. Israel is to return all the lands in return for a peace agreement.
The Suez crisis
Occurred in 1958. A crisis that came about when Nassar tried to nationalize the Suez canal and the British, French and Israelis responded with force. The US sided with Egypt and threatened to collapse the British pound unless European powers and israel stopped aggression thus ending the conflict. The crisis officially ended direct British influence in Egypt.
Arab Cold War
A regional conflict between Arab Nationalist countries under the leadership of Nassar of Egypt and the more fundamentalist Arab Monarchies led by King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. They fought a proxy war in Yemen in the 1960s that among other things led to the decline of Arab Nationalism in favor of Islamism.
Bonyads
Semi-statist institutions that are conglomerates of industry and social institutions
