Middle East & North Africa High School Questions
Help students understand the Middle East and North Africa through these essay and discussion questions.
Questions
- How has a history of Western interventionism and imperialism shaped the region?
- How have United States foreign policy goals in the Middle East and North Africa changed over time?
- How would you explain the goals of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and North Africa in your own words? How effective has the United States been at accomplishing those goals?
- To what extent did the Arab uprisings (also called the Arab Spring) bring political change to the region?
- Why do you think that the Middle East has so frequently been the site of proxy conflicts?
- What regional rivalries do you think have had the biggest impact on the region, and why? What regional rivalries do you think have had the biggest impact on the world beyond the Middle East, and why?
- What are the underlying causes of tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia? How have these tensions contributed to conditions of instability across the Middle East and North Africa?
- What are the major issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?
- Do you believe a permanent settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians is possible?
- How has the role of Islam in politics and society changed over time?
- Do you think the region is likely to become more or less authoritarian over the next decade? Why?
- What role does oil play in regional politics and economics?
- How has the status of women in the Middle East and North Africa changed over the last century? Have conditions improved or worsened? How so?
- Which countries have large migrant populations? Where do those migrant populations come from and why? What challenges do migrants face across the region? How has the presence of large migrant populations presented challenges to their host countries?