Use the questions as a guide:
Five reasons the Middle East is in crisis
1. What sort of political formation is the Middle East? How have the political foundations of the region been formed?
2. How effective have the Arab regimes proved to be throughout the 20th and 21st centuries?
3. What has become a gateway for the Arab population to get involved into governance?
4. What goals was the project of the Arab Spring aimed at?
5. What are the political and structural repercussions of the Arab Spring in Iraq, Egypt, Algeria and Libya?
6. What did the erasure of the border line between Iraq and Syria result in? What did the assassination of Gaddafi bring to Libya?
7. Which identity are some regional leaders trying to preserve? Why?
8. Which alliances have been forged in the region? Which goals are they striving to attain?
9. What is the nature of rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia? Which states support each of the sides?
10. Which threat doe the turmoil in the Middle East pose for Europe and the US?
11. How does the turmoil affect the region economically?
