Origins of the Middle East Conflict

Back by popular demand, Charles Mamane will help us explore the state of the Middle East and trace its history from the end of the First World War to the present. Many people do not realize that the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East originated during World War I with the Balfour Declaration, which is regarded as one of the most controversial and contested documents in the modern history of the Arab world, and which has puzzled historians for decades. With this declaration, Britain publicly pledged to establish "a national home for the Jewish people" but for the Palestinians, it resulted in what they call the Nakba - the Catastrophe. To understand the Nation States of the Middle East as they are today, we need to look at the forces that shaped the Modern Middle East

The instructor will provide reading material by email prior to each session - generally, 1 or 2 magazine articles of about 5 pages each for each session.

This class will meet for 8 sessions via Zoom. It will take place over 4 weeks, meeting twice a week, Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9:30 to 11:30.

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Instructor:

Charles Mamane is an engineer by training, but the history of the Middle East conflict has been his interest and passion for most of his adult life. Born in Morocco, having lived in France, Israel and most recently the United States for the last 50 years, he brings a unique perspective to the history of the Middle East conflict.

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