History of the Modern Middle East / Module 14
The Middle East During the Interwar Period
The interwar Middle East is framed through nation-state interests and pan-Arabism. The lesson examines how state power often drove politics even when broader Arab identity remained powerful.
Learning objectives
- Analyze the tension between pan-Arabism and nation-state interests.
- Explain how state power shaped politics in the interwar Middle East.
Transcript excerpt
Excerpt from the lesson transcript
These are, in spite of the enormous power and potency of pan-Arabism, as late as the 1950s and '60s, I would argue that what is really driving each of these nation states is raison d'etat, the state, reason of state, and the state is the nation state.