POLS GU4845

I'm writing a review on this course as of 2015 in order to counter-balance the overwhelmingly negative comment found below. (1) The syllabus has been updated. I found most of the readings interesting and informative. The required weekly reading is no heavier than Betts' WPS (in fact, it's probably considerably lighter). (2) Be prepared for the fact that some lectures will be better than others. The Egypt and Turkey discussions did feel "pundit-y" and repetitive as the previous review said. In these weeks, you will learn a lot more from the readings than you do in class. On the other hand, the lectures on Israel, Palestine, and the peace process were awesome. (3) Freilich isn't condescending or harsh. And I actually found him to be very willing to engage with the class. But he will call you out if you say something that is irrelevant or factually wrong (ie Yemen has a relatively high GDP). If you can't deal with a class where you will sometimes be wrong, then don't take this course. (4) The exams are really not that hard. Although I do say this as someone who did nearly all of the reading. But again, is that really that unreasonable of a requirement for a graduate level politics course? I think not. Bottom line: This isn't the best course that I've taken at Columbia. But it is also far from the worst.

Very Detailed Policy Paper (8 pages), Lot of Reading (ranged from 200-300 some weeks), In-Class Midterm and Final.

This class was an incredible waste of time, and the professor was the worst I've ever had at Columbia. First of all, he started the course by admitting that the syllabus was SEVERAL YEARS out of date. That's probably when I should've taken a hint and left. He always reminds the class that the emphasis of the course is on current events and the near future, it is NOT about the past. Despite this, at least 75% of the readings are about the DISTANT past. It simply amazes me that as a class which supposedly deals with current events, we barely even mentioned the Arab Spring in class and it wasn't in any of the readings. For a lot of the countries, we didn't even talk about how they changed post 9/11. The class is broken down into studies of individual countries in the region and their past allies and rivals, resources, geographical features, domestic political system, etc. However, it is almost entirely historical. We did an entire unit on Egypt without mentioning the revolution. Half of the reading we did on Egypt was written before 9/11!!! Instead of an take-home essay or paper like you would expect for this course level, there is an in-class exam which includes obscure multiple-choice questions from random readings that are designed to trip you up. You really have to read EVERYTHING if you want an A on the exams. And there is a lot of reading. Despite all the reading, lectures…

This was a strategic policy course focused on the Middle East and North Africa. This is a useful course for people who are interested pursuing foreign and defense policy in a professional setting. This course is best described, in my view, with the following: if one wants to go from knowing what an IR undergrad at Columbia knows to what an industry professional knows, they take this course.

I learned about the modern history of international relations in the countries of Syria, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Israel, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia. The course covered diplomatic, military, economic and political relationships between these countries. All of these relationships help to paint a picture of the security situation in the middle east and provide context for ongoing conflicts.

I learned a lot about the Middle East. It is one of Columbia classes where I felt smarter in the end of each class. You will discover in depth security issues the Middle East main countries, but also economic, social and political portrait for each one.

I gained excellent insights into current Middle East national strategic concerns and interrelationships

One of the best seminars at Columbia. 1 Columbia University: Arts & Sciences Fall 2022 Course: POLSGU4845_001_2022_3-NATSECURITYSTRATOFMIDEAST : POLSGU4845_001_2022_3 - NAT SECURITY STRAT OF MID EAST Instructor: Charles Freilich

I learned so much about the Middle East.

Professor Freilich is extremely qualified, and has a treasure trove of anecdotes from his time spent as a Natsec Advisor in Israel. The only complaint I have is that the outlook from which the class is designed is essentially an Israeli outlook, which is reflected in the sources. Take from it what you can, and debate at home with your friends, not in the classroom. You take this class to learn how to see through a local national security lens.