SJS 3: The Middle East's Spreading Morass

Source:  Norton, Augustus Richard. "The Middle East's Spreading Morass." Current History: 
     A Journal of Contemporary World Affairs 114.776 (2015): 355-60. Print. 

Author Credentials:  A member of the Middle East Studies Association, the Council on Foreign Relations, the American Political Science Association, the American Anthropological Association, and the co-founder of the Conference Group on the Middle East and the Boston Forum on the Middle East, Boston University's Augustus Richard Norton is a professor of both Anthropology and International Relations. At at Oxford University, Norton is also a Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies and a Visiting Professor in Politics of the Middle East. Norton has nearly 30 years of research experience in the Middle East, including his sojourns in Bahrain, Kuwait, Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan. Currently, his research interests include inter-sectarian relations in the Middle East, strategies of political reform and opposition in authoritarian states, and reformist Muslim thought. Also, Norton headed a widely-cited three-year project in the 1990s that examined state-society relations in the Middle East and the question of civil society in the region. In essence, these key experiences and titles give Augustus Norton then credibility and qualification to write this article, "The Middle East's Spreading Morass", though his bias is with the Western view of the Middle East.

Summary:  Augustus Norton's article "The Middle East's Spreading Morass" examines the turmoil and disorder that characterizes, in part, the contemporary Middle East. The article begins by stating a few common explanations for the disarray, before defining the geo-political contestants in the Middle Eastern conflicts as Iran, and its allies, versus Saudi Arabia, who has allies as well. It then details some recent developments, such as the Iranian nuclear deal with the United States, and various military aid that the United States and other countries have given the Arab states. This Iranian deal complicates the uprisings, the Iraq war, and the rise of ISIS, which are all fundamentally related. To start, the article launches into detailing the groups and the effects of the support from foreign countries in the Syrian civil war. One perception that it explains, for example, is that the war is very sectarian, due to the Shi'ite support of the regime, as the regime is heavily controlled by Shi'ites but the majority of Syria is Sunni. The effects of Iranian support for the Syrian government are also very important. Next, the Vienna talks of late October and November 2015 were described, and these talks were significantly different in that Russia is more obvious in supporting the Syrian government, and Iran is allowed to participate. The humanitarian situation involving the Syrian internally displaced persons and the refugees is also briefly described. The article then begins its examination of ISIS, and explains its influence and the involvement of other countries. Following this, Iraq is scrutinized, and the political and economic developments are described, such as the influence of ISIS and low oil prices. Next, the Saudi interventions in Bahrain and Yemen are examined, with the histories and political aspects prevalent in the descriptions. The problem with the Palestinians is addressed also, and this section debates whether Palestine will become a state, and what that would look like. Lastly, the article wraps up with a recap of the Iran and Saudi Arabia competition and the Saudi influence in other countries, and Norton uncovers the unfortunate truth, that "governance in the region is often weak and corrupt." In sum, the conflicts in the Middle East are many, they have deep effects and influences in the region, and they will continue unless the people are better served by their governments.

Analysis:  Augustus Norton's article "The Middle East's Spreading Morass" has a very strong argument: the lack of proper governance will cause the Middle Eastern conflicts to continue and fester. This argument is well-supported by an incredible amount of recent evidence, including an analysis of the Syrian civil war, an explanation of the Vienna talks, an examination of ISIS, a scrutinization of Iraq, a description of the Saudi interventions in Bahrain and Yemen, and a debate over a possible Palestinian state. These different topics each have political aspects, which are explained as well. Norton distinguishes between fact and opinion by using specific details for facts, and often introducing opinion with a question about the subject, or a particular part of the subject. Lastly, Norton is a very reliable source, due to his experiences in the Middle East, his academic credentials, and his involvement in many associations concerning the Middle East and foreign relations.