April 28 Notes

Bill Clinton & Middle Eastern Affairs

April 28, 2008

I. The First Gulf War

1. The Middle East in the New World Order (Gorbachev and crumbling of Soviet bloc; Gorbachev foreign policy; Bush and world affairs; NSD 26)

2. Run-up to the War (1989-1990 congressional pressure; international significance: Saudis, Kuwaitis, British; Bush, Baker, and coalition: USSR, PRC, Arab states, UN)

3. War & Aftermath (constitutional debate; military strategy; collapse of Iraqi forces; postwar structure; missed opportunity?)

II. From Bush to Clinton

1. 1992 Campaign (domestic focus: budget deal, economic downturn, “Year of the Woman”: Thomas/Hill hearings, abortion; scandal and reform: House bank scandal, term-limits movement, Clinton scandal, Perot—withdrawal and re-entry; foreign policy and the decline of Afghanistan; Clinton victory)

2. Inheriting Bush Difficulties (foreign policy team—Christopher, Aspin, Lake: Carter retreads?; national security difficulties—CIA and Woolsey; DADT and military; Somalia—from humanitarian to mission creep, withdrawal; Bosnia and opening to Muslim world?: tensions with NATO allies, congressional pressure—McCloskey, Dole, road to Dayton; early team struggles—Hillary, Whitewater, path to Starr, 1994 elections)

III. The Clinton Agenda

1. Arab-Israeli Peace Process (Oslo and U.S. disengagement; Rabin assassination and emergence of Netanyahu; Clinton, Netanyahu, and the Palestinians; Barak and re-engagement—legacy issue; U.S. and Syria; failure at Camp David; blame game)

2. Terrorism (first WTC bombing: improper frameworks? State-sponsored terrorism—Libya, Iran; law enforcement—legacy of 1960s, COINTELPRO, Watergate and concerns with domestic spying, Gorelick memo; Clarke and Counter-Terrorism Committee (“think globally, act globally”)—calls for focus on “ad hoc terrorists”; Yousef arrest and uncovering of airport plots; diplomatic reluctance to challenge Saudi Arabia—Khobar Towers)

3. The Taliban (Afghan civil war—State, DOD, CIA disinterest; emergence of Mullah Omar; Saudi and Pakistani roles; oil UNOCAL and desire for stability)

4. Second-Term Struggles (domestic context: Starr inquiry, movement toward impeachment, partisan polarization; international context: Kosovo conflict and constitutional showdown, Pakistani issues—nuclear weapons, restoration of democracy; terrorism—East African attacks; administration divisions: Clinton desire to do something; Hillary and international feminism; State Department and “engagement”; DOD and Mullah Omar’s 53 stingers; Richardson and diplomatic opening; CIA and anti-Taliban covert op; Clarke and targeting of Bin Laden; Reno and opposition to assassination; problem overstated?: fizzling of Millennium threats, then USS Cole)

April 30: Lecture: Road to 9/11 May 5: Lecture: Afghanistan & Iraq

May 7: no class—college holiday May 12: Lecture: Looking Back

May 14: Presentation: Syria/Lebanon May 19: Presentation: S. Arabia & Gulf States

May 21: Presentation: Israel May 26: Presentation: Pakistan

May 28: no class (I have a talk at Western Galilee)

June 2: Presentation: Egypt & North Africa June 4: Presentation: Iran