Unit I: A Perspective on Approaches to History &Terms

• Approaches to History
• Terms and Concepts: Orientalism, Middle East, Near East, West Asia

Unit II: Rise and Downfall of the Ottoman Empire

• Factors for the Rise of the Ottoman Empire
• Causes of the Downfall of the Ottoman Empire
• Scramble for Spheres of Influence Among European Powers
• Napoleon Invasion of Egypt (1798)

Unit III: European Powers’ Foothold in the Region

• Growing Influence of the British in the Arabian Peninsula
• British Mandate
• French Mandate
• Independent Struggles
• Emergence of Nation-States

Unit IV: Emergence of Ideologies

• Emergence of Nationalism: Arab, Iranian and Turkish
• Pan-Islamism from
• Evolution of Zionism

Unit V: Disputes, Conflicts, and Wars

• Territorial Disputes & Its Consequences
• Arab-Israel Dispute & Wars
• Iraq-Iran War
• Gulf War I
• Gulf War II

Unit VI: Oil and West Asia

• Emergence of Oil as a Source of Energy
• Quest for Nationalisation of Oil Resources
• Emergence of Oil Cartels
• 1973 Oil Crisis and OPEC