Middle East Research Paper Topics
Suggested Modern Middle East Topics and Opinion Questions:
Country studies (choose one: Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia,
Egypt)
When and how did _________ become a modern country, and what are the most significant political/economic/social issues it faces currently? (For this question, you will have to describe how and when the country became free of any Western, imperial powers after the fall of the
Ottoman Empire.) Israel/Palestine (choose 1 research question)
Why is the Golan Heights a conflict area, who disagrees over the land, and who should govern it?
Why is the Gaza Strip a conflict area for Israel/Palestine and who should govern the Gaza
Strip?
Should Israel negotiate with groups like Hamas and Fatah? Women’s Rights
How are women’s rights changing over time in _________ ?(Choose a country: Turkey, Saudi
Arabia, Egypt, Iran) Iran (choose 1 research question)
What should be done about Iran and its nuclear program?
Is democracy possible in Iran? (Look at protests over presidential election in 2009.)
What should be done about Iran’s sponsorship of groups like Hezbollah and Hamas? Terrorism (choose 1 research question)
How did terrorism become such an important issue in the 21st century and is the war on terror working? What is the Taliban, and how did it affect terrorism?
What is alQaeda, and how did it change world history? Afghanistan
Why is Afghanistan in chaos, and what will be the future of Afghanistan? Iraq
Why did the U.S. go to war in Iraq, and now that the U.S. has withdrawn their troops, what will be the future for this country?
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Turkey
How did Turkey become a relatively stable democracy? Arab Spring
Is the Arab Spring good for the people of (choose a country), and what effect will this Arab
Spring have on the U.S.? Democracy
Should the US promote democracy in the Middle East? Should the U.S. have an active role in the Middle East? 1/2012
Country studies (choose one: Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia,
Egypt)
When and how did _________ become a modern country, and what are the most significant political/economic/social issues it faces currently? (For this question, you will have to describe how and when the country became free of any Western, imperial powers after the fall of the
Ottoman Empire.) Israel/Palestine (choose 1 research question)
Why is the Golan Heights a conflict area, who disagrees over the land, and who should govern it?
Why is the Gaza Strip a conflict area for Israel/Palestine and who should govern the Gaza
Strip?
Should Israel negotiate with groups like Hamas and Fatah? Women’s Rights
How are women’s rights changing over time in _________ ?(Choose a country: Turkey, Saudi
Arabia, Egypt, Iran) Iran (choose 1 research question)
What should be done about Iran and its nuclear program?
Is democracy possible in Iran? (Look at protests over presidential election in 2009.)
What should be done about Iran’s sponsorship of groups like Hezbollah and Hamas? Terrorism (choose 1 research question)
How did terrorism become such an important issue in the 21st century and is the war on terror working? What is the Taliban, and how did it affect terrorism?
What is alQaeda, and how did it change world history? Afghanistan
Why is Afghanistan in chaos, and what will be the future of Afghanistan? Iraq
Why did the U.S. go to war in Iraq, and now that the U.S. has withdrawn their troops, what will be the future for this country?
Continue on next page
Turkey
How did Turkey become a relatively stable democracy? Arab Spring
Is the Arab Spring good for the people of (choose a country), and what effect will this Arab
Spring have on the U.S.? Democracy
Should the US promote democracy in the Middle East? Should the U.S. have an active role in the Middle East? 1/2012