Wrap-Up

As a wrap up to this class I am going to write one last blog. I enjoyed this class very much because it has further expanded my knowledge on the Middle East and everything that is occurring there. I feel that all of the videos we watched during the class fit the class very well and were put to good use. This blog system while it might be a little bit annoying it allows us to interact with the students in the class and hear there opinion on what is going on in the class because not everyone gets to speak during class time.

Week 13

With everything that has occurred in the Middle East problems still exist in today's world. This is a life long problem that has existed over the same piece of land between the same to people. There have been many tries to end these problems but, everything that has been laid out on the table has been rejected and the suicide bombings and other attacks continue. There are two sides to this story but, the American papers tend to favor and show the Israeli side to the problem but, both parties have there reasons why this is occurring and never ending. This crisis in the Middle East should be a big issue within the United Nations because if you can settle these issues in the Middle East it will also help out the rest of the world. The Middle East has many useful resources which can be used throughout the world and if there is no war going on these resources could be accessed easier possibly helping this economic crisis the world faces in today's world.

Week 12

In today's world countries do not take kindly to other countries invading places. Time to invade countries and gain more land was in the past in today's world we are trying to find a place for everyone and use the resources they have the right way. In the early years of the Bush Sr. administration he had a difficult choice to have, which was to go into Iraq and prevent them from invading Kuwait. At this time we knew Saddam Husayn was a bad person but, we did not do enough at the time in order to capture him. While this war had ended it took until a couple of years ago to catch Saddam in the second invasion of Iraq. This second invasion has caused trouble for the whole world because we are trying to put a new government into their society and it is hard for the people to accept it becasue some people did not have a problem with the way Saddam was ruling their country. These people need to realize that everything happens for a reason and while times might be bad now they can only get better because they have hit rock bottom right now.

Week 11

Causes for reform are needed in every country. No country is perfect and as time goes on you see things that can be improved upon. If countries did not reform there would be no way of improving them selves and preventing attack. Within every country you can find a weakness and countries which look to bring war upon the world will find those weakness and if countries do not change their problems they will be overtaken. Sometimes reform does not always involve war, for example in American history you had the Industrial revolution which brought people from the farms to the cities. During the Iranian Revolution it did not involve war or a change in technology but, it brought about a change in government. Every now and then a government needs to change its ways because they system grows old and does not work anymore. This is were reform comes into place and you can change the government for the peoples likening.

Week 10

During hard time countries usually need change or a powerful leader in order to fix things in the country. Being able to find a strong leader which could change the country for the better is hard to come by but, all countries need a strong leader. During down times in countries you never see them recover through their problems with the same leader. You need someone with new ideas and new motivation in order to turn things around. For example, in the United States we are facing possibly the biggest economic crisis since the Great Depression and just in time for change to come we had the election of President Obama. Bringing in new leaders with new ideas could never hurt because they could only change things for an uprising since the country is already at rock bottom.

Week 9

This problem in the Middle East between the Israeli's and the Palestinian's has been going on for many years and the problems only tend to get worse. This is a problem which needs to be solved because it can solve a lot of the violence that occurs in the Middle East. Settling the problems in the Middle East can not only ease tensions their but will open up new opportunities all around the world. With problems being settled in the Middle East we would be able to stay focused on other important world wide crisis like the economic problem that has taken over most countries. Settling a conflict in the Middle East would not only settle an event that has been occurring for centuries but, it would also open the eye of people and improve the world.

Week 8

After World War 1 the Middle East was ruled by three countries. Anytime that a large region like the Middle East is run by a small amount of countries it can not lead to any good. Countries like the Ottoman Empire, Iran and Egypt gain to much power and can cause a bigger problem in the world. People did not begin to see these harsh changes until World War 2 came about. These countries that ran the Middle East gave no freedom to the surrounding countries and gave them very strict laws to live by. As World War 2 got closer countries like Britain saw these problems in the Middle East and took action. Anytime you see a large area run by small amount of people you need to regulate it because no good things ever come out of it.

Week 7

Reading this novel "Bastard of Istanbul" I have really become aware of how important culture actually is to people. Without culture your life is not complete because you do not fully understand who or where you come from. What these girls went through in their lives is what everyone should go through where they find out who they really are and they learn about their culture. In America you tend to see people let culture go because it is diverse here and people tend to adapt to the American lifestyle. These people should never let their culture go out the door because it is who they really are and adapting into another culture is taking an easy way out because you don't want to go against the norm.

Book Essay

Jon Sable

The novel “Bastard of Istanbul” covers a variety of themes and ideas. The major theme of the book deals with culture. Cultural identity and conflict are two sub themes that are apparent throughout the novel. A person’s culture is very important because it shapes who they are. Knowledge of your culture’s history is also important because it gives you meaning to what your ancestors have been through, their experiences and knowledge shape your own. The idea of cultural identity stuck out to me because I feel as though I experience this every day. Not only living in America, which is a diverse country but also attending Manhattanville College where there is a mixture of different cultures on one small campus. At school you see students from different countries adapting to the life in the United States, no matter how important their previous customs and culture is to them. Knowledge of family is represented in this book, as well as the importance ones history. In the book we see the conflict of culture between the main character Asya and Armanoush as they discover their family’s history. The discovery process that these girls embark on teaches them about their culture, and makes them appreciate where they came from and the hardships that their parents had to endure. They learn of their culture and find a sense of meaning in their life through where they came from. The link that is made between the two girls at the climax of the book heightens the bond that they form through this learning experience.
Asya grew up in Turkey with her mother and three older sisters. There was no father figure for her. Growing up in this extended family Asya had a different upbringing from most where there were only women to guide her. She learnt about the Turkish culture from these women who taught her their heritage. Growing up without a father is especially hard because it leaves the mother to have to provide for the family as well as be an authority figure for children. Asya technically grew up in a single parent house, even though she had her aunts as support. This made her more independent because she had to help herself. This story shows the strength and courage of women living on their own and providing for themselves. The bond of sisterhood is something that Asya grew up knowing but never experiencing. She saw her mother and her sisters and their strength and loyalty her entire life. The values and morals that they were able to teach her in this environment were beneficial to her. As the books progressed we see the strength of sisterhood.
Armanoush is an Armenian American living in America. She grew up with a Turkish stepfather and at this point in her life she is having an identity crisis. She wants to learn more about the culture that she grew up hearing about from her stepfather Mustapha. Even though she was not truly Turkish, her stepfather taught her the ways that he was brought up to which made her adapt to the culture. This is a perfect example of conflict of culture because she was born into the Armenian culture but, raised Turkish and she needed to adapt to that culture and learn the rules and regulations. This is common amongst people that have step parents because they can have two different cultures combine and it makes it hard on the child because it forces them to choose a culture to follow. Living in American you tend to see a lot of children that are being brought up in multi cultural families and they usually one take side of one culture and stick to it. Some kids want to learn more about their culture like Armanoush and go to extreme limits to find out about their past. This sometimes backfires and you find our stuff you would rather not know but, sometimes you find out things that are very important to your life and tend to change you for the rest of your life.
Armanoush goes on a journey to Istanbul in search of her culture. There she meets her stepfather’s four sisters and one of their daughters Asya. Armanoush and Asya hit it off immediately and find a common bond in wanting to learn about their family history. They begin to dig into their families past only to discover tragic events that took place before their time. The girls discover that Mustapha, Armanoush’s stepfather raped Zehila and that Asya is the result of that tragic event. This ties the girls together in being stepsisters. Family secrets come out in this manner. In this case the girls ended up finding information which really meant a lot to both of them because they now knew they were step sisters so a new bond was formed and they are now able to educate each other on their own culture. Armanoush could teach Asya what life in America is life and how different it is from living anywhere else in the world. Armanoush would also be able to learn about the Turkish culture which she went looking for because now that she found out she had a Turkish step sister she knows a lot more about the culture then anyone else she could have asked. These tragic events that the two girls dug up ended up helping them in the long run because they both accomplished their goal in learning about each others cultures and found out more about their family then they ever could have imaged. The discovery that the girls made allows Asya to experience the bond between sisters that she witnessed her entire life with her mother and her sister. Even in a tragic situation, as the one that happened to Zehila, some good has come from it. This is the same around the world, which with tragedy there is always something better to come.
Lost culture is something which is very common in the United States because of the diverse culture we live in. There are so many different people living here that it is hard to keep a culture without losing some sense of who you really are. It is very difficult to grow up in an area that is so diverse and to try and grow up maintain a certain culture because you do not have the things you need in order to follow your culture. This is why people that move to American are forced to adapt and change their culture a little bit. They need to be willing to give some things up in order to fit into the American culture. This is represented in the book through Armanoush’s loss of her culture, thus her making the trip to Turkey. She wanted to discover part of herself that was missing through her Turkish heritage. A person’s culture is very important because it represents who they are and where they came from. Armanoush is one of many people in the United States that suffer from a lack of their original culture. Many people journey back to the “homeland” to learn about their ancestors.
For some people it is hard for them to adapt into a culture because sometimes people have bad ideas about a culture different from their own. In today’s world you see a lot of people who are racist and judge people by how they look and not who they really are. For example in the Middle East you see a lot of problems between the Israelis and the Palestinians over land. This land is so important to both people because it represents who they are and without it they are losing who they truly are and neither group is willing to let go of their culture. With all of these actions going on in the Middle East it gives them a bad name and people tend to associate people that look like them to the ones who are committing these deathly attacks.
“Bastard of Istanbul” is a very knowledgeable and helps us realize how important culture is to some people. Culture is so hard to follow for some people because of where they live and who they live with. Sometimes people do not find out about their past until they look into it in detail and find out who they really are. It is very important to know and take pride in your culture because it is who you are and you should never let that escape you. These girls in this book were lucky to find each other and find the truth behind their life’s because without this even ever occurring their lives would have been incomplete because they would never know who they truly were.

Week 6

I think that there is a "clash in civilizations" because in the Middle East everybody is fighting for something they want and they have it envisioned what they want and some are willing to go to extreme levels to do so. This clash of civilizations breaks people up into groups and make people chose sides on who they believe. I feel sympathy for the Israelis because they go through this everyday over a piece of land. A land that was given to them. The Israeli may not do the right thing but, it does not call for the killing of innocent people. That girl had no reason to die and it’s not right to take someone’s life like that. Palestinians position is that they are fighting for something that should be there’s and they are retaliating because the Israelis are not working with them. Each group fails to understand that everyone is important and the world will never be perfect. Each group of people is important to civilizations and without them it would set us back. If it was my daughter who was caught in one of these attacks my reactions would be settle and I would most likely retaliate with violent ways.

Week 5

During the late nineteenth century it was interesting to see that countries are still trying to settle down and make permit trade routes. Britain and the French North African empire both began to secure regions around them so they would make all the profit in the trades. You can say this is the beginning of seeing monopolies in trade. Monopolies worked at this time because there were not a lot of other countries looking to gain part in these trade routes. Any interference in these routes would probably cause a war and no body at this point was looking to start a battle with Britain or the French North African Empire.
At this point in time you began to see countries gain power and stay in power. You stopped seeing power struggles in countries and places stopped disappearing. During these times you had a more stable government which aloud for all of this to occur. They began to fix everything that went wrong with previous empires. That is what you need to do you need to learn from the past and improve it to further help yourself.

Week 4

In this weeks reading I found it very interesting that even back then everything was about war and bettering your country. That connects perfectly with the book Zayni Baraka. In this book it talks about Zayni who was given a great position in Egypt as the Market Inspectorship. He took this power to great limits pushing the people away from him because he scared them with change. The people in Egypt did not what to see change because they were so used to how things were before. In order to change your country and improve it you need to have the people to back you and without them you have nothing. I made the connection with Zayni and Hitler how they both had a vision of change and both failed and made the countries worse. Hitler was successful in one part and that is having the people back his ideas. He was a very good speaker and brought fear to the people. Putting fear in a person will push them towards following you because they will feel safer with someone that knows what there doing.
I feel that we need to change how we view the world. history tends to repeat itself and if we are not careful it will happen again.

Week 3

All countries that expand there borders to an unreasonable size begin to fall. This is because they do not have the power to rule of that land and you begin to see little bits and pieces break off and turn into other countries. This is exactly what happened to the Ottoman Empire. They overexpanded and ran into political and economic problems. This countries to prove the point that countries need to know their limits so they do not turn out like the Ottoman Empire and many other countries that fall into this problem. You are suppose to learn from the past so that history can not repeat itself. You do not see this problem that much in todays world but, war still occurs and most of the time it is over land.

Week 2

Today I was reading and article about the Israeli election. This has a direct affect on the war in Gaza because a new president could have a different view on things. This election could be vital to bringing peace to the Middle East, but it could also worsen these events. Israeli's feel that giving up land would further invite more attacks because it would make then look vulnerable. They more they got attacked the more land they would give up. That is why they are not so quick to give up the land and I agree with that.
I don't think they need to give any land away, but they need to lessen the restrictions on the Palestinians so it will stop all of these attacks. A new president in Israel may calm things down a little bit, but it will not settle anything. Just like Obama will not be the savior to America. While he may help us he will not be able to get America back to our golden age.

Week 1-2

Expansion is important to every culture. Expansion allows a culture or religion to gain more purpose in the world and show people what it has to offer. With expansion cultures also tend to gain a lot more because they gain whatever they take over from the previous countries.
Without expansion the world would never advance and move forward. Expansion allows cultures to expand their technology and gain better resources to make their culture the best possible.
During the sixteenth century Islam began to expand and began to create better opportunities for itself. During this time it had three big expansions which allowed Islams limits to expand tremendous amounts. Islam expanded so much that it could of given off the belief that the world was becoming Muslim. Every culture needs expansion without it they would never survive.

Week 1

The Ottoman Empire was one of the strongest states in military and wealth during the 17th century. As the years went on the Ottoman Empire refused to modernize falling them to fall behind in technology which hurt them. During their decline their population rose and further brought down their culture because without modernizing they had nothing new to offer the people and left them vulnerable to attack. With the population rising the Ottomans needed to produce more food and jobs for the people but, were unsuccessful in doing so which caused their empire to crumble.
Religion has a huge affect on the Middle Eastern politics and society. This is because religion is a huge part in these people’s lives and everything is based off their religion. Without religion these people would be very different and would have very different views on the world. With religion being such a huge part in these peoples lives it left the women out to do nothing big in their society.

Intro Video

The video which we watched on the first day of class was very interesting. Watching this video shows that there are so many other ways to look at a situation. The media plays a huge role on the conflict in the Midde East because they can favor one side to make it look like Israel is doing nothing wrong in this situation.

While this video was taken in another point of view which no one has ever heard before I am sure that there are parts left out and they are not getting picked on for no reason. All of these sucide bombings will not help the cause and nothing will ever get settled. I feel that they need to settle this conflict in order to make the world a better place but, that can not be done until the land situation is figured out. I feel Israel deserves the land and should not have to split it but, they could take away some of the restrictions that they have on the Palestines. I look foward to learning more about this topic and even hearing the otherside to the story. You always got to hear the two sides of the story becasue there are always main facts missing.