The aim of this course is to provide a general overview of some of the main issues on the agenda of comtemporary Middle East international relations. An attempt will be made to relate these issues to the theories of International Relations. The main focus will be on contemporary issues in the region, which covers the Arab world, Iran and Israel. In the first part of the course the evolution of international relations of the region will be analyzed historically, starting from the emergence of the modern state system in the region.  The regional and international relations of the region will then be discussed under different headings: The Cold War era; Post-Cold War and Gulf War era (1990s); Post-9/11 and Iraq War era; and finally, the era of the “Arab Spring”.  The second part of the course will focus on specific cases, including the Arab-Israeli conflict, Syrian crisis, Iranian nuclear issue, the Gulf and the GCC.