The Purpose of This Module

In 1990, when Iraq invaded neighboring Kuwait and threatened to destabilize further this part of the world, President Bush ordered a massive miltiary resonse by the United States. This response led to the short Persian Gulf War, Operation Desert Storm, A poll taken at the time showed that over 80% of Americans supported the military action in the region. Another poll taken at the time showed that over half of those who favored the miltitary action did not know where the Persian Gulf was, and did not know any of the complex geography of the region.

What is the purpose of studying any part of the Earth? Certainly part of the answer must be that we hope to gain insight into why things happen the way they do. I think that this part of the world is the most misunderstood region on the planet. This degree of misunderstanding, however, becomes a problem when we consider how vital this region is to the planet.

In this Module you are asked to:

• read Chapter 8
• Do Web Assignment 6 where you see what they are saying at Al-Jazeerah
• Do Written Assignment 4 where you will write an essay on the Israel-Palestinian situation or the battle with ISIS
  
• Take Exam 4

Original document by Peter Turner licensed CC BY