Australia and the World Past and Present

I can’t think of a more fraught area to teach at the moment than the politics or history of the Middle East.

The atmosphere at the moment in Australian universities is tense. The main issue is the Israel-Palestine conflict which has intensified following the attack on Israelis by Hamas on October 7, 2023.

The politics of the Middle East have always been contentious. The Israel-Palestine issue has always been contentious. But the rhetoric has become sharper. The emotion has gone up a level. Discussion and debate has often coalesced into a dichotomy. People choosing a side. Denigrating the other.

Twenty years ago, the studying of the international relations of the Middle East at university was less fraught.

The attacks on the World Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2001 brought new attention on the Middle East.

This led to debates about terrorism, Islamic fundamentalism and western involvement in the Middle East.

The other big event was the 2003 invasion of Iraq and toppling of the Saddam Hussein regime. In the lead up to the invasion there were debates about whether Saddam had weapons of mass destruction and to what extent and whether an invasion could be justified in terms of international law or just war theory.

Students at the time could study earnestly and engage in academic debate, largely without having to worry about self-censorship.

I doubt that is the case today. Right now, students have to run a gauntlet of demonstrations in order to get to their classes.

There have been reports of activists entering classrooms, asking students whether they ‘supported their cause’ and photos were taken of students who didn’t raise their hand. This is unacceptable. Universities are places of learning, study and debate. They are not places where students should feel intimidated, especially in the classroom. The university administrators, lecturers and tutors have a responsibility to protect these students.

There is a difference between peaceful protest and intimidation and the latter should not be happening in Australia.