Deck 24: Patterns of Continuity and Change in Turkey, Iran, and Lebanon

Question 1

What caused the turn toward Islamist organizations in Turkey in the 1990s?

A) Kemalism was widely rejected by the state and military apparatuses
B) With party restrictions becoming more lax, the Turkish people sought to develop and fully experience their democratic state. Islamist organizations were only a small segment of the newly established parties, but they were the most vocal
C) The assassinations of well-known religious leaders in neighboring countries made the Turkish population sympathetic to Islamist organizations
D) The proliferation of parties reflected the failure of the mainstream political groupings to satisfy popular aspirations; people sought out, instead, more narrowly focused agendas, including religious ones

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which Turkish political leader led an Islamist revival in the 1990s?

A) Mustafa Kemal
B) Necmettin Erbakan
C) Sultan Abdul Hamid II
D) Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Answer 2

B

Question 3

What was the military's response to the political gains of the Welfare Party and its Islamist character?

A) The military, recognizing the strength and financial prowess of the party, joined its ranks
B) The military recognized the Islamic character of the party and the threat it posed to the principle of secularism instilled in Turkish society by Ataturk, and in 1990, the High Council banned the party
C) In 1997, only two years after the party gained power in the national assembly and one of its members became prime minister, the military-controlled High Command pressured the prime minister into resigning, then the following year banned the party and barred some of its members from political activity
D) In an attempt to dismantle the party's support, the military threw its weight behind its political opponent, the True Path Party

Answer 3

C

Question 4

What gives Turkish Kurds their sense of communal identity?

A) The repressive nature of the Turkish state
B) Their formation of political parties and local leadership
C) Their military strength
D) Their shared geographical space and distinct language

Question 5

Which of the following statements about the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is true?

A) It is a militant organization within the Kurdish nationalist movement
B) It is the political wing of the Kurdish nationalist movement
C) In Turkey, it is considered a separatist movement, but not a terrorist organization
D) It was established in 1999 by Abdullah Öcalan

Question 6

Which of the following was a reason the European Union questioned Turkey's potential acceptance into the EU?

A) Turkey's human rights violations against the Kurds and use of the death penalty
B) Turkey's shaky democratic foundations
C) Turkey's weak economic development
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 7

How did the Council of Guardians ensure a majority of conservative Majlis members in the 2004 elections in Iran?

A) The Council of Guardians funded many conservative candidates
B) The Council of Guardians did not allow large swaths of the country-in particular, its more liberal big cities-to cast votes
C) The Council of Guardians purged the selection of candidates by disqualifying more than 2,000 reformists
D) The Council of Guardians canceled the elections due to terrorist threats and then filled the Majlis with their chosen candidates

Question 8

How did the 2009 Green Movement in Iran differ from previous reform movements in Iran's contemporary history?

A) Youths rallied behind individual leaders
B) Youths were able to circumvent state communication restrictions and use social networks to mobilize antiregime demonstrations
C) The older generations were at the heart of the opposition movement; they rallied for a return to the shah's regime
D) The 2009 movement was pro-Ahmadinejad, but anti-religious orders, particularly the supreme Islamist jurist

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT true about Lebanon's March 14 forces?

A) "March 14" gets its name from a massive demonstration in Lebanon, with people protesting Syria's role in the assassination of Sunni prime minister Rafiq Hariri
B) The March 14 coalition was made up of Sunnis, Druze, and some Christians
C) The Shi'a community embraced the March 14 coalition
D) The March 14 coalition was successful in pressuring Syria into withdrawing its troops from Lebanon

Question 10

Which of the following statements is NOT true of Hizbullah?

A) Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is Hizbullah's leader
B) Hizbullah membership and support is predominantly Sunni
C) Hizbullah operates as both a militant group and as one of Lebanon's best-organized political parties
D) The Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000 was considered a Hizbullah victory

Question 11

What about the AKP caused the military establishment and defeated politicians in Turkey the most concern?

A) The party's Islamic complexion
B) Its rejection of established political parties
C) Its leftist welfare policies
D) Its leader Erdogan's past policies towards the Kurds

Question 12

Which of the following best defines the Anatolian tigers?

A) Massive government investment in development of central Turkey gave rise to these new entrepreneurs
B) Peasants who revolted against the True Path Party's economic policies
C) Newly arrived urban working poor came to form this group that at times engaged in violence driven by socioeconomic alienation
D) An environmental group focused on protecting the rapidly urbanizing central Turkish heartland

Question 13

Which of the following statements accurately describes the demonstrations at Gezi Park in 2013?

A) They began with a peaceful sit-in to block a shopping arcade from being built on one of the city's few remaining parks.
B) Nationwide demonstrations followed in which a dozen people were killed and thousands were injured and arrested.
C) The incident revealed Erdogan's close ties to big business and his use of authoritarian policies to facilitate such ties
D) All of these statements accurately describe the demonstrations at Gezi Park in 2013

Question 14

Which of the following best characterizes President Rafsanjani's policies?

A) Seeking to end Iran's diplomatic isolation, he reestablished relations with Saudi Arabia and applied for an IMF loan
B) Radical ulama were the greatest political challenge to the regime at this time
C) Rafsanjani privatized parts of the economy that had been nationalized since the 1979 Revolution
D) All of these are important aspects of President Rafsanjani's policies

Question 15

What was key to Ahmadinejad's ascendency to presidential victory in 2005?

A) His promises to a restive population that he would cut living costs and more broadly distribute more of the nation's oil wealth.
B) His staunch anti-Israeli sentiment
C) His non-religious background, having been Iran's first noncleric president in 24 years
D) His emphasis on expanding ties with Iraq amid the post-Saddam era

Question 16

Four years after Ahmadinejad's post-electoral challenge by the Green Movement, change has ensued in all of the following ways EXCEPT:

A) Iran has entered into a nuclear agreement with China, Russia, the US, the UK, France, and Germany
B) The reformist opposition celebrated the election of its own presidential candidate, Hassan Rouhani
C) Iran's relations with the West, in particular with the US, have begun to thaw to a degree unprecedented since prior to 1979
D) Iran's relations with Saudi Arabia have improved to levels unseen since the 1990 Gulf War

Question 17

Which of the following actors in Lebanese politics emphasized Lebanon's confrontation with external enemies?

A) Hizbullah
B) Maronite President Emile Lahoud
C) Sunni PM Rafiq Hariri
D) Both Hizbullah and President Emile Lahoud

Question 18

Which of the following is NOT true regarding the Cedar revolution?

A) It included Sunnis, Druze, and some Christians
B) It culminated in the successful withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon
C) It forged an entirely new vision for Lebanon's future
D) It was sparked by people calling for an investigation into the assassination of Rafiq Hariri

Question 19

Which of the following defines the Doha Agreement?

A) A set of trade negotiations set in Doha, Qatar, that would have mixed effects on Lebanon's economy and, ultimately, sectarian relations
B) An effort led by Qatari prime minister that provided for the election of a new Maronite president but gave the Hizbullah-led opposition an effective veto over government policies
C) A mutually beneficial political agreement between Hizbullah and President al-Asad of Syria
D) A secret agreement between the Arab monarchies, the Lebanese Maronites, helping to ensure against Hizbullah's presence in Lebanon and throughout the region

Question 20

Which of the following is the most accurate description of the population in Lebanon by 2015?

A) By 2015, one in five people in Lebanon was a Syrian refugee, half of which are children
B) By 2015, one in ten people in Lebanon was a Syrian refugee, half of which are children
C) By 2015, one in ten Lebanese Shi‛a had fled the country to go to Iran, Iraq, and France
D) By 2015, one in five Christians had fled the country to go to France

Question 21

In Turkey, the True Path Party's policies benefited the group that became known as "the have lots."

Question 22

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won the 2009 presidential election by a landslide, amidst allegations of vote-rigging and fraud.

Question 23

In Iran, the supreme Islamic jurist does not have the power to override decisions of the Council of Guardians.

Question 24

Although Iran sits on top of one of the world's largest known oil reserves, its weak refining capacity means that it must import gasoline to meet its own domestic needs.

Question 25

The 1,000 Lebanese deaths as a result of the 2006 Second Lebanon War were largely military personnel.

Question 26

In defending the secular legacy of ____________ in the 1990s, the Turkish military would routinely encroach on civilian control of the democratic republic.

Question 27

In Turkey, the __________________ are the largest ethnic minority, comprising roughly twenty percent of the population overall.

Question 28

Since the 1990s, Turkey has actively sought membership in the __________________.

Question 29

Beginning in the early 1990s, Hizbullah's leader _______________ developed a political front alongside its military operations.

Question 30

President Muhammad __________________, a religious scholar who campaigned on a platform of tolerance and social reform, had strong support from youth and women.

Question 31

Describe the goals and activities of the Kurdish Worker's Party from the mid-1980s to late 1990s. In what activities did the PKK engage and how did the Turkish state respond?

Question 32

How has the Turkish military High Command undermined the democratic principles of the Turkish state?

Question 33

Why did reformist leader President Khatami find it difficult-even impossible-to legislate in 2000, even though reformist candidates won two-thirds of the Majlis seats?

Question 34

Why was the Islamist opposition group Hizbullah successful in gaining support in Lebanon?

Question 35

Is religion diminishing in favor of secularism in Iran?

Question 36

Briefly explain the effects the antileftist measures adopted during the 1980-1983 military intervention had on religion in society in Turkey.

Question 37

Briefly explain how external regional factors-in Europe and in the Middle East- affected Erdogan's policies over time towards the Kurds.

Question 38

Briefly explain how the term "elected authoritarianism" applies to Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Question 39

Briefly explain how the Syrian Civil War has impacted political functioning in Lebanon in recent years.

Question 40

How has Hizbullah's involvement in Syria since 2011 undermined its image and reputation as a grassroots resistance movement?

Question 41

Is it possible to have a theocracy that is democratic? Evaluate to what degree, if at all, Iran constitutes a political democracy. Compare/contrast this experience with Lebanon from the 1990s to today.

Question 42

What factors have shaped the rising authoritarianism of national politics in Turkey? Have external variables had, on balance, a more democratic or authoritarian effect on the national leadership in Turkey over the past five years?