In this episode we will examine the era of decolonization, and the internal and external challenges faced by the newly independent states. We will look at the development of Muslim political identities in the Middle East/Western Asia, and the relationship that has developed between the United States and the Muslim world. Finally, we will explore the origins, formulation, implementation, and deconsrtuction of the apartheid system in South Africa.

• What conditions prompted the post-war independence movements in the colonies? What effects would these conditions have on post-colonial self-rule?

• What was the cause of the conflicts that developed in newly independent states after the initial phase of self-rule?

• What impact has population increases and urbanization had on post-colonial nations? What is a “parasitic city”?

• What is “neocolonialism”?

• Contrast the Free Officers movement with the Muslim Brotherhood as political alternatives in the post-colonial world.

• Why was India better poised to succeed in the post-colonial world? What steps has it taken to prosper in the years since it gained independence?

• What are the historical origins of Iran’s hostility towards the United States?

• Why was the policy of apartheid created, and why did it finally end?