This course help to shape my perceptions of the modern Near East as a whole because of the depth of knowledge of military conflicts, but also the weaponry used by each major nation. I knew from American history in high school that the World Wars played a huge role in shaping how the Near East operates today with regard to boundary lines of states and what nation was associated with a major power outside of the Near East, but I did not know to what extend that this was the case. I found the lecture on weaponry to be very interesting and I was expecting Israel to have nothing less than the best at everything in the region. Since my first visit to Israel, I have since described the region as varying shades of gray because nothing seems clear with so many major events that have had such a big impact. Learning about the military conflicts further confirms the complexity of the Near East.
