Lenin was the leader of the Bolsheviks that ushered in the Russian revolution and subsequently formed the USSR in 1922. Stalin led the state from 1924-1953, Khrushchev from 1955-1964, Chernenko from 1984-1985, and Gorbachev from 1985-1991. The USSR was disbanded the day after Gorbachev left office.

In the last several years, Egypt has undergone an extreme changes in politics and society. A series of protests became a revolution that forced Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to resign in early 2011. The Arab Spring had emerged in Egypt, and citizens began seeking more representation in government, an increase in civil rights and liberties, and not just deeper national pride, but regional pride as well.

Mubarak transferred power to the military after stepping down. The military held control through a series of changes in parliament and society until Muhammad Morsi won the presidential election of 2012. The military removed Morsi from power the next year due to massive abuses of power. Egypt was set to enter a new era while being swept in the cultural and political revolution of 2012, only Morsi became more of dictator than a president.

The Knesset is Israel's elected parliament, procedurally the center of Israeli political life. The Prime Minister holds the true authority in Israel, and he is appointed by the president; the president is chosen by the Knesset. The Knesset is based on a proportional representation system of government—this means that a variety of parties and interests can gain a seat in the Knesset.

The Lebanese Civil War was a sectarian conflict that involved several different factions. It was a very complicated situation that had multiple regional conflicts. The Taif Agreement (1990) reordered the power structure in Lebanese government so that the Council of Ministers took control of the overall flow of government away from the president. The prime minister and speaker of parliament were also empowered by the Taif Agreement.  

To ensure the end of the civil war, the Taif Agreement expanded the powers of the national government. Militias were forced to relinquish weapons, and other measures were taken to limit the potential for sectarian violence.

Bahrain's King Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa gave migrant workers more rights in 2006—most importantly the right to move from employer to employer with more freedom. This was a landmark in Bahrain's history of worker's rights, and also in much of the Persian Gulf region.  

There is a constant flow of populations into the Gulf region from Northeastern Africa, India, Pakistan, and beyond. Migrant workers account for a massive amount of the labor forces in several Gulf countries. They help build and maintain many of the developing and metropolitan areas of the Middle East.

A theocracy is a government that is guided by religion, where the highest ranking officials are considered to be connected to the deity they worship. The civil law is based on religious code. The reverse concept of this is the separation of church and state. 

Comparing two governments is a good way to understand one or both better. In a theocratic government, the highest officials are chosen out of a specialized group of religious people or leaders supported by religious people while a democratic government allows for broader participation in public office among the citizenry.

Sunnism is the most widely practiced denomination of Islam. The second most practiced form of Islam is Shi'ism. Sunnis make up a massive amount of the Islamic community percentage-wise, but that does not speak to the influence of each denomination.  

Iran is a country that practices Shia Islam as a national religion, which shows the political influence of not just the smaller denominations, but the Islamic faith as a whole.

Hamas is the Palestinian organization that arose in he late 1980s, and became labeled an extreme group by the 1990s.  

The other groups listed here are also deemed extreme, rebels, or terrorists by much of the international community.  No other choice given originated in Palestine with the intention of liberating Palestine besides Hamas.

Libya has had a tumultuous political situation over the last several years after Muammar Gaddafi's regime fell and he was assassinated. The country is showing signs of moving past his massive impact on all sectors of society, though it is nearly impossible to discuss Libya's recent history without mentioning Gaddafi. He was at times a brutal dictator and was always an enigmatic representative of Libya to the world for a long time.

Transnationalism is the key term that describes boundaries becoming irrelevant due to people's connections across those boundaries.

In other words, some countries' borders don't define the citizens within them perfectly.  

In the Middle East, there are many nomadic groups as well as a massive flow of migrant workers throughout multiple countries. Some languages cross borders and unite peoples that way; other times, a shared history from before the borders were drawn can unite people. Regions and transnationalism play a huge role in Middle Eastern culture and politics, as does statehood and national pride.