Download or read book Constitutional Reform and Political Participation in the Gulf written by Abdulhadi Khalaf and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 307 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Aspects of Political Participation in the Gulf States written by Aftab Kamal Pasha and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Arab Gulf States written by J. E. Peterson and published by Praeger. This book was released on 1988-01-20 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book opens with an interesting question: Why do monarchies, which seem to be dying out everywhere else, thrive in the Middle East? The answer by Peterson, an expert on the Arabian peninsula who has already written fine books on Oman and North Yemen, is that the Emirs of the Arab Gulf have sought to be accountable to their citizens through a flexible mixture of traditional assemblies like the diwan and modern instruments like parliaments and an independent press. Peterson illustrates his argument with detailed case studies of political institutions in Kuwait and Bahrain and with looser comparisons of the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, and Saudi Arabia. Lucid writing and fascinating anecdotes make the text accessible to undergraduates interested in the Gulf, modernization, or democratization in the Third World. Choice

Download or read book Constitutional Reform and Political Participation in the Gulf written by Abdulhadi Khalaf and published by Gulf Research Center. This book was released on 2008-05-15 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The debate on political reform in the Gulf states has intensified dramatically in recent years. However, discourse on the topic is usually couched in terms of authoritarianism vs. democratisation. However, a more appropriate angle from which to view it, argues this new book, is in terms of the evolution of Gulf constitutions and the widening of political participation. The contributors demonstrate that constitutional reforms have so far served the purpose of consolidating the absolute power of the rulers but have also allowed the progressive development of institutions whose representative character and influence on the policy-making process has been growing. Political participation has considerably widened – partly thanks to these new or strengthened institutions – but even more so because of the increased access to information and freedom of expression brought about by the IT revolution. None of the Gulf regimes is truly democratic, and a long evolution will probably be necessary before they can be recognised as such. Nevertheless, this book demonstrates that real change is taking place and that prospects for political reform in the Gulf may even be better than in the rest of the Arab world.

Download or read book Centers of Power in the Arab Gulf States written by Kristian Coates Ulrichsen and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2024-02-01 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How are authority and influence accumulated and wielded across the six Gulf states? Mixing theoretical and empirical insights, and utilising both historical and contemporary examples, this book offers a comparative analysis of military, political, economic and religious power in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, as well as of the power of narrative. While many volumes examine each of these states individually, Centers of Power in the Arab Gulf States assesses the Arabian Peninsula as a whole, filling a significant gap in the literature. It surveys the myriad factors which have influenced the emergence of these states, societies and political economies, which have become increasingly assertive actors in today's global order. Exploring domestic, regional and transnational pressures, Kristian Coates Ulrichsen sheds light on the varying concepts of power and authority, the different forms they take, the ways they are projected, and the practical constraints on their exercise. From whom does power derive? Is it something different from influence and ambition? Is decision-making top-down or bottom-up, or a mixture of both? From bureaucrats to scholars, and from royals to opposition figures, Coates Ulrichsen uncovers the power relations shaping the Gulf today.

Download or read book Tribalism and Political Power in the Gulf written by Courtney Freer and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2021-09-23 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Gulf societies are often described as being intensely tribal. However, in discussions of state building and national identity, the role of tribalism and tribal identity is often overlooked. This book analyses the political role of tribes in Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE aiming to understand the degree to which tribes hinder or advance popular participation in government and to what extent they exert domestic political power. The research traces the historical relationship between ruling elites and nomadic tribes, and, by constructing political histories of these states and analysing the role of tribes in domestic political life and social hierarchies, reveals how they serve as major political actors in the Gulf. A key focus of the book is understanding the extent to which societies in the Gulf have become 're-bedouinised' in the modern era and how this has shaped these states' political processes and institutions. The book explores the roles that tribes play in the development of “progressive” citizenship regimes and policymaking today, and how they are likely to be influential in the future within rentier environments.

Download or read book Political Succession in the Arab World written by Anthony Billingsley and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2009-12-16 with total page 527 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Political succession is a key issue in the contemporary Middle East. In this new study the author examines the process and shows how respect for those in authority and tribal codes of loyalty have been far more influential in maintaining regimes than security institutions and political repression. The Arab world is faced by political turmoil and demands for reform. Many of the problems of the region are attributed to the form of leadership that dominates the area, leadership that is authoritarian and focused on regime survival rather than political change. The book highlights the ways in which family loyalties pervade political, economic and social life and how constitutions are being used to consolidate the power of ruling families in republics and monarchies. The volume explores the notion that the region’s rulers, monarchic and republican, are inclined to pass their power on to their sons, and evaluates the use they make of family and tribal networks to maintain their power. The work sees to demonstrate that despite economic and social problems, Arabs value stability and prefer an authoritarian family-based regime than government run by Islamist groups. Providing new insights into the influences on political succession in the Middle East, this work will be of great interests to scholars of Middle East studies, history and international relations.

Download or read book Dynamics of Change in the Persian Gulf Political Economy War and Revolution written by Anoushiravan Ehteshami and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Persian Gulf has come to represent one of the most strategically significant waterways of the world. In terms of geography, geopolitics, resources, global political economy, and regional influence, the Gulf is perhaps home to the world's most significant group of countries. Focusing on the complexities of the interplay between domestic-level changes and region-wide interactions, this book presents the reader with the first comprehensive survey of the dynamics of change in this crucial area. Systemic-oriented in its approach, the impact of war and revolution on the countries of the sub-region is discussed, and the ways in which these factors have shaped the security dilemmas and responses of the Gulf States is also explored. The role of oil is examined in terms of the impact of its income on these states and societies, and the manner in which oil has shaped the integration of these states into the global system. Oil has shrunk developmental time in these countries, and has accelerated generational shift. At the same time, it has created the dialectical relationship which now characterizes the difficult balance between prosperity and instability which is at the heart of the sub-region. Casting new light on the workings of a strategically significant part of the international system, this book will be an essential resource for students and scholars of international relations, international security and Middle Eastern politics.

Download or read book Oman s Transformation after 1970 written by J.E. Peterson and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2024-06-06 with total page 647 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Oman's 1970 coup launched a new political and economic structure that was created by and for Sultan Qaboos. The initially haphazard construction matured into a durable structure that continues under Sultan Haitham. This work details the early construction of the Qabusid state in the 1970s-1980s, emphasizing the interplay between personalities and the process of institutionalization. The narrative continues to the present demonstrating the resilience of the Qaboosid system.

Download or read book International Relations of the Middle East written by Louise L'Estrange Fawcett and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2016 with total page 463 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Now in its fourth edition, International Relations of the Middle East provides a thematic overview of the subject, combining a history of the region with analysis of key themes, actors, and conflicts, as well as topical material and perspectives.

Download or read book Media Law in Kuwait written by Matt J. Duffy and published by Kluwer Law International B.V.. This book was released on 2018-06-11 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Derived from the renowned multi-volume International Encyclopaedia of Laws, this analysis of media law in Kuwait surveys the massively altered and enlarged legal landscape traditionally encompassed in laws pertaining to freedom of expression and regulation of communications. Everywhere, a shift from mass media to mass self-communication has put enormous pressure on traditional law models. An introduction describing the main actors and salient aspects of media markets is followed by in-depth analyses of print media, radio and television broadcasting, the Internet, commercial communications, political advertising, concentration in media markets, and media regulation. Among the topics that arise for discussion are privacy, cultural policy, protection of minors, competition policy, access to digital gateways, protection of journalists’ sources, standardization and interoperability, and liability of intermediaries. Relevant case law is considered throughout, as are various ethical codes. A clear, comprehensive overview of media legislation, case law, and doctrine, presented from the practitioner’s point of view, this book is a valuable time-saving resource for all concerned with media and communication freedom. Lawyers representing parties with interests in Kuwait will welcome this very useful guide, and academics and researchers will appreciate its value in the study of comparative media law.

Download or read book Historical Dictionary of Saudi Arabia written by J.E. Peterson and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2020-03-06 with total page 526 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia now has been under the spotlight of Western curiosity for more than 80 years. More than 15% of the world’s total oil reserves lie underneath Saudi Arabia and, in the early 1990s, the kingdom became the world’s largest crude oil producer. Not surprisingly, a world highly dependent on oil regards the desert kingdom as an area of intense strategic concern, as reflected in the coalition of forces assembled on Saudi soil to oust Iraq from Kuwait in 1991. Also, it played a major role in the invasion of Saddam Husayn’s Iraq in 2003 and shares concern with the West over Iran’s nuclear intentions throughout the 21st century. This third edition of Historical Dictionary of Saudi Arabia contains a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 1,000 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Saudi Arabia.

Download or read book Human Rights and Citizenship Education written by Dina Kiwan and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-01-13 with total page 129 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book considers the philosophical, sociological and legal implications of the distinction between universal human rights accorded to all because of their membership of the human species, and the more particularistic ‘citizenship’ rights, accorded to those who are members of a political community. Contributions come from a wide range of disciplinary and interdisciplinary fields including education, law and political philosophy, as well as from practitioner perspectives. Contributions address the three themes of firstly whether human rights and citizenship are complementary or competing conceptions, secondly the justifications for human rights, and thirdly human rights and citizenship in different cultural contexts. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Cambridge Journal of Education.

Download or read book Qatar written by Mehran Kamrava and published by Cornell University Press. This book was released on 2015-06-15 with total page 295 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Persian Gulf state of Qatar has fewer than 2 million inhabitants, virtually no potable water, and has been an independent nation only since 1971. Yet its enormous oil and gas wealth has permitted the ruling al Thani family to exert a disproportionately large influence on regional and even international politics. Qatar is, as Mehran Kamrava explains in this knowledgeable and incisive account of the emirate, a "tiny giant": although severely lacking in most measures of state power, it is highly influential in diplomatic, cultural, and economic spheres. Kamrava presents Qatar as an experimental country, building a new society while exerting what he calls "subtle power." It is both the headquarters of the global media network Al Jazeera and the site of the U.S. Central Command's Forward Headquarters and the Combined Air Operations Center. Qatar has been a major player during the European financial crisis, it has become a showplace for renowned architects, several U.S. universities have established campuses there, and it will host the FIFA World Cup in 2022. Qatar's effective use of its subtle power, Kamrava argues, challenges how we understand the role of small states in the global system. Given the Gulf state's outsized influence on regional and international affairs, this book is a critical and timely account of contemporary Qatari politics and society.

Download or read book Poet and Businessman written by Leif Stenberg and published by Gingko Library. This book was released on 2022-08-30 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A history of contemporary Kuwait as seen through the life of an individual Kuwaiti. This book reviews and analyzes the modern history of Kuwait through the life of Abd al-Aziz Sa‘ud al-Babtain, a wealthy businessman, philanthropist, and poet. He is the head of a large, influential international cultural foundation based in Kuwait City. Abd al-Aziz’s life story tightly interweaves with modern discussions on the history of the state of Kuwait. There are very few books taking a collective grip on the history of the state of Kuwait. Likewise, there are very few studies about the generation of Gulf individuals who experienced, benefitted from, and even suffered from the discovery of oil, and who has been a crucial part of socioeconomic and cultural developments in countries like Kuwait in recent history. By constructing a cohesive overview of the modern history of Kuwait enriched by the life of an individual that has lived through the better part of that particular history, this book fills a lacuna in contemporary scholarship on the Middle East, and especially the Arabian or the Persian Gulf.

Download or read book Saudi Arabia and the Path to Political Change written by Mark C. Thompson and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2014-06-16 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: State-society dialogue in Saudi Arabia is one of the most contested issues in the country today, yet little is known about the National Dialogue process, and its relationship with Saudi society is frequently and widely misunderstood. The first to examine the Saudi Arabian National Dialogue process in its entirety, Mark C. Thompson investigates the relationship between the King Abdulaziz Center for National Dialogue (KACND) and the key social constituencies of Saudi society. Since its establishment in 2003, the KACND has attempted to promote a culture of dialogue and has encouraged the debate of contentious socio-political issues by bringing individuals together from across the Kingdom. Drawing on Antonio Gramsci's theory of hegemony, the author asks whether the Saudi socio-political system is moving from a form of patrimonial state to one of ideological hegemony and, if this is the case, whether the KACND is a catalyst, or even a driving force, in this transition. Saudi Arabia and the Path to Political Change investigates the practices and the impact of the KACND and assesses the extent to which the institution's activities, and the ongoing National Dialogue process, represent a viable attempt to address emerging political concerns in Saudi Arabia. Covering pivotal issues including women's empowerment, public health and employment, the author here explores the extensive impact of the KACND's activities on internal cross-constituency communication and discourse and shows how the process relates to wider regime strategies and to the evolution of the Saudi polity. Based on approximately 120 interviews conducted in Saudi Arabia from 2009 to 2011 and drawing on the evidence of a wide range of focus groups and interviews with National Dialogue participants, KACND officials, government ministers, lawyers and journalists, this book provides a unique insight into the effects and consequences of Saudi National Dialogue, and questions the extent to which wider ideological debate is possible in the Kingdom.

Download or read book Debating Arab Authoritarianism written by Oliver Schlumberger and published by Stanford University Press. This book was released on 2007-11-20 with total page 361 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume inquires into the working mechanisms, the inner logic, and the durability of authoritarian rule in Arab countries. Written by leading American, European, and Arab experts, the collected essays explore the ongoing political dynamics of the region and show how Arab regimes retain power despite ongoing transformations on regional, national, and international levels and in societal, political, and economic spheres. The findings of this book strongly suggest that democratization remains off the agenda in any Arab country for the foreseeable future. Domestic political protests, international pressure toward more liberal governance, and "reform-oriented" regimes notwithstanding, Debating Arab Authoritarianism indicates that while the impetus for political change is strong, it is in the direction of an adaptation to changed circumstances and may even be a revitalization or consolidation of authoritarian rule rather than a systemic transition to democracy.