Download or read book Gulf Security and Regional Watercourse Management written by Bertrand Charrier and published by Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research. This book was released on 2005-02-09 with total page 13 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rivers and other water resources are one of the sources of life on the planet. As such, everybody should have access to water and such resources should be protected from conflicts and over-consumption. Many long-standing water-related disputes still remain unresolved, and the growing demand for finite freshwater resources heightens the risk of future conflicts developing. The need for integrated, cooperative solutions is particularly urgent in the 263 river basins that are shared by two or more states and in which nearly half the territory and population of the world is located. In the absence of strong institutions and agreements, changes within a basin can lead to conflict. When major water projects proceed without regional collaboration they can become a flash point, heightening tensions and regional instability, and requiring years or even decades to resolve. This study tackles the information and reasons driving the GCC countries, particularly the UAE, to play an essential role as mediators and actors in facilitating the building of peace in the Middle East. In the Gulf region, the surface water and groundwater issue is gradually turning into a cause of tension and conflict, and possibly even wars. It is imperative not to ignore the need to establish forms of management that are sustainable in the short, medium and long term. Therefore, political decision makers should treat this highly critical issue as soon as possible, and effectively address the issue of water management for trans-boundary water bodies and thus avoid potential conflict.
Download or read book Gulf Security and Regional Watercourse Management written by Bertrand Charrier and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Water and Food Security in the Arabian Gulf written by The Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research and published by Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research. This book was released on 2018-10-10 with total page 70 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Growing populations and economies have led to an increase in water demand around the globe. However, there are large variations in the amounts of water available to nations and regions, and growing concern surrounding the uncertainty associated with these supplies, due in large part to natural and human impacts on the water cycle. The need for alternative sources of fresh water has also been aggravated by the large influx of guest workers and significant improvements in the quality of life among Gulf populations. Therefore supplies are augmented by alternative sources—mainly desalinization, which meets most of the needs of these countries. However, this comes at a great financial cost as it is an extremely energy intensive process and has associated security risks, but many still see desalination as the only viable means of ensuring water supply in the region. Global food security also faces an uncertain future. The Gulf states suffer from a substantial food gap, and all the countries of the region are net food importers. The increase in the region’s population, rising income levels, and harsh weather conditions that prevent the increase of local food production, have resulted in a vast increase in the region’s food imports. The ECSSR 17th Annual Conference, Water and Food Security in the Arabian Gulf, held at the Center on March 26–27, 2012 in Abu Dhabi, and the resultant papers contained in this volume, provide a detailed investigation of the food and water security challenges facing the region. They explore water and food resource management strategies and policies in the Gulf states, the global geopolitics of water security, future demand trends in the Arabian Gulf region, and the particular challenges faced by the UAE in ensuring a reliable supply of food and water in the coming decades.
Download or read book Arab Water Security written by Hussein A. Amery and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2015-07-02 with total page 177 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Exploring the national security implications of the Gulf states' reliance on desalination plants, this book provides the first systematic and comprehensive discussion of current and future threats to the supply of freshwater, effects of a potential disruption, and possible measures to increase resilience to these threats, for researchers and graduate students.
Download or read book Regional and International Powers in the Gulf Security written by Alaa Al-Din Arafat and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-04-21 with total page 287 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book discusses the threats and challenges facing the Persian Gulf and the future security in the region, providing an overview of the major regional and extra-regional actors in Gulf security. It argues that except for Iran, no regional or extra-regional actors, including the United States, China, India and Russia, have developed a strategy for Persian Gulf security, and only Turkey has expressed a willingness to provide security for the region. Importantly, the major threats to Persian Gulf security are nonconventional, rather than external, threats to Iranian hegemony or the balance of power. In conclusion, it predicts that the power struggle in the Persian Gulf in the coming decades will be between Iran and Turkey, and not between Iran and Saudi Arabia. This book is of interest to diplomats, journalists, international affairs specialists, strategists and scholars of Gulf politics and security and defence studies.
Download or read book Gulf Security written by The Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research and published by Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research. This book was released on 2022-08-08 with total page 14 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book brings together the papers presented at ‘Gulf Security: Identifying and Confronting the Challenges,’ a symposium held at the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR) on February 24, 2020. Highlighting the various challenges faced by GCC countries, amid the region’s strategic and geopolitical significance, the book examines the Gulf’s influence over global trade routes and its role in maintaining international energy security. The book underscores the vital importance of international cooperation and sound Arab leadership in the face of a growing number of challenges and threats, particularly against the backdrop of external interference in regional issues. Several regional issues of global significance are explored, including the Iranian crisis and the resultant risks to maritime security amid repeated threats to close the Strait of Hurmuz. In responding to these issues, the book emphasizes the importance of pursuing political action to avoid military conflict in the region, which would result in catastrophic damage to the regional and wider global economy and global security. The book also addresses the transition from oil and gas to renewable energy, focusing on the implications for the GCC. Finally, the balance of international and intra-regional alliances in the Middle East is covered, examining the role of Russia, the US and China in response to the challenges that undermine the security and stability of the Arabian Gulf region.
Download or read book Gulf Security in the Twenty First Century written by David E. Long and published by Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research. This book was released on 1998-08-27 with total page 29 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The connection between regional instability and the preservation of global security is nowhere more sensitive than in the Gulf. Events since the 1990-1991 Gulf War continue to confirm the fragile interaction among states in the region and their susceptibility to external forces. Gulf Security in the Twenty-First Century brings together some of the foremost area experts to explore the most pressing issues, including military threats to the region, obstacles to economic development and socioeconomic harmonization, and challenges to political stability. In particular, the work examines Iran's often enigmatic foreign policy vis-à-vis its Gulf neighbors, Iraq's resurgent military threat, choices and constraints confronting US Middle East policy, and Europe's inability to identify and pursue a united policy to safeguard its economic interests in the area. These topics are further illuminated with an analysis of Russia's historical attempt at balancing foreign policy objectives in the Gulf with its enduring interests in Central Asia. The potentially explosive issues of religious radicalism and the challenges of democratic pluralism are discussed in an effort to ascertain the potential of political Islam to disturb or enhance regional security. Similarly, the problems inhibiting the settlement of territorial disputes in and around the Gulf are brought into focus to illustrate lingering historical tensions among neighboring states. To round out the book's topical coverage, several contributors shed light on the region's unfettered dependence on foreign labor, growing demographic pressures, associated social and economic transformations, and challenges to responsive public policy.
Download or read book German Foreign Policy towards the Gulf Region written by Eberhard Sandschneider and published by Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research. This book was released on 2010-08-12 with total page 16 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In order to understand Germany’s foreign policy towards the Gulf Region it is necessary to keep in mind that among all of its major institutions, political parties and foreign policy actors there is a broad consensus on a set of parameters best defined within three imperatives: “never again” (referring to historical legacies, especially the Holocaust); “never alone” (referring to multilateral approaches predominantly within a European Union [EU] and transatlantic context); and “with peaceful means only” (referring to Germany’s role model as a civilian power). All major political actors agree that this is the basis of German foreign policy in any part of the world, and certainly in the most sensitive area of the Greater Middle East. Furthermore, it is necessary to keep in mind that historical legacies – in particular German policies towards Israel – do play a predominant role and will probably continue to do so in the foreseeable future. In practical terms, however, there is no comprehensive policy towards the Greater Middle East. German foreign policy itself is divided into different approaches between the Maghreb, the Mashreq, and the Gulf region and it is, of course, implemented with the help of EU coordination whenever possible. Widespread reluctance to develop initiatives and approaches beyond a European context allow for a simple characterization—Germany’s foreign policy towards the Greater Middle East is still dominated by economic interest and only in very rare aspects by security or strategic considerations. From a general perspective, its lack of a coordinated strategic approach characterizes one of the central weaknesses of Germany’s foreign policy, which has become increasingly global over the last few years and should concentrate on developing a strategy specifically adapted to the needs of the region. However, expectations that such a policy will be eventually implemented can hardly be based on optimism. Germany’s Gulf region policy will continue to be dominated by historical legacies; a clearly felt partnership with (in less positive words, ‘dependency on’) the United States; Germany’s consolidation in EU integration; and by a preoccupation with economic issues (the debate about Iran’s nuclear program being the only marked exception). This paper explores legacies and parameters of German and EU policies towards the Arabian Gulf region and discusses necessary changes in order to expand mutual cooperation.
Download or read book From Flood Control to Integrated Water Resource Management written by James P. Kahan and published by Rand Corporation. This book was released on 2006-10-21 with total page 67 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The loss of life and devastation in the Gulf coast region of the United States after the hurricane season of 2005 has led to considerable debate about how to recover from the damage and mitigate damage from future incidents. This document reports the experiences of four major floods since 1948 (two in the United States, one in the Netherlands, and one in China), to draw lessons for the Gulf coast restoration effort.
Download or read book Annual Book written by Markaz al-Imārāt lil-Dirāsāt wa-al-Buḥūth al-Istirātījīyah and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Dilemma of Security and Defense in the Gulf Region written by Khalid Al-Jaber and published by Gulf International Forum. This book was released on 2019-11-30 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For a variety of contributing factors, the defense and security status of the Gulf region is facing a dilemma between the maintenance of regional security and the preservation of domestic security interests. This dilemma stems from the perceived decline of U.S. influence and lingering consequences of the Arab Spring movements. Divisions and armed conflicts, both within the Gulf itself and the surrounding region are a result of this changing political order and the ascension of many of the Gulf states on the international scene. These evolving dynamics will set in motion various defense and security consequences for the Gulf and the greater Middle East which are addressed in this edited volume. With contributions from practitioners as well as academics, this book will be a vital resource for both researchers and policymakers.
Download or read book FROM THE GULF TO THE NILE Water Security in an Arid Region written by and published by . This book was released on with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Water Security in the Middle East written by Jean Axelrad Cahan and published by Anthem Press. This book was released on 2017-01-02 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Water Security in the Middle East explores the extent and nature of water security problems in transboundary water systems in the Middle East. This collection of essays discusses the political and scientific contexts and the limitations of cooperation in water security. The contributors argue that while conflicts over transboundary water systems in the Middle East do occur, they tend not to be violent nor have they ever been the primary cause of a war in this region. The authors place water disputes in larger political, historical and scientific contexts and discuss how the humanities and social sciences could contribute more towards this understanding. They also contend that international sharing of scientific and technological advances can significantly increase access to water and improve water quality. While scientific advances can and should increase adaptability to changing environmental conditions, especially climate change, national institutional reform and the strengthening of joint commissions are vital. The contributors indicate ways in which transboundary cooperation may move from simple and intermittent coordination to sophisticated, adaptive and equitable modes of water management.
Download or read book The Future of Political Religious Groups written by Jamal Sanad Al-Suwaidi and published by Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research. This book was released on 2016-05-17 with total page 16 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a supplemental analysis to The Mirage, the comprehensive scholarly review of political religious groups in the Arab world, this paper sheds light upon the illusory tactics of political religious groups following the so-called “Arab Spring” in 2011. With particular emphasis on the Muslim Brotherhood, the methodologies of these political groups are laid bare and their true intentions exposed.
Download or read book A Union of Iraqi States written by Pauline H. Baker and published by Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research. This book was released on 2008-11-19 with total page 15 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Of all the analysts who have looked at Iraq since 2003, few have conducted assessments from the perspective of a failed state, not only to examine the mistakes of the past, but to explore feasible options in the future. While the term “failed state” is controversial, it is an accepted part of the international vernacular that is widely used by scholars and practitioners alike, and therefore will be used in this analysis. Most observers would agree that, while there have been temporary gains in some areas – notably in the United States’ military “surge” tactic – Iraq remains, overall, a state in turmoil that has not been able to attain sustainable security. Indeed, there remains a high level of danger. Iraq could collapse violently – with various parts opting out of the state and going to war with each other – and become the battleground for a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran that could entangle the entire Middle East. This paper looks at Iraq from the failed state’s perspective with a view toward avoiding this worst-case scenario. It examines trends over the last five years and concludes by proposing a vision for the country’s future based on a framework that would allow the varying sects to live together in peace without genocidal revenge, sectarian domination, foreign occupation or a regional proxy war— all of which are possible if current trends continue. Instead of a centralized state, or a federal arrangement which is little more than a sum of its competing parts, the factions that make up Iraq could enter into a new political arrangement called a Union of Iraqi States, in which each major component would have political independence but be tied to a union of economic interdependence and co-prosperity. Imaginative thinking of this kind must be accepted by internal groups and come into being through engaging the region. Difficult and bold as it sounds, this could be a way forward.
Download or read book The Civic Orientations of Arab Publics written by Mark Tessler and published by Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research. This book was released on 2014-06-23 with total page 16 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper uses public opinion data collected as part of the Arab Barometer Survey Project to report on the political and social conceptions and preferences held by ordinary citizens in the Arab world. The findings provide a broad and generally representative overview of the civic orientations held by ordinary men and women in the Arab world. The paper covers a wide range of issues that are highly relevant to the Arab world at the present time, and frequently offers brief assessments of the reasons and/or implications associated with particular findings; in this way it encourages further reflection and future research on the part of others. Finally it calls attention to the availability of the unique resource that Arab Barometer data represent. Both through the Barometer’s website and through the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research at the University of Michigan, interested parties may acquire the AB data in SPSS format. Plans for the fourth wave of AB surveys are in the planning stage. Depending on local conditions and the availability of adequate funding, the fourth wave will continue to expand the number and geographic scope of the countries that are surveyed. Among the priorities for this wave, for which some funding has already been obtained, will be the inclusion of members of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Download or read book The US and Europe in the Middle East and Beyond written by Charles A. Kupchan and published by Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research. This book was released on 2007-04-10 with total page 14 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For decades, dealing with the Middle East has proved to be a very divisive issue for the United States and Europe. During the Cold War, heated transatlantic disputes emerged over a host of issues including the Suez Canal, the Palestine–Israel conflict and the containment of Iran. Nonetheless, these differences did not significantly impair transatlantic relations due to the solidarity engendered by the Soviet threat in Europe. With the demise of the Soviet Union, common tasks in Europe no longer overshadow differences in other regions. The United States and Europe follow different approaches on the question of democratization in the Middle East. This difference is rooted in the respective political cultures on each side of the Atlantic. The United States’ appetite for democratization may be awakened by powerful strains of idealism, but it is also limited by powerful strains of isolationism—on one level, the US would prefer to stand aloof from the world, avoiding the dangers and compromises that come with engagement. American politics is not suited to the slow pace of incremental change, the sullying tasks of nation-building and the ambiguities of governing foreign cultures and understanding their practices. No such isolationism pushes Europe toward quick solutions. Indeed, Europe generally prefers slow and incremental movement toward democracy. Europeans favor engaging target states rather than isolating them, bringing about a gradual political transition rather than an abrupt change of regime. Just as it took generations for liberal democracy to take firm root in Western Europe, the EU is patient in its goal of exporting its model to the south and east. Despite the long history of transatlantic tension over the Middle East, some signs of potential convergence have recently emerged. Although the situation in Iraq remains unstable and uncertain, both sides of the Atlantic seem ready to put behind them the open acrimony that surrounded the war; and on Iran, the EU-3 (the United Kingdom, France and Germany) and Washington have been working in unison since early 2005. However, despite recent examples of convergence, considerable transatlantic differences over the Middle East promise to persist, becoming more and less pronounced in step with adverse and positive developments in the region. That these differences are rooted in contrasting historical experiences, political cultures and political systems makes it likely that disagreements over Middle East policy, as in the past, will remain a key source of transatlantic tension in the future.
