Download or read book The Position of a Weak State in an Unstable Region written by Walid E. Moubarak and published by Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research. This book was released on 2003-01-07 with total page 13 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this lecture Dr. Walid Moubarak argues that Lebanon’s stability and continuity as a viable state does not solely depend upon action taken by the Lebanese people, but to a large extent on the balance of power in the external Middle East environment, as well as on the interests other powers have in the preservation of this balance. He showed how external factors can shape domestic politics in a weak state and how, in the case of Lebanon, this weakness has become an integral part of its political structure. The presence of Palestinian refugees, the ongoing conflict between Israel and Syria, which plays itself out in southern Lebanon through the actions of Hizbullah, the alliance of the various major groups in Lebanon with outside powers with their own interests, and Lebanon’s precarious geo-political situation, all ensure that there will be no solution in the near future to the instability experienced by Lebanon.

Download or read book Conflict Resolution in the Post Cold War World written by Michael Rose and published by Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research. This book was released on 2004-03-10 with total page 15 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although US foreign policy is still based on the desire to secure freedom, justice and democracy for all people - a vision which is shared by most Western nations - following the attacks against US targets on the September 11, 2001 (9/11), President Bush declared that the elimination of international terrorism had become a first priority for America. However, a determination to use military force in order to defend these values and pre-empt attack against America has inevitably altered its relationship with other nations.

Download or read book Pakistan s Security Perspectives written by Syed Athar Ali and published by Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research. This book was released on 2012-11-16 with total page 13 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pakistan’s security matrix is beset by multi-dimensional threats which stem from a host of external and internal factors such as economic deprivation, poverty, drug trafficking, natural disasters, and terrorism. Terrorism and extremism have posed particular challenges for Pakistan; the country has played a leading role in the global campaign against terrorism and has consequently paid a very high price. At the same time, the lack of success achieved by coalition forces in their attempts to create stability in Afghanistan has impeded Pakistani efforts to stabilize its western tribal regions. Nevertheless, in spite of all the challenges, Pakistan feels that it has been generally successful in containing the insurgency and confining it to a limited geographical area through a combination of political and military measures. Pakistan views India as its most important neighbor and seeks a sustained, substantive and result-oriented process of dialogue. Pakistan would like to resolve all outstanding issues with India in a peaceful and just manner. The country attaches great importance to a purposeful, broad-ranging engagement; however, this will require India to play a more positive and accommodating role and respond to Pakistan’s legitimate security concerns. India will not find Pakistan unwilling to write a new chapter in the two countries’ bilateral relations. Positive manifestations of India’s peace initiative can only be seen through the implementation of tangible steps, including a reduction in the defense budget and the prevention of an arms race. The terrorism which prevails today has developed into militancy of dangerous proportions for Pakistan, placing it at the top of the internal security agenda. Terrorism is now a challenge for Pakistan more than any other state. The militants are well equipped, funded, and motivated, and enjoy foreign support. Needless to say, the potential effect of this militancy could be felt both regionally and globally. Therefore, peace and stability in South Asia will remain elusive unless this issue is addressed comprehensively. All stakeholders must remain engaged on a long-term basis if lasting success is to be achieved. Also, a much greater degree of understanding is needed between Pakistan, Afghanistan and coalition forces in order to adopt and apply a common approach on both sides of the Pakistan–Afghanistan border. Pakistan alone cannot bear the burden of responsibility for a global problem whose genesis is to be found elsewhere. The international community must show greater resolve in Afghanistan and more patience towards Pakistan, if we are to succeed. Regional countries would also do well to assist Pakistan in these efforts, rather than exploiting this as an opportunity to malign the country, if the scourge of terrorism is to be erased from South Asia.

Download or read book Democratisation and Power Sharing in Stormy Weather written by Tamirace Fakhoury Mühlbacher and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2009-11-14 with total page 471 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Is democracy possible only in homogeneous societies? Does heterogeneity - clude a stable democracy? Throughout history, ethnic, linguistic, or religious homogeneity whether by circumstance, coercion, or choice, has seemingly been conducive to democracy. In France, democracy was established after the impo- tion of religious uniformity and the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The United States pulled in immigrants who renounced their original affiliations to forge a new identity in a newly born state. Still, defying assumptions, democracies have emerged in heterogeneous states such as the Swiss Confederation, the Successor States of the Holy Roman Empire and, later, those carved out of the previous colonial empires. One common feature is the failure of – often violent – attempts to enforce homogeneity, or the lack of any such attempt in the first place. In the course of time, these divided societies have learned to live in diversity, to pacify their differences, and to find a path - wards peace or at least accommodation. In sum, they went beyond forms of se- rating powers to sharing power. Whether defined by ethnicity, language, religion, or even ideology, communities agreed to a pact on participating in a joint gove- ment based on proportional or even equal representation. It is noteworthy that political systems based on power-sharing were long marg- al in mainstream political science which laid an emphasis on democratic tran- tions in homogeneous societies and on socio-economic or cultural prerequisites that facilitate the rise of democracy.

Download or read book The Foreign Policies of Arab States written by Bahgat Korany and published by American University in Cairo Press. This book was released on 2010-03-01 with total page 706 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first edition of this book was praised as "a milestone for present and future research on Arab and Third World foreign policies" (American Political Science Review), and "an indispensable aid for those studying or teaching the foreign policies of the contemporary Middle East" (International Journal of Middle East Studies). It has become a standard textbook in Middle East studies curricula all over the world. This third edition, now in paperback, with new material reflecting the earth-shaking events at the end of the Cold War and the continuation of violence and terrorism, examines foreign policies of nine Arab states in the context of globalization. The editors first establish an analytical framework for assessing foreign policy, which they and other contributors then apply chapter by chapter to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Sudan, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, and Iraq. Contributors: Moataz A. Fattah, Karen Abul Kheir, Ali E. Hillal Dessouki, Hazem Kandil, Bahgat Korany, Ann M. Lesch, Abdul-Monem Al-Mashat, Paul Noble, Jennifer Rosenblum, Bassel F. Salloukh, Mohamed Soffar. William Zartman. Foreign Policy Analysis in the Global Era and the World of the Arabs Bahgat Korany and Ali E. Hillal Dessouki Foreign Policy Approaches and Arab Countries: A Critical Evaluation and an Alternative Framework Bahgat Korany and Ali E. Hillal Dessouki Globalization and Arab Foreign Policies: Constraints or Marginalization? Ali E. Hillal Dessouki and Bahgat Korany From Arab System to Middle Eastern System: Regional Pressures and Constraints Paul Noble Regional leadership: Balancing off Costs and Dividends: Foreign Policy of Egypt Ali E. Hillal Dessouki Foreign Policy under Occupation: Does Iraq Need a Foreign Policy? Mohamed Soffar Does the Successor Make a Difference? The Foreign Policy of Jordan Ali E. Hillal Dessouki and Karen Abul Kheir The Art of the Impossible: The Foreign Policy of Lebanon Bassel F. Salloukh The Far West of the Near East: The Foreign Policy of Morocco Jennifer Rosenblum and William Zartman Irreconcilable Role-Partners? Saudi Foreign Policy between the Ulama and the U.S. Bahgat Korany and Moataz A. Fattah From Fragmentation to Fragmentation? Sudan's Foreign Policy Ann M. Lesch The Challenge of Restructuring: Syrian Foreign Policy Hazem Kandil Politics of Constructive Engagement: The Foreign Policy of the United Arab Emirates Abdul-Monem Al-Mashat Conclusion: Foreign Policy, Globalization and the Arab Dilemma of Change Bahgat Korany and Ali E. Hillal Dessouki

Download or read book Index of State Weakness in the Developing World written by Susan E. Rice and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 39 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper presents the Index of State Weakness in the Developing World, which ranks all 141 developing countries according to their relative performance in four critical spheres: economic, political, security, and social welfare.

Download or read book South Asia s Weak States written by T. V. Paul and published by Stanford University Press. This book was released on 2010-08-09 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: South Asia, which consists of eight states of different sizes and capabilities, is characterized by high levels of insecurity at the inter-state, intra-state, and human level: insecurity that is manifest in both traditional and non-traditional security problems—especially transnational terrorism fuelled by militant religious ideologies. To explain what has caused and contributed to the perpetual insecurity and human suffering in the region, this book engages scholars of international relations, comparative politics, historical sociology, and economic development, among others, to reveal and analyze the key underlying and proximate drivers. It argues that the problems are driven largely by two critical variables: the presence of weak states and weak cooperative interstate norms. Based on this analysis and the conclusions drawn, the book recommends specific policies for making the region secure and for developing the long lasting inter- and intra-state cooperative mechanisms necessary for the perpetuation of that security.

Download or read book The Role of the International Court of Justice in the Contemporary World written by Judge Rosalyn Higgins and published by Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research. This book was released on 2008-07-15 with total page 27 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations (UN). It was established 62 years ago at the end of the Second World War, and is the successor to the Permanent Court of International Justice (PCIJ) that was functioning at the time of the League of Nations. The ICJ has a dual role: to settle in accordance with international law the legal disputes submitted to it by states; and to give Advisory Opinions on legal questions referred to it by certain organs of the United Nations and duly authorized specialized agencies. Over the past six decades of the ICJ’s existence, the world has changed immensely. Dozens of newly independent countries, especially in Africa and Asia, have entered the world stage, and in the early 1970s, the Gulf states of the UAE, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain came to independence. The ICJ lives in the real world—changes in the world around us have their impact here, too. We have seen an increase in the range and number of states coming to the Court. Seventy nine states have engaged in Court proceedings in the past decade. The Court has handed down 95 judgments in its 60 years of existence. Of those, one-third has been delivered in the last decade. Today approximately 300 treaties refer to the Court in relation to the settlement of disputes arising from their application or interpretation and there has been a distinct trend for states to withdraw reservations they have made to such treaties in earlier years. The UAE, and the Gulf states more generally, are important to the ICJ. Since its establishment in 1971, the UAE has played a vital role in the affairs of the region, and has decided explicitly to base its foreign policy on the principles outlined in the Charter of the United Nations. It has formed close ties with countries throughout the Middle East and Asia, as well as with western nations. The Court appreciates the UAE’s interest in its work and, as with all parties to the Statute, stands ready to assist the states of the region in conformity with its Charter role.

Download or read book US Policy Towards Political Islam written by Graham E. Fuller and published by Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research. This book was released on 2003-03-03 with total page 9 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Political Islam is growing in the Middle East and Central Asia, and is at the same time evolving and diversifying. Islamist parties have also matured as they gain political experience. They are faced with political realities and must adapt their policies accordingly. The question of whether Islam and democracy are compatible is a current point of discussion, with many Islamist parties now believing that they are. Islam has become a vehicle for the expression of many different agendas in the Muslim world. Muslims may too readily blame the West for their own problems, but their frustrations and current grievances are real. Cultures and communities under siege seek comfort in a back-to-basics view of religion, a narrowing and harshening of cultural and nationalist impulses, and a return to traditional community values. US policymakers would be wise to drop the simplistic and inaccurate notion of Muslim anti-Americanism, and should instead consider what steps can be taken to spread democratic values to areas where they have been noticeable chiefly by their absence. If the war on terror is to be successful in the long run, Washington should not limit itself to a merely punitive agenda, but should engage in dialogue with Islamic clerics and representatives of moderate political forces in order to support regional democratization.

Download or read book The Making of Lebanese Foreign Policy written by Henrietta Wilkins and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-05-29 with total page 165 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Seeking to explain Lebanon’s behavior in the international arena during the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel, this book offers a critique of both systemic and sub state factors in determining foreign policy decisions. The Making of Lebanese Foreign Policy illustrates how systemic theories are limited in terms of explaining foreign policy decisions because they largely ignore the role of internal, or sub state, factors. Within Lebanon, foreign policy is split between the interests of different internal Lebanese groups working in alliance with external actors. The competing interests of these internal groups compromise the cohesion of the Lebanese state and its capacity to promote its own interests above those of the different internal groups. The example of Lebanon during the 2006 war thus demonstrates the importance of these sub state factors in influencing state behaviour on an international level. Arguing that a more pluralistic approach is necessary in order to understand the conditions that affect the foreign policy making of the Lebanese state, this book fills an important gap in the literature on the topic and will be of interest to students of International Relations, Middle East Studies and Islamic Studies amongst others.

Download or read book The National Dialogue of Lebanon written by Walid E. Moubarak and published by Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research. This book was released on 2018-06-27 with total page 20 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The need for national dialogue within states has been gaining momentum ever since the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union. In the emergent new global system, intra-state conflicts have surpassed inter-state conflicts in number and complexity, requiring new instruments, approaches to mediation, and conflict resolution mechanisms. The Lebanese National Dialogue (LND), presided over by Michel Suleiman, the president of the Lebanese Republic from 2008 to 2014, represented a relatively new experiment in inclusivity or internal mediation for Lebanon, which marked a change from outside mediation. The LND was a hybrid mechanism, in which the top political leaders aimed to rectify the constitutional failures and solve the current and future challenges the small and weak Lebanese state was facing. This dialogue was designed along the same lines of the 2006 dialogue, when Nabih Berri, the speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, called for a national dialogue. This latter dialogue was short lived and came to a complete halt, primarily because of Israel’s war with Hezbollah in July 2006. The call for dialogue at that time was seen as a vital measure to respond to the transition period following 30 years of Syrian military presence in Lebanon. This study attempts to examine the LND to determine whether the nature of Lebanese politics would allow internal mediation to solve problems of regional implication, or at least to maintain relative stability and continuity for the political system. The study examines the structure and process of the LND, the strengths and weaknesses of the LND, and the role of supportive dialogue structures. The study also includes an analysis of the national dialogue process, incorporating the Baabda Declaration of 2012 and its aftermath and the controversy over a national defensive strategy for Lebanon.

Download or read book Civil Military Relations in Lebanon written by Are John Knudsen and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-08-31 with total page 155 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume examines Lebanon’s post-2011 security dilemmas and the tenuous civil-military relations. The Syrian civil war has strained the Lebanese Armed Forces’ (LAF) cohesion and threatens its neutrality – its most valued assets in a divided society. The spill-over from the Syrian civil war and Hezbollah’s military engagement has magnified the security challenges facing the Army, making it a target. Massive foreign grants have sought to strengthen its military capability, stabilize the country and contain the Syria crisis. However, as this volume demonstrates, the real weakness of the LAF is not its lack of sophisticated armoury, but the fragile civil–military relations that compromise its fighting power, cripple its neutrality and expose it to accusations of partisanship and political bias. This testifies to both the importance of and the challenges facing multi-confessional armies in deeply divided countries.

Download or read book Handbook to Life in the Ancient Maya World written by Lynn V. Foster and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2005 with total page 432 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This comprehensive and accessible reference explores the greatest and most mysterious of civilizations, hailed for its contributions to science, mathematics, and technology. Each chapter is supplemented by an extensive bibliography as well as photos, original line drawings, and maps.

Download or read book Weak States in the International System written by Michael I. Handel and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 1990 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This work defines weak states and their strengths and weaknesses. It examines why they are weak and their position in different international systems as well as their economic positions.

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.

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 State Failure in the Modern World written by Zaryab Iqbal and published by Stanford University Press. This book was released on 2015-12-16 with total page 169 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: State failure is seen as one of the significant threats to regional and international stability in the current international system. State Failure in the Modern World presents a comprehensive, systematic, and empirically rigorous analysis of the full range of the state failure process in the post-World War II state system—including what state failure means, its causes, what accounts for its duration, its consequences, and its implications. Among the questions the book addresses are: when and why state failure occurs, why it recurs in any single state, and when and why its consequences spread to other states. The book sets out the array of problems in previous work on state failure with respect to conceptualization and definition, as well as how the causes and consequences of state failure have been addressed, and presents analyses to deal with these problems. Any analysis of state failure can be seen as an exercise in policy evaluation; this book undertakes the theoretical, conceptual, and analytic work that must be done before we can evaluate—or have much confidence in—both current and proposed policy prescriptions to prevent or manage state collapse.