112,072 research outputs found
The Arab Gulf countries and the Arab- Israeli conflict;: the linkages and dynamics (1970-2000)
No full textThis thesis examines the changing linkages and dynamics of the relationship between the Arab Gulf countries and the Arab-Israeli conflict through the period of 1970-2000. The Arab Gulf countries' level of involvement in supporting the Arabs and Palestinians in the Arab-Israeli conflict diminished throughout the period of study. The thesis explains this diminishing role by discussing the impact of the developments of international struggle for influence in the Gulf as well as the Israeli ambitions and relations to the Gulf region, largely expressed through the Israeli relationship with Iran under the Shah. The thesis shows that the years 1973, 1979 and 1990 formed important turning points for international influence in the region. These turning points influenced on the level of the Arab Gulf countries' involvement in the Arab-Israeli conflict. Throughout the seventies, the Arab Gulf countries played an active role in supporting the Arab side in the Arab-Israeli conflict. The clearest expression of this support was the implementation of the oil embargo against the West during the October 1973 War. The eighties witnessed the birth of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the formation of which symbolized the emerging security challenges within the Gulf region. These security challenges represented by the Iranian Revolution, the Iran-Iraq war and the Soviet invasion and occupation of Afghanistan exhausted most of the capabilities and efforts of the Arab Gulf countries. Their focus and attention shifted away from the Arab-Israeli conflict, in spite of the serious and dramatic developments in that conflict. The repercussions of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990 resulted in a further diminishment of the role of the Arab Gulf countries in backing the Palestinians in the Arab-Israeli conflict. Only after September 2000 and the beginning of the Second Palestinian Intifada did the Arab Gulf countries again play a vital role, by means of financial, political and media support. The thesis explains the linkages between security in the Gulf and the Arab- Israeli conflict. It examines the hypothesis that a reciprocal relationship explaining the level and type of Arab Gulf countries involvement in the Arab-Israeli conflict has existed throughout the period of the study
Arab Regional Integration:: A neo-functionalist and transactionalist analysis
No full textThis thesis is a multidisciplinary analysis of Arab regional integration using the neo- functionalist and transactionalist approaches to integration. Neo-functionalism analyses the process of integration in the Arab World by studying the role of regional institutions including the league of Arab States and three Arab joint ventures. The transactionalist approach examines the impact of regional trade on political and economic integration in the Arab Mashreq. The analysis of the Arab joint ventures is taken further by using elements of business and finance theories. It is conducted on two different levels: the first analyses the operational and financial performance of these ventures. The second examines their role in promoting regional integration especially in the sectors concerned. The analysis is intended to find out whether these ventures were commercially viable or were more politically inspired. Qualitative information was collected from conducting constructive interviews with Arab economists, politicians and managers of the Arab joint ventures examined. The quantitative data was collected from recognisable resources including the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia and the Arab Monetary Fund. The problems encountered in this thesis resulted from the application of these theoretical approaches to integration, which are designed to study integration in politically developed societies with more advanced economies. However, the choice is justified since there are no alternatives. Secondly, the data on trade and Arab joint ventures may not be completely accurate since it does not record all transactions. The thesis concludes the following: at the political level, regional institutions did not promote Arab integration since they lacked aspects of supranationality and collective decision-making processes. Also, they did not affect the Arab elite's attitudes and could not initiate a viable process of integration that would spill over from one sector to another. At the economic level, the low level of regional trade in the Arab Mashreq did not prevent the occurrence of many attempts at Arab integration. Moreover, the Arab joint ventures were more politically inspired than commercially. Although they were more resilient to economic and political instability in the Arab World, their role in promoting regional integration was limited
The dynamics of the Arab regional order since the Kuwait crisis 1990-91: is there an Arab system that governs inter-Arab relations?
No full textThis thesis identifies that there has been a change within inter-Arab relations since the Kuwait Crisis in 1990-91. It asserts that the ensuing crisis unravelled the Arab system and brought about an end to the discourse of pan-Arab nationalism. Moreover, this crisis served to bring out the real discourse within inter-Arab relations: only the state's self-interest determines the foreign policy of Arab states,\not their belonging to Arab institutions or an Arab nation. However, as I shall argue, despite the continuous presence of the Arab League, the Arab system was diminished by the KC. In this context, two parallel issues demonstrate the diminishing of the system: one is the marginalisation of Iraq, and the other is the peace process between the Arab states and Israel. In both cases, the United States has acted as the 'powerful regulator' which has determined the Stand der Dinge (order of things) of the region. This thesis will also argue that Arab states in both cases had no choice but to conform to regional mechanisms determining the dynamics of the two aforementioned developments. The presence of the United States in the region was demonstrated by the ousting of Iraq from Kuwait, since which time the United States has become the main actor and a regional unit in the emerging system. However, for the US to remain so and to keep its interest in the region safe, it has had to rely solely on force. This thesis, therefore, will illustrate the nature of the new Middle East regional system, showing that the structure of the emerging Middle East system since 1990 has been dominated by the use of force. Iraq invaded Kuwait by force, it was ousted from there by force; the sanctions on Iraq were kept in place by force, and the Israeli occupation of Arab lands remains by force. Finally, the system was brought into full consolidation by force demonstrated by the Operation Iraqi Freedom in March-April 2003
State formation and underdevelopment in the Arab world
No full text[No abstract available]Amin G, 1981, AL MASHRIQ AL ARABI; Anderson Lisa, 1986, STATE SOCIAL TRANSFO; Batniji R, 2014, LANCET, V383, P343, DOI 10.1016-S0140-6736(13)62185-6; Beinin J., 2001, WORKERS PEASANTS MOD; Bromley S, 1994, RETHINKING MIDDLE E; Carl Brown L., 1984, INT POLITICS MIDDLE; Dewachi O, 2014, LANCET, V383, P449, DOI 10.1016-S0140-6736(13)62299-0; Fieldhouse David Kenneth, 2006, W IMPERIALISM MIDDLE; Gelvin J, 2007, ISRAEL PALESTINE CON; Gelvin J, 2012, ARAB UPRISING WHAT E; Gerber H., 1987, SOCIAL ORIGINS MODER; Hanieh A, 2011, CAPITALISM AND CLASS IN THE GULF ARAB STATES, P1, DOI 10.1057-9780230119604; Hinnebusch Raymond, 2010, MIDDLE E CRITIQUE, V19, P201; Issawi C., 1982, EC HIST MIDDLE E N A; Kerr Malcolm H., 1971, ARAB COLD WAR GAMAL; Owen R, 1985, ARAB SOC CONTINUITY, P16; Owen Roger, 1998, HIST MIDDLE E EC 20; Richards A., 2008, POLITICAL EC MIDDLE; Rivlin P, 2011, ARAB EC 21 CENTURY; Rogan E, 2010, ARABS; Schatkowski-Schilcher L, 1992, PROBLEMS MODERN MIDD, P229; Seddon D, 1994, FREE MARKETS FOOD RI; Thompson E, COLONIAL CITIZENS RE; WATERBURY J, 1991, INT J MIDDLE E STUD, V23, P12
Key account management in an Arab context
No full textThis study sought to contribute to the literature on key account management (KAM) relationships. In doing so, it aimed to address a number of gaps in the existing literature, particularly a noticeable lack of research into key account management in developing economies, as opposed to developed economies. More specifically, the study sought to examine the dynamics of key account management relationships in an emerging economy in the Arab World. The main research question to address was: How is KAM relationship management applied in an Arab context?
The research utilised 50 cross-sectional semi-structured in-depth interviews to achieve the study’s aim. More specifically, the study was based upon a sample of recipients involved with key accounts from supplier organisations which operated in different sectors and had different ownership – local and foreign. Primary data was gathered through in-depth semi-structured interviews primarily with key account managers, and with company directors, marketing and sales managers, and selling/support teams.
In general, the findings revealed that there are informal and formal aspects of KAM relationships in an Arab context that complement each other. These have some similarities and differences with the Western context. In particular, similarities appeared mainly along the formal aspects such as, roles and duties of key account managers (KAMgrs), identification and selection criteria of key accounts, special treatment and activities carried out with key customers; the actors involved including senior managers and support teams; and the resources utilised. However, differences existed in the selection and the recruitment criteria and some competencies that were Arab specific, the degree of involvement of senior managers differ significantly from what is noted in the KAM literature. As for the informal aspect, that is manifested in Wasta and family connections, trust, and personal involvement, which makes the KAM relationship management approach in an Arab context uniquely different and plays a major role in how customers are acquired and retained and the overall management of key customers. Furthermore, evidence shows that there is a tendency to transfer Western KAM practices to the Arab world, with some adaptation to take into consideration the country-specific and contextual factors.
Overall, it is argued, that the study’s findings contribute to existing knowledge in a number of ways. First, they extend our knowledge into key account management in an Arab context and confirm the importance of both the formal and informal aspects in managing KAM relationships. They also add weight to the view that in Arab cultures personal and affective/emotional dimensions of the relational factors are given more importance, compared to the impersonal and calculative aspects that are more emphasised in the West. The findings contribute to existing knowledge regarding KAM segmentation and the importance of the personal profile in an Arab context vis a vis the business profile, and they validate the view that a process of crossvergence of management practices is occurring across borders. The findings, however, challenge the view that KAM can be rolled out unchanged into any international context. They also discover the competencies required for Arab KAMgrs. Finally the findings contribute to existing knowledge by discovering the benefits of Wasta for key account managers
Knowledge-based Economic Development as a Unifying Vision in a Post-awakening Arab World
No full textThis article traces the evolution of knowledge-based economic development in the Arab World. In pursuing this objective, many countries in the region have made large state-driven human capital investments with the goals of job creation, economic integration, economic diversification, environmental sustainability, and social development. An assessment of the effectiveness of Arab investments in human capital shows marginal progress towards knowledge-based development over the last decade. A disconnect between the skills developed in Arab skills formation systems and those required by private sector employers relegates Arab businesses to contesting lower-skilled, non-knowledge intensive industries which has stalled knowledge-based development in the region.Arab World; Middle East; skills formation; knowledge economy; competitiveness; skills development policy; economic development
ICT Opportunities and Challenges for Development in the Arab World
No full textICT diffusion, ICT market, ICT implications, Arab world
Culture, Time and Publics in the Arab World: Media, Public Space and Temporality
No full textIn this revealing new study, Tarik Sabry and Joe Khalil preside over an original new exploration of Arab culture. They employ subjects as varied as anthropology, media studies, philosophy, political economy and cultural studies to illuminate the relationship between culture, time and publics in an Arab context, whilst also laying the foundations for a much more nuanced picture of Arab society. The diverse themes and locations explored include communities at borders, in rural and urban locations, Syrian drama audiences, Egyptian, Saudi and Tunisian artists and activists and historical and contemporary Arab intellectuals. This fresh empirical research and interdisciplinary analysis illuminate intricate experiences that transcend local, national and religious boundaries and expose how Arab publics combine the media and technology to create a rich experience that shapes their collective imagination and social structure. Providing a grounded orientation to key debates on time and what can be defined as public in modern Arab cultures, Sabry and Khalil address teachers, students and those concerned about the delicate structures that underpin the upheavals of the modern Arab world
Arab West Report 2010, Weeks 01-52: Arab West Report Initiatives Towards Societal Reconciliation and Peace Building
No full textThis dataset contains the Arab-West Report special reports that were published in 2010. This dataset mainly contains the writings of Cornelis Hulsman, Drs., and Jayson Casper among other authors on topics related to Muslim-Christian relations, sectarian tensions, incidents between Muslims and Christians in Egypt, and papers submitted by the staff and interns at the Center for Arab West Understanding (CAWU) on societal reconciliation sessions that follow sectarian strife. This dataset also features reports on the peace building initiative launched by CAWU. Several reports also discuss the Christian faith in Egypt, Coptic monastic life, Coptic political participation and Coptic engagement in national elections. The reports in this dataset also include interviews by Arab West Report staff and interns with prominent social figures and scholars.
Additionally, this dataset contains reporting on workshops and forums hosted or attended by CIDT/CAWU at the time. Furthermore, this dataset contains commentary on published material from other sources (media critique).
Several reports discuss the religious tensions that surround the building of churches and mosques. 2010 also witnessed a controversial Supreme Court ruling that requested the Coptic Church to abide by a verdict that grants Christians the right to remarriage; a measure which was strongly opposed by the then-Pope Shenouda. Some adherents took to the street to express their frustration
The convergence of governance: upgrading authoritarianism in the Arab world and downgrading democracy elsewhere?
No full textThe article presents a study concerning political change in Arab countries. It mentions that inquiring the validity of the democratization paradigm in the Arab countries implies a significant case, since their countries have not experienced transition to democracy. The study involves a discussion against exceptionalism and democracy-spotting, since Arab countries have applied semi-democracy to their governments. It tries not to tackle the issue of the condition of political life in the democratic and authoritarian systems but contends that there is a trend toward the convergence of governance with the same mechanism of decision-making and policies
- …
