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1342. Indecisive Inter-Rebel Fighting in Syria Benefits the Regime
- Author:
- Jeffrey White
- Publication Date:
- 01-2014
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
- Abstract:
- The ongoing clashes between rival rebel factions will likely be protracted and indecisive, and the resultant diversion of effort is already working to the regime's advantage.
- Topic:
- Armed Struggle
- Political Geography:
- United States, Middle East, and Syria
1343. Israel's Growing Role in Southern Syria
- Author:
- Ehud Yaari
- Publication Date:
- 01-2014
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
- Abstract:
- Concerned about the possible drift of al-Qaeda affiliates to areas adjacent to the Golan Heights border, Israel finds itself obliged to increase its assistance to local rebel militias in southern Syria.
- Topic:
- Humanitarian Aid, Armed Struggle, and Bilateral Relations
- Political Geography:
- Middle East, Israel, and Syria
1344. Assessing U.S. Strategy in the Israeli-Palestinian Talks: A Mideast Trip Report
- Author:
- Robert Satloff
- Publication Date:
- 02-2014
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
- Abstract:
- Amid the swirl of Middle East chaos, Israelis are enjoying relative calm and real prosperity. External events -- from the counterrevolution in Egypt and the deepening sectarian war in Syria to the spread of Iranian influence across the region -- should provoke deep concern, but the political class is consumed with the politics and diplomacy of negotiations with the Palestinians.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Territorial Disputes, and Peacekeeping
- Political Geography:
- United States, Iran, Middle East, Israel, Palestine, Syria, and Egypt
1345. The Key to Pressuring Assad Is UNSCR 2118
- Author:
- Andrew J. Tabler
- Publication Date:
- 02-2014
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
- Abstract:
- By focusing on the Syrian regime's faltering commitment to eliminate its chemical weapons, Washington can decisively push Damascus and Russia toward real progress on larger issues -- and also set the table for limited military strikes if they prove necessary.
- Topic:
- Treaties and Agreements, United Nations, and Armed Struggle
- Political Geography:
- Russia, Washington, Middle East, and Syria
1346. Water, State Power, and Tribal Politics in the GCC: The Case of Kuwait and Abu Dhabi
- Author:
- Laurent A. Lambert
- Publication Date:
- 12-2014
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS), Georgetown University in Qatar
- Abstract:
- This paper shows that the GCC cities’remarkable capacity to provide water to all their inhabitants despite the regional aridity should not be explained solely by apolitical factors such as the availability of desalination technologies and massive energy resources. Although acknowledging their importance, this paper demonstrates that the historical evolutions and achievements of the water sectors in Abu Dhabi and Kuwait city over the twentieth century are first and foremost the product of local and regional politics, and of reformist leaders’ agency at various times. Major changes in water governance can also be seen as a tool for, and as a signifier of, broader state reforms and changing politics. After independence, the manufacturing, subsidizing, and massive allocation of desalinated water were part of a political strategy aimed at redistributing oil rent to facilitate the tribes’ allegiance to the regimes, and to legitimize the increasing power of the new states. By contrast, the region’s recent trend of water privatizations, as in Abu Dhabi, Doha, and Riyadh, for instance, represents a strategy of gradually streamlining the rentier states and liberalizing their economies with a post-rentier perspective.
- Topic:
- Environment and Power Politics
- Political Geography:
- Middle East
1347. Countering Nuclear Commodity Smuggling: A System of Systems
- Author:
- Leonard Spector
- Publication Date:
- 11-2014
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies
- Abstract:
- A comprehensive Center for Nonproliferation Studies report calls on the United States and other concerned countries to adopt tighter controls to stem the flow of nuclear-related goods to Iran, North Korea, and other states of proliferation concern. Even modest improvements across the spectrum of today’s nuclear technology controls could greatly strengthen overall international efforts to constrain illicit nuclear procurement networks, the study found. The now available report, Countering Nuclear Commodity Smuggling: A System of Systems, was prepared by Leonard S. Spector and Egle Murauskaite. The study was supported by the US Department of Defense.
- Topic:
- Nuclear Weapons, Science and Technology, Nuclear Power, Nonproliferation, and Illegal Trade
- Political Geography:
- Iran, Middle East, Asia, and North Korea
1348. Globalization, Peace & Stability, Governance, and Knowledge Economy
- Author:
- Voxi Amavilah, Simplice A. Asongu, and Antonio Rodríguez Andrés
- Publication Date:
- 08-2014
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Institute for Advanced Development Studies (INESAD)
- Abstract:
- A previous analysis of the impact of formal institutions on the knowledge economy of 22 MiddleEastern and Sub-Sahara African countries during the 1996-2010 time period concluded that formal institutions were necessary, but inadequate, determinants of the knowledge economy. To extend that study, this paper claims that globalization induces peace and stability, which affects governance and through governance the knowledge economy. The claim addresses one weakness of previous research that did not consider the effects on the knowledge economy of globalization. We model the proposition as a three-stage process in four hypotheses, and estimate each hypothesis using robust estimators that are capable of dealing with the usual statistical problems without sacrificing economic relevance and significance. The results indicate that globalization has varying effects on peace and stability, and peace and stability affect governance differently depending on what kind of globalization induces it. For instance, the effects on governance induced by globalization defined as trade are stronger than those resulting from globalization taken to be foreign direct investment. Hence, we conclude that foreign direct investment is not a powerful mechanism for stimulating and sustaining the knowledge economy in our sample of countries. However, since globalization-induced peace and stability have both positive and negative effects on governance simultaneously, we also conclude that while the prospect for knowledge economy in African countries is dim, it is still realistic and attainable as long as these countries continue to engage in the kind of globalization that does indeed induce peace and stability. We further conclude that there is a need for a sharper focus on economic and institutional governance than on general governance as one possible extension of this paper.
- Topic:
- Globalization, Governance, Political stability, Peace, and Knowledge Economy
- Political Geography:
- Middle East, Global Focus, and Sub-Saharan Africa
1349. Arab armies: agents of change? Before and after 2011
- Author:
- Florence Gaub
- Publication Date:
- 03-2014
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Geneva Centre for Security Policy
- Abstract:
- In the wake of the Arab Spring, this Chaillot Paper examines the role played by the different national armies in the Arab world, and their long history of involvement in matters beyond the military realm. As this study shows, the Arab Spring has marked a watershed in how Arab military forces are perceived: one way or the other, they have once again become the political actors they were prior to the 1970s.
- Topic:
- Defense Policy, Politics, Military Affairs, and Arab Countries
- Political Geography:
- Middle East
1350. Sensitive to Conflict?: Development Cooperation and Peacebuilding in the Palestinian Context
- Author:
- Neda Noraie-Kia
- Publication Date:
- 12-2014
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Institute for Development and Peace
- Abstract:
- Development organisations face numerous challenges in the context of violent conflict. Development cooperation has to be sensitive to conflict in order to be effective and do no harm. PCIA as developed by Kenneth Bush is one approach among others to ensure conflict sensitivity for development and peacebuilding efforts. This working paper applies Bush’s concept of PCIA to the Palestinian case in order to analyse benefits, limitations and potential improvements of his approach. His specific method will be discussed critically based on a literature review and expert interviews conducted with practitioners from the most relevant state and multilateral development agencies. Considering the specific challenges in the Palestinian context this study aims to contribute to the debate on conflict sensitive development cooperation. The analysis of the Palestinian case eventually should help to identify gaps and potential fields for future research.
- Topic:
- Security, Development, Conflict, Borders, Peace, and Territory
- Political Geography:
- Middle East, Israel, and Palestine