Mona Alami The Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units has recently completed its transformation from a loose coalition of militant group groups to a semi state actor, entrenched in Iraqi state institutions thanks to the large victory of a number of its leaders in the recent Iraqi elections under the label of the Fateh Coalition. The PMU emerged in 2014, when it conglomerated a number of substate armed groups under the banner of the Hashd al-Shaabi at the behest of then prime minister, Nouri Malikial-Maliki and after a call by the country’s highest Shiite cleric, Ayatollah Ali Sistani, to fight the e

Author: Dr. Jack Caravelli Co-Author: Sebastian Maier   Brief statement By US President Donald Trump’s recent decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal as well as by engaging with North Korea’s supreme leader Kim Jong-un, the Trump administration has decided to embark on a set of issues fraught with both o

Fahad L. Alghalib Alsharif The goal in this paper is to analyze the lives of the members of nine communities of African migrants to the city of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. Through the testimonies of undocumented migrants living in Jeddah, specifically Somalis, Ethiopians, Eritreans, Sudanese, Chadians, Nigerians, Burkinabes, Cameroonians, and Ghanaians, the aim of this article is to study the major social, economic, and security consequences of their presence in Saudi Arabia in general and in the city of Jeddah in particular.  

Mohammed Al-Sudairi The report examines the ‘United Front’ activities undertaken by the Communist Party of China towards Saudi Overseas Chinese in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, estimated to be anywhere between 150,000 and 180,000. It introduces the concept of the ‘United Front’ as it relates to Chinese politics and foreign relations, examining both its historical evolution and contemporary applications. The report then explores the ways in which United Front activities have been carried out in the Saudi context, and specifically with respect to the Sinophone Muslim (Hui) and T

Elmira Akhmetova This paper examines the relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Saudi Arabia) and the Russian Federation (RF) in the light of Muslim minority rights through analyzing the history of Islam in the Russian territory, with a focus on the rights of Muslims under the Tsarist rule since 1552 and during the existence of the Soviet Union. The first part of the paper suggests that, although Muslims are minority in modern Russia today, Islam established itself as an official religion in the Volga-Urals region and Caucasus during the early years of Islam. It also shows that the historica

Md. Muddassir Quamar India and Saudi Arabia are two ascending powers, both being G-20 economies and important players in respective regions of South Asia and Middle East. In over a decade since the visit of King Abdullah and the signing of Delhi Declaration in 2006, the two have strengthened bilateral relations based on strong trade and frequent political engagements. The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on defense cooperation in February 2014 added a new dimension with promise for close security cooperation. Bilateral ties were further strengthened by the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Mo

Dr. Mohammed Al-Sbitli The Maghreb countries face economic difficulties whose origins, manifestations and unity differed from one country to another. This has coincided with different political and social situations, as a result of decades of domestic and regional policies and challenges that have been reflected in the structures of the political and economic system of these countries... The English translation of this study is currently not available.

Sun Degang China’s military relations with the countries of the Middle East have become increasingly close in recent years. To protect its commercial interests and contribute towards international security, China has built up a soft military presence of various forms in the Middle East. Such overseas military forces are deployed either within the framework of the United Nations Peacekeeping Operations (UNPKO) or independently, and carry out military as well as civilian missions, especially in areas such as the evacuation of nationals, humanitarian relief, search and rescue, protecting expatria

Japan was once a country that suffered from slow progress in its economic diversification away from agriculture. While the country modernized rapidly after 1868, the problem of a skills mismatch between education and industry remained throughout the first half of the 20th century. With a large number of educated but jobless citizens, youth unemployment continued to be a major economic problem. Nevertheless, a few decades later, the country developed a productive workforce harnessing its “youth bulge” demographics, and succeeded in building competitive export-oriented manufacturing industries. D

Federico V. Magdalena This paper examines the history of Islam in the Philippines and contemporary developments, with a focus on Philippine state policies and practices with regard to the Muslim Filipinos, including security issues and foreign relations, especially with Islamic countries like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. More specifically, it touches on the following domains: (1) the history of Islamic development and how it changed the course of the Philippine state, (2) the Philippine state’s traditional approach toward Philippine Islam and its adherents, and the mechanisms of religious cont