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

Sulaiman bin Abdulrahman al-Dheeb The settlement of Hail, located in the north of Saudi Arabia, dates back to the Stone Age, and its environment has largely helped in making it a more attractive location than others. Writings known as “Thamudic writings” left by the Hail man - which we would to also refer to as: popular writings, due to  their number, spread and content. These writings were in the thousands, and clearly covered all areas of the Arabian Peninsula from north to south going through the central region, and from west to east, but to a limited extent so far, at least in t

Mohammed al-Sbitili The author of the article considers the future of Operation Karama in the event Field Marshal Khalifa Hafter departs from the Libyan political scene for one reason or another. The article also reviews possible scenarios and figures –political and military - who could succeed the National Army Commander, Field Marshal, Khalifa Hafter.  

Dr. Saud Alsarhan The year 1979 was a seminal year in the Islamic world. Two events stand out: the Iranian Revolution successfully overthrew the secular regime of the shah and replaced it with the Shiite political Islamist regime of Ayatollah Khomeini, and the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. Fearing the presumed atheism and anti-Muslim sentiment popularly associated with communism across the Muslim world, militant groups were inspired by the Iranian revolutionary model, and a modern interpretation of jihad, or holy war, gained popularity among Muslim youth the world over. The phenomenon of the muj

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

Mona Alami With the regime of president Bashar al-Assad wresting back large swaths of territory from the opposition, many experts believe the end of the Syrian conflict may be near. However, while the ideological confrontation between the opposition and the regime seems to be running its course, it is being replaced by several other significant peripheral conflicts. Does the end of the war in Syria only mean the beginning of many others?

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