Research Papers


Number: 32
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Populism is said to be the major new political trend. From Brexit to the election of Donald Trump in the United States, old ideas and conceptions of the Left and Right are being deconstructed before our eyes faced with populist mantras. The French presidential election of 2017 was a story of a pro-European, pro-business, globalist centrist candidate and underdog, Emmanuel Macron, defeating the favored right-wing candidate, decimating the Socialist left, and going on to win a super majority in the National Assembly, with a movement turned-party he only recently created. However, what is not told, are the populist elements and narratives, coopted by all candidates in the French pr
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Abdullah bin Khalid Alkhalifa The history of relations between the Ottoman Empire and the Safavid state is characterized by competition, tension, and wars between them, not only on Iraq but beyond the countries of the region. This study will try - as far as possible - to focus on their frantic rivalry on Iraq, which did not diminish after the Safavid state and the arrival of the Kajari state, which continued until the establishment of the Turkish Republic by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in 1923. (English translation of the study is currently
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Askar H. Enazy On April 8, 2016, in the presence of Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the King of Saudi Arabia, and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, at the latter’s presidential palace of Al-Ittihadiyah in Cairo, Egypt’s prime minister and the Saudi deputy crown prince cosigned the maritime boundary delimitation agreement between the two countries concerning the area along the Red Sea. It quickly became known, in the media of both countries and beyond, as the “Tiran and Sanafir Accord,&r
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The seismic political events of 2016, such as Brexit and the election of Donald Trump as US President, highlighted the fact that globalization has exacerbated divisions within societies, in terms of the gap between rich and poor, elite and non-elite, and those who identify themselves with a national boundary and those who perceive themselves to be part of a wider community.  Nevertheless, a group of young educated Saudi male undergraduates at the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) in the Eastern Province identify the principal problem causing these societal divisions as not globalization per se but rather ‘uneven globalization&r
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On 19 May 2017, the Iranian electorate will go to the polls to choose the next president of the Islamic Republic. The poll will once again give an opportunity for Iranian society to make its views felt, and to choose from amongst a restricted but relatively diverse roster of candidates approved by the clerically-led vetting body, the Guardian Council. The elections are important on a number of levels. They provide society with the chance to approve or reject the significant developments of the last four years, from the rise of the moderate faction headed by the incumbent president, Hassan Rowhani, through to the nuclear deal signed in 2015 and its economic consequences. T
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Author: Makio Yamada
King Salman’s four-day visit to Tokyo in mid-March, as part of his three-week tour to five Asian countries – Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Japan and China – was an event worthy of being described as ‘special’ in the history of Saudi–Japanese relations. Firstly, the visit was special because it was the first visit of a Saudi King to Japan for 46 years. Before King Salman, only King Faisal had visited this East Asian capital – in 1971 – and there is, in fact, a noteworthy similarity between the visits of the two Kings. Both visits took place in the year following an announcement by the Saudi government of its new economic bluep
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Mona Alami The fall of Aleppo in December emphasized the prominent role played by Lebanese Hezbollah in the Syrian war. Since 2013, Hezbollah fighters have operated across the border alongside the Syrian army and forces loyal to the regime of President Bashar Assad. Hezbollah’s importance is twofold: first, it has enabled the regime to wrestle back areas from rebel control, and second, it has significantly increased the effectiveness of pro-regime forces. The war in Syria, which was triggered by the March 2011 peaceful protests against the regime of President Assad, was perceived as a dangerous threat by Hezbollah and its ba
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There is much concern among the international humanitarian relief agencies – and thus international organisations and governments – about a planned attempt to attack/capture/besiege Hodeida by President Hadi’s forces supported by the coalition. This is widely seen as the main objective of Operation Golden Spear. It is expected that one force will attack from the south, coming from the direction of Mocha and possibly another from the north coming from Midi. In addition, there will be a seaborn landing, possibly using facilities in ports of Berbera, Assab, and Djibouti. The Huthi/Saleh forces are clearly aware of all this and planning counter-measures, including
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Hussain Ibrahim Qutrib Associate Professor of Geomorphology In early 2016 Bashar Al-Assad coined the term "Useful Syria", referring to six governorates encompassing Damascus, Rif Dimashq, Homs, Hama, Latakia, and Tartus. He stated that he will defend them with all his might, and considered remaining governorates as less strategic. The study hopes to track qualitative (ethnic, religious, and doctrinal) demographic changes of inhabitants, performed by the Syrian regime and its allies in these Governorates through forced migration operations, “siege and starvation” tactics
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Jack Caravelli & Sebastian Maier Russia has developed one of the world’s most extensive cyber warfare capabilities and views those capabilities as a means to advance its strategic objectives in both war and peacetime. This paper examines Russia’s approach to the use of its cyber capabilities and how they are integrated into Russia’s broader objectives for dealing with its adversaries. Particular focus is placed on Russia’s unprecedented use of cyber to influence political elections in the West, including in the United States, France and Germany. To further its objectives, Russia also has
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