Suchergebnisse

Middle East political scientists have broached a number of themes that coincide with general problematics in comparative political science. These themes include the state, civil society & democratization, religious fundamentalism, political economy, identity, & gender. This work has provided empirical data for cross-national theory building & variations on qualitative methodologies, as well as some world-class authoritative works. 78 References. M. Pflum

Review.

Review.

Soviet policy in the Middle Eastern conflict and, in particular, in the Arab-Israeli wars of 1967– 1973 present a topic that has been comprehensively studied in foreign, and, above all, in Israeli historiography. Although Israeli specialists, as a rule, approach the study of this complex phenomenon on the basis of the accepted academic methodology and analysis of rather contradictory sources, the monographs discussed in this article present the reader with a very one-sided and biased interpretation of the role of the Soviet state in this historical period. They refute the traditional version that Moscow was interested in maintaining a controlled crisis, but not in its transition to a military phase, and tried to restrain the Arabs. Instead, Israeli authors I. Ginor and G. Remez set out to prove that it was the USSR, in secret conspiracy with the leaders of Egypt and Syria, that prepared attacks on Israel in 1967, oriented the Arabs exclusively towards a military solution to the conflict after the "Six-Day War" and prepared plans for a joint attack on Israeli positions in 1973. Soviet policy in the Middle East at that period was neither a model of "peacefulness and brotherly assistance", as Soviet propaganda presented it, or a modern version of a "crusade" against the Holy Land, as Israeli authors portray it in the works under consideration. The complex interweaving of global and regional interests, ideological indoctrination, and internal political struggle for power were the main factors that influenced the process of political decision-making. Having excluded many of these factors from their research and rather subjectively approaching the selection of sources, I. Ginor and G. Remez presented a rather distorted and not credible version of events.

"Christians and the Middle East Conflict deals with the relationship of Christians and Christian theology to the various conflicts in the Middle East, a topic that is often sensationalized but still insufficiently understood. Political developments over the last two decades, however, have prompted observers to rediscover and examine the central role religious motivations play in shaping public discourses. This book proceeds on the assumption that neither a focus on the eschatological nor a narrow understanding of the plight of Christians in the Middle East is sufficient. Instead, it is necessary to understand Christians in context and to explore the ways that Christian theology applies through the actions of Christians who have lived and continue to live through conflict in the region either as native inhabitants or interested foreign observers. This volume addresses issues of concern to Christians from a theological perspective, from the perspective of Christian responses to conflict throughout history, and in reflection on the contemporary realities of Christians in the Middle East. The essays in this volume combine contextual political and theological reflections written by both scholars and Christian activists and will be of interest to students and scholars of Politics, Religion and Middle East Studies."--

Part I: Introduction -- 1. Introduction: The Idea of Open Government and Freedom of Information -- 2. The Context of Open Government and Freedom of Information in Asia -- Part II: Southeast Asia -- 3. Leaning Toward the Light? The Path to Open Government in Taiwan -- 4. Open Government and Freedom of Information: The Philippine Experience -- 5. Open Government in Hong Kong -- 6. Waves of Democratization in the Malaysian Political Space: Access to Information -- 7. Open Government in Thailand: Implications for Democratic Governance -- 8. Open Government Data and Smart Nation in Singapore -- 9. Right to Information and Open Government in Indonesia -- Part III: South Asia -- 10. Toward a Framework for Social Equity and Inclusion in Right to Information Legislation: The Case of India -- 11. The Practice of Open Government and Right to Information in Bangladesh -- 12. Open Government in Federal Nepal: Challenges, Constraints, and Opportunities -- Part IV: The Middle East and Central Asia -- 13. An Analysis of the Digital Transformation in Public Organizations: The Case of the United Arab Emirates -- 14. Open Government in Kazakhstan: Does It Ensure Freedom of Information? -- 15. Open Government Data Initiatives in the GCC Constituents.

"Does the internet facilitate social and political change, or even democratization, in the Middle East? Despite existing research on this subject, there is still no consensus on the importance of social media and online platforms, or on how we are to understand their influence. This book provides empirical analysis of the day-to-day use of online platforms by activists in Egypt and Kuwait. The research evaluates the importance of online platforms for effecting change and establishes a specific framework for doing so. Egypt and Kuwait were chosen because, since the mid-2000s, they have been the most prominent Arab countries in terms of online and offline activism. In the context of Kuwait, Jon Nordenson examines the oppositional youth groups who fought for a constitutional, democratic monarchy in the emirate. In Egypt, focus surrounds the groups and organizations working against sexual violence and sexual harassment. This book shows how and why online platforms are used by activists and identifies the crucial features of successful online campaigns. Egypt and Kuwait are revealed to be authoritarian contexts but where the challenges and possibilities faced by activists are quite different. The comparative nature of this research therefore exposes the context-specific usage of online platforms, separating this from the more general features of online activism. Nordenson demonstrates the power of online activism to create an essential 'counterpublic' that can challenge an authoritarian state and enable excluded groups to fight in ways that are far more difficult to suppress than a demonstration."--Bloomsbury Publishing