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"A probing inquiry into medieval court struggles, this book shows the relationship between intellectual conflict and the geopolitics of empire. It examines the Persian Buyids' takeover of the great Arab caliphate in Iraq, the counter-Crusade under Saladin, and the literature of sovereignty in Spain and Italy at the cusp of the Renaissance. The question of high culture--who best qualified as a poet, the function of race and religion in forming a courtier, what languages to use in which official ceremonies--drove much of medieval writing, and even policy itself. From the last moments of the Abbasid Empire, to the military campaign for Jerusalem, to the rise of Crusades literature in spoken Romance languages, authors and patrons took a competitive stance as a way to assert their place in a shifting imperial landscape."--Back cover

Making Sense of War provides a comprehensive and clear analysis of the complex business of waging war. It gives readers a thorough understanding of the key concepts in strategic thought, concepts that have endured since the Athenian general Thucydides and the Chinese philosopher/warrior Sun Tzu first wrote about strategy some 2500 years ago. It also examines the influence on strategic choice and military strategy of political, legal and technological change. This book discusses strategy at every level of competition, employing a thematic approach and using historical examples from 500 BCE to the present. It discusses the contraints and opportunities facing military commanders in the 21st century, and demonstrates that the formulation of military strategy will continue to be perhaps the single most important responsibility for senior security officials. Making Sense of War offers original insights into the imperatives of military success in the era of asymmetric warfare

[ ... ] Kheir-El-Din, H.; Ghoneim, A. F.: Arab trade integration in retrospect : comparison with the European Union and lessons learnt. - S. 15-43 El-Any, T.: Arab economic integration : current challenges and future prospects (in Arabic). - S. 45-60 El-Din Helal, B. A.: Competition law and trade integration in the Arab region : lessons from the European Union. - S. 61-78 Jabarin, A. S.: Agricultural issues and policies in the European Union and the Arab region. - S. 79-110 Nasr, S.: Monetary policy in the European Union : lessons to be drawn for the Arab countries. - S. 111-137 Abdel Latif, L.; Shehata, A.; Ben Ali, Driss: Public finance convergence in the Arab States and regional integration : lessons from the EU experience. - S. 139-174 El-Laithy, H.; McAuley, A.: Integrated social policies in Arab countries. - S. 175-216 Awad, I.: Labour mobility in regional integration schemes : a comparitive study of the European Union and the Arab region. - S. 217-238

Iraq is facing daunting challenges of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) insurgency, political upheaval, and profound economic and humanitarian crises. Compounding the ISIS-related crisis, the sharp decline in global oil prices has resulted in significant decline in oil export revenues. Implementation of political reforms, announced in August 2015, has been slow due to constitutional constraints and systemic resistance to changes. Iraq's economic prospects are subject to significant risks. Iraq has recently achieved some important steps towards strengthening its investment climate, but much remains to be done. An attractive investment climate is integral to economic growth and poverty reduction. A key task of the government is to balance the interests of society and individual firms. A stronger investment climate does not equate with a more comfortable life for individual firms. The government must manage these trade-offs: global analysis of the World Bank's investment climate surveys shows that firms facing strong competition are on average fifty percent more likely to innovate than firms reporting no such pressure. Innovation, in turn, is a key ingredient for productivity improvement. The special focus section explores the different aspects of the investment climate in order to better understand their importance. With this background, the authors then look at Iraq's investment climate and recent efforts to strengthen it. Finally, the authors look at priorities for improving Iraq's investment climate going forward.

The geo-economy presents Lebanon with challenges associated with being a nexus for regional fault lines and risks from its dependence on capital inflows. Despite markedly improved security conditions since the start of 2015, anxiety over regional turmoil and potential spillover effectspersist. All the while, Lebanon continues to be, by far, the largest host of Syrian refugees (in proportion to the population). In addition, the economy's dependence on its diaspora to finance internal and external imbalances exposes Lebanon to economic and political conditions beyond its influence. Despite these challenges and risks, the political process remains impaired with the vacant presidency completing its second year with uncertain prospects of a near-term resolution. On the other hand, a short-term solution has been found to the garbage crisis that has left piles of trash uncollected on the streets across the country since summer 2015. The Lebanon Economic Monitor provides an update on key economic developments and policies over the past six months. It also presents findings from recent World Bank work on Lebanon. It places them in a longer-term and global context, and assesses the implications of these developments and other changes in policy on the outlook for Lebanon. Its coverage ranges from the macro-economy to financial markets to indicators of human welfare and development.