Abstract This paper attempts to demonstrate the need for further research into the topic of the limited process of democratization of municipalities in SaudiArabia. It looks at how the nation has recently undergone its first public elections in more than three decades and largely elected religious conservative sand how the elections mark a limited change in Saudi political policy.
Abstract The paper discusses how SaudiArabia has long been the de facto leader in the Middle East, due largely to its vast stores of proven oil reserves and its central role in the Islamic faith as the home of Mecca. The paper explains how SaudiArabia has also taken a leading role in regional conflicts, in that it has often played a conciliatory role behind the scenes while maintaining a somewhat unyielding facade in negotiations with other Middle Eastern states. The paper points out that the financial markets in SaudiArabia are as problematic as the social and political dimensions encountered with its borders. SaudiArabia does not maintain a fully independent stock exchange but rather maintains the SaudiArabia Monetary Agency, which acts as a de facto central bank and maintains an electronic stock trading program known as the Electronic Securities Information System, or the ESIS.
Abstract This paper discusses how at first glance, the economic prospects in SaudiArabia might seem exceptional. After all SaudiArabia is home to one of the largest reserves of oil in the world. The paper goes on to say that the industrial world quite literally turns on the oil that is produced in SaudiArabia and some of its neighboring nations. Given that fact, it would seem that Saudi Arabians should be living well with a bright future ahead of them.
From the Paper " While the current government has certainly taken great strides towards improving the economic situation in the nation, there are still significant troubles in Saudi Arabia, ones that will not easily be surmounted despite a recent surge in economic growth. One of biggest economic changes that has occurred in Saudi Arabia has happened over the past twenty or thirty years regarding per capita income."
Abstract This paper discusses Islam and modernity. Specifically, the paper looks at SaudiArabia and democracy. The paper argues that SaudiArabia, like most Islamic countries in the Middle East, is not following a Western developmental path and therefore, that democracy in these countries is not going to be like democracy in the west.
From the Paper "Saudi Arabia and Democracy Middle Eastern Islamic countries are usually seen as primitive and backwards by Western Scholars. For example, In Iran: Change in Islam; Islam and Change Nikki R. Keddie argues, The progress-oriented secularist concentration of most Western and Middle Eastern scholars not only prevented them from foreseeing major developments, but skewed their view of the past, including ideological and religious history (Keddie 528). Even though many of these societies may appear to be primitive and backwards to most developed countries they are constantly developing."
Abstract This paper discusses the advisability of sending a woman to SaudiArabia to negotiate a deal. The decision is based on the growing acceptance of women in Saudi business circles and the strategic and tactical considerations both internal and external of sending a highly skilled woman to do the job.
From the Paper "The problems involved in sending a female negotiator do not really exist. The stereotype of the Saudi Arabian male chauvinist may still be true but the reality is that women in Saudi Arabia are active participants in ..."
Abstract In this article, the writer looks at U.S. relations with SaudiArabia. The writer discusses relations both before and after the 9/11 terrorist attack. The background of the relationship and of radical Islam in SaudiArabia are also discussed. The writer looks at the role of oil in this issue. The writer also examines related foreign policy perspectives.
From the Paper "Over the years both United States foreign policy and American public opinion have tended to identify some countries in the Arab Middle East as allies, while others were viewed as enemies. Egypt, once viewed as an enemy under Abdel Nasser, became an ally under Anwar Sadat and has remained generally viewed as an ally. Syria was regarded as an enemy for decades, as was Libya in the ..."
Abstract The paper probes the dominant and prevailing maritime issues that SaudiArabia faces and considers some means by which a holistic approach could improve management of SaudiArabia's significant maritime resources. These include important shipping lanes, offshore energy deposits, bountiful marine environments potentially ripe for aquaculture development and even the possibility of desalinization plants to produce freshwater in a predominantly desert nation. The paper explains how the preservation of effective management of these resources will produce long-term development and economic benefits for the nation, as well as help the nation preserve its maritime heritage for generations to come.
Outline:
Introduction
The Extent of the Maritime Sector for SaudiArabia Maintaining Peak Efficiency
Unique Regional Security Concerns
Importance of Environmental Integrity
Adopting European Clustering
Concluding Remarks
From the Paper "Saudi Arabia is not a nation whose fate has been historically associated with the oceans. Images conjured of Saudi Arabia will involve oil fields and vast deserts. At first blush, there seems little reason to even consider a maritime policy for the nation, let alone a rational and holistic one that incorporates information from many maritime interests and successfully coordinates policy decisions for all. This is a misconception. In fact, Saudi Arabia has an intimate and strategic relationship with two major oceanic routes: the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. As the importance of these routes is certain to grow in the coming years and decades, it is important for Saudi Arabia to consider today the means by which a sensible maritime policy can be devised and implemented."
Abstract This paper examines how China, the most populated nation in the world, and one of the fast developing economies of the 21st century, has a history of drug abuse. It looks at how what started with opium has moved on to China being the leading supplier of new synthetic drugs in the Asian region. It analyzes the drug menace in China and studies it in contrast with SaudiArabia, which has a zero tolerance policy, so that we can have a better picture of the social and economic impacts of drug abuse on the respective nations. It also highlights the discrepancies in the current system and the need for further reforms.
Outline
Introduction
China (History of Drugs)
People Who Consume Drugs
Present Problems
Drug Trafficking (A Growing Menace)
Measures Taken by the Government
China's Drug Policies (Laws)
International Collaboration
Awareness Programs
SaudiArabia International Cooperation
China and SaudiArabia Conclusion
From the Paper "China is by far the worst affected nation, a history of drug addiction, which spans many centuries. British imperialism wrote a whole new chapter in Chinese history by forcing the free trade of opium into the country. During the early nineteenth century Chinese tea, silk and other products found a great market in Britain and other European nations. Britain was bent upon finding a way to restore the trading equation in its favor. It found in China a land with plentiful opportunity for opium trade. Soon thousands of kilos of British opium entered Chinese market. The result was a drastic reverse in the trading scenario with huge monetary benefits for Britain and a virtual catastrophe for China. Lin Zexu, one of the chief Chinese officials destroyed more than 20 thousand boxes of opium."
Abstract This paper argues that SaudiArabia should suffer economic and political sanctions due to its violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The paper focuses on SaudiArabia's treatment of women and cites examples of how the government of SaudiArabia routinely abuses the rights of Saudi Arabian women. The paper also describes the abuse and mistreatment of foreign women and explains why SaudiArabia has been allowed to continue in this manner and talks about the UN responsibility in addressing the problem and holding SaudiArabia accountable. A complete outline of the paper is included.
From the Paper "Saudi Arabia holds an important position in the Arab, Muslim and international communities. Among the Arab countries, it holds an important position because of its economic strength, its position as the center of Islam and its role as the leader of the Arab Gulf countries. In the Muslim World, it is the most important nation because it is identified with Islam and is the home of the Islamic pilgrimage. Within the international community, Saudi Arabia's incredible oil wealth has made it an important country on whom many, including the United States, are dependant for their energy needs and requirements. This unique position of religious, regional and economic power has protected Saudi Arabia and Saudi Arabians from facing the consequences of human rights abuse. The United Nations, which David P. Forsythe defines in "The United Nations and Human Rights, 1845-1985," as the international protector of human rights in the world, has mainly ignored Saudi Arabia's violation of human rights laws because of its international and regional economic, political and religious influence and power. Consequently, Saudi Arabia, defined by Tom Lantos in "Discrimination Against Women and the Roots of Global Terrorism," as a "gender apartheid" state, has continued to abuse the rights of both Saudi Arabian and foreign female workers (7). Not only that, but Saudi Arabia can further be defined as a racist state which denies all minority groups, including Saudi and foreign ones, their basic human rights. The Shiite Saudi Arabians are not treated as equal to the Sunni majority and live on the borders of the country, fearing prosecution (Peretz). The foreign Christian community, as reported by the US State Department's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2002, is not allowed to practice its faith and, if members of it do, the punishment is execution. As for Saudi females, they are denied identity as human beings, referred to even by members of the Saudi Royal Family UBOs, or "Unidentified Black Objects" (Peretz). Lastly, foreign female workers are raped, beaten, overworked, denied their wages and locked in houses as prisoners. Despite the fact that these issues of abuse have received great attention by human rights organizations and the media, the United Nations and the international community has not taken action against Saudi Arabia, forcing it to abide by Islamic human rights or international human rights. Saudi Arabia should suffer economic and political sanctions due to its violation of the Universal Declaration of human rights and the Islamic human rights, seen in its oppression and abuse of Saudi women and foreign minority groups, including their imprisonment in the home and illegal executions."
Abstract The paper is presented as a report which provides an initial review of the culture and society of the Kingdom of SaudiArabia. The report provides demographics, background and some general recommendations for corporate policy as the company expands its business into the Middle East. Specific recommendations are provided throughout the report to emphasize key points to be addressed in the corporate guidelines to be published at a future date.
From the Paper "In 1902, Abdul Aziz Al-Sa'ud and a band of his followers captured the city of Riyadh and placed the city under the control of the Al Saud family. Abdul Aziz spent the next 12 years consolidating the area around Riyadh and the eastern part of the country into the family kingdom. In order to restore law and order in the kingdom, Abdul Aziz implemented a system whereby every sheikh was responsible for his own tribe under the authority of the king who was empowered to intervene to impose law and order. Saudi Arabia subsequently became an absolute monarchy with no political parties. King Fahd, who succeeded in 1982, appoints a Council of Ministers to run day-to-day affairs. A consultative council (Majlis as-Shura), numbering about 60, has been established to advise the monarch; it has no formal powers."
Abstract In this article, the writer provides a profile of SaudiArabia. The writer first presents a general view of the kingdom and looks at its history. Then the writer discusses the subject of religion in SaudiArabia and notes that all citizens are required by law to be Muslims as Islam is the official religion. The writer then turns to the economy of SaudiArabia, noting the significance of oil. The writer discusses Jeddah as the commercial capital of SaudiArabia complementary to Riyadh as the capital of the Kingdom.
Outline:
General Background
History
Religion
Economy
Inside SaudiArabia Jeddah
From the Paper "It does not provide legal protection for freedom of religion. All citizens are required by law to be Muslims as Islam is the official religion. There may be other religions, but such protection does not exist in practice. The government forbids the public practice of non-Muslim religions. While it has embarked in a campaign for greater moderation and tolerance of religious diversity, it also enforces a strict tradition called Sunni Islam. Those who refuse to observe the officially sanctioned Salafi or Wahhabi can get into trouble with the religious police, called Mutawwa'in. While the government publicly says it allows non-Muslim to worship privately as a policy, the policy is not consistently enforced. The freedom of worship of non-Muslims is thus often violated or they perform worship in secret out of fear of discovery or harassment."
Abstract This paper proposes a thesis that will show that SaudiArabia is not an ideal destination for international commercial arbitration. To establish this claim, the writer explains that, using comparative law, the research will come up with reasonable arguments to show that in comparison to other countries, SaudiArabia does not offer a viable environment for solving international commercial disputes. The political, cultural and religious factors that impact on arbitration laws are considered in the research to establish SaudiArabia's viability to international arbitration. The study also aims at providing suggestions that will help improve SaudiArabia to make it suitable for solving international commercial disputes as an arbitration seat.
Outline:
Introduction
International Commercial Arbitration
SaudiArabia Law on Arbitration
Significance of the Study
Aim and Context of Study
Approach and Methodology
Contribution to Knowledge
From the Paper "Saudi Arabia has made quite a considerable advancement in the use of arbitration law since its inception in 1983. It is however questionable whether the provisions of this law can effectively solve disputes from outside the border. This is a consideration made following the rising need for international commercial arbitration services as the world turns into a global village (Lew, Mistelis and Kroll, 2003). Interaction between laws, culture and religion continue to limit the ability of Saudi Arabia in providing such services. As a result, there is a need to make improvements so as minimize the shortcomings which will make it more suitable for international commercial arbitration."
Tags: culture tradition Islamic UNCITRAL Shari'a oil blockage, Gulf State, Quran Muslim
Abstract This paper discusses the relationship between religion and government in the Kingdom of SaudiArabia. It looks at the effects foreign influence, technology, and oil have had on the importance of religion in SaudiArabia. The paper also provides an account of SaudiArabia's emergence as an independent state, the formation of its legal code, and different elements of traditional Islamic culture and religion. Also included is an analysis of SaudiArabia's importance to the Muslim religion.
Tags: arab, east, international, middle, politics, religion
Abstract This paper discusses the history and growth of MacDonald's in SaudiArabia. It discusses some of the difficulties they encountered opening in SaudiArabia and how these were overcome. It then looks at McDonald's deisgn and how they adapted to the requirements of the region. The paper also discusses US boycotts and how they impacted McDonald's in SaudiArabia and finally discusses the futureplans of the company.
Table of Contents:
History of McDonald's in SaudiArabia Difficulties Encountered
Design
Boycotts
The Future
From the Paper "Another reason for boycotts, also an extremely serious one, was the belief that the profits registered by the Saudi Arabia McDonald's were being used to finance terrorist actions. The rationale for the statement was complex, stating for once that the managers themselves were donating to terrorist organizations or that the employees were indeed terrorists who used their wages to purchase weapons. Rumors also circulated that the funds raised through promotions or charitable events were given to terrorist organizations. The allegations were researched and no evidence in their support was found however (Boycott Watch, 2004)."
Abstract This paper argues that SaudiArabia may need expatriate professionals, business people, and house servants, but instead of treating them as humans who have the right to practice their religion or to have a social life, it persecutes and abuses them. Even the treatment it offers the uppe- class expatriate group is unsatisfactory, as they are virtually locked up, in addition to running the risk of arrest for false charges of prostitution if they socialize. The lower class of expatriates is also completely vulnerable. The paper argues that a high income might be a strong motivation for many to look for employment in SaudiArabia, but the treatment and the risky consequences of doing so are too high. The paper concludes that all groups of expatriates, Arabs, Africans, Asians, and Westerners, should be detracted from employment in SaudiArabia until the attitudes towards foreigners, which lead to exclusion from society and abuse, changes dramatically.
From the Paper "Immigration from Arab countries to Western and Asian ones is a popular phenomenon while immigration to Arab countries is practically unheard of. The same factors that push Arabs to leave their countries, lack of democracy, poor economic opportunities and low quality public services, are the same factors that discourage immigration from the West or Asia to the Middle East. While few people from Western or Asian countries would consider leaving their countries to live in the Middle East permanently, many do seek career opportunities in the area, especially in Arab Gulf countries, noted for their wealth. The economic wealth of Gulf countries makes them an attractive magnet for expatriate Western and Asian workers. As stated in "Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," published by the U.S. Department of State, the expatriate community in Saudi Arabia has reached the figure of 6 million and foreigners form almost 70% of the Saudi Arabian labour market. The expatriate community is an extremely important factor in Saudi Arabia's path to economic and industrial development, because they transfer the knowledge and technology of the West to this desert, but rich, kingdom ("Kingdom of Saudi Arabia"). It is not an exaggeration to state that were it not for this foreign community, Saudi Arabia would have taken a much longer time and found it much harder to develop both its oil and its non-oil industries. Saudi Arabia knows this and pays its expatriate community and foreign workers who are involved in its economic and industrial development, very high salaries. Therefore, the economic motivation for both Westerners and Asians to work in Saudi Arabia and become a part of its expatriate community is strong. However, the economic factor is one of the only positive aspects of working in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia's foreign community is prevented from associating freely with Saudi citizens, from moving freely in the country, are a target of terrorist intentions, and are prevented from publicly practicing their non-Moslem religious beliefs."
