Saudi Ulama, Guardians of Change
Author/editor: Raihan Ismail
Year published: 2017
The theologian Ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhāb guaranteed the Saudi rulers their religious legitimacy. The sovereigns, in their turn, granted the cleric and his followers a monopoly on Islam’s interpretation. Exported throughout the world thanks to the kingdom’s huge resources, even this controversial, ultra-…
The Palestinian Authority and the Rentier State
Author/editor: Iqtait, A.
Year published: 2017
This study is a theoretical and practical precedence in conceptualizing a rentier state in Palestine. It sets the possibility for understanding the underlying principles of the performance of the Palestinian Authority (PA) since its inception in 1994. It provides a platform for utilizing rentier…
'Islamic State in a zone of conflicts with conflicts',
Author/editor: Saikal, A
Year published: 2015
The Middle East is in the grip of multiple geopolitical and humanitarian crises. The region is going through major balance of power shifts, perhaps not seen since the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire and the British-French colonial orchestrations nearly a century ago. The old correlation of…
Ahmadinejad, Iran, and Foreign Policy Dysfunction in Tajikistan
Author/editor: Clark, B
Year published: 2015
Throughout the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Tajikistan became, on the surface at least, an increasingly important political partner to Iran. Tajikistan according to Ahmadinejad was a “strategic partner” and in fact the two states' “common history and culture” made them inseparable.…
Bandits, warlords, national heroes: interpretations of the Basmachi movement in Tajikistan
Author/editor: Nourzhanov, K.
Year published: 2015
Prospects for National Reconciliation in Bahrain: Is it Realistic?
Author/editor: Moritz, J.
Year published: 2015
Since the outbreak of large-scale demonstrations in early 2011, Bahrain has experienced continue domestic unrest. Within this context, King Hamad initiated a series of meetings, known as the National Dialogue, with the proclaimed intention of encouraging open discussion on governance and reform in…