Search results for ""author christopher davidson""

In command of the world's largest hydrocarbon reserves and occupying a central role in both Middle Eastern and global politics, the six traditional monarchies -- Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) -- that comprise the Gulf Cooperation Council are now among the most heavily researched yet most commonly misunderstood actors in the international system. Christopher Davidson, an acclaimed expert on the fast moving politics and economics of the Gulf, together with five other leading authorities on the region, has brought together a unique collection of comprehensive yet highly accessible analyses of these six states. Following a succinct theoretical overview of the various achievements, opportunities, and collective challenges faced by the monarchies, each chapter discusses their individual historical backgrounds, political structures, economic diversification efforts, and future prospects. Drawing on the latest research in the field, the most up-to-date statistics, and written in a frank and critical manner, this textbook is a valuable addition to university reading lists on Middle Eastern studies or political science, while also appealing to the general interest reader.

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In this unparalleled investigation, Christopher Davidson exposes the true extent of Western interference in the Middle East over the past one hundred years. Drawing on the examination of hundreds of leaked and declassified documents, and interviews with former officials, academics, journalists and activists, he shows how the region’s most powerful actors have been manipulated by foreign players in a game that has given rise to dictators, sectarian wars, bloody counter-revolutions and the most brutal incarnation of extremism ever seen.

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A plethora of economic, diplomatic, cultural, and other highly pragmatic linkages are making the AsianizationA" of Asia a reality. Davidson, demonstrates in this book how the powerful connections that are being forged by the very eastern and western extremities of the continent are poised to become a central pillar of this process. Most notably, an important new relationship is developing between the six monarchies of the Persian Gulf and the three most industrialized Asian economies. What began as a simple, twentieth century marriage of convenience based on hydrocarbon imports and exports has now evolved into a comprehensive, long-term mutual commitment that will not only continue to capitalize on the Persian Gulf's rich energy resources and Pacific Asia's massive energy needs, but will also seek to develop strong non-hydrocarbon bilateral trade, will facilitate sovereign wealth investments in both directions, and will provide lucrative opportunities for experienced Pacific Asian construction companies, and - in China's case - its vast labour force.

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Nowhere in the world is university education expanding as rapidly as in the six-member state of the Gulf Cooperation Council. In two generations the region has gone from having the Middle East's least educated population to boasting a younger generation whose educational achievements are approaching Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) standards. This unique study, with contributions by key decision makers, charts this dramatic development, exploring the challenges faced and placing the accomplishments within the social, economic and political context of the region.

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