This thesis attempts to explain why Saddam Hussein could not mobilise collective Arab support for his invasion of Kuwait in the early 1990s, despite his use of pan-Arab rhetoric, arguments and...Show moreThis thesis attempts to explain why Saddam Hussein could not mobilise collective Arab support for his invasion of Kuwait in the early 1990s, despite his use of pan-Arab rhetoric, arguments and justifications. Saddam’s failure to gather support from all Arab states became incontrovertible when an anti-Iraq coalition was formed by the United States which consisted of various Arab countries, including Egypt and Syria. Based on qualitative historical analysis of secondary sources, discourse analysis of Iraqi speeches and content analysis of economic documents, Egyptian and Syrian newspaper articles, this thesis argues that Saddam’s failure was caused by the decline of pan-Arabism and the rise of national statism in the Arab world since the late 1960s. Case studies of Egypt and Syria during the First Gulf War make clear that these countries prioritised the state over the (pan-)Arab nation by advancing state instead of pan-Arab interests and valuing state sovereignty and state power over pan-Arab unity.Show less
Abstract This thesis explores the connection between the two driving forces behind the phenomena women’s empowerment and gender equality in the Arab Gulf region. These driving forces are (1)...Show moreAbstract This thesis explores the connection between the two driving forces behind the phenomena women’s empowerment and gender equality in the Arab Gulf region. These driving forces are (1) international (Western) standards (top-down approach) and (2) efforts by Arab women themselves (bottom-up approach). The social change, which has taken place in the recent years, has created new spaces and visibility for Arab Gulf women. However, it is argued with a postcolonial feminist theoretical framework that international development standards and Western liberal & Orientalist narratives often overshadow Arab Muslim women’s agency in their liberation by portraying them as oppressed and silent. As such, the existence and role of Islamic feminism is analysed to challenge these Western liberal & Orientalist narratives. This study employs various case studies as its qualitative research method, which are spread between two analytical chapters which provide a critical discourse analysis of the two approaches outlined above. Analysis of the top-down approach discusses the existing international framework of female empowerment and gender equality and relates it to the UAE as regional case study. Analysis of the bottom-up approach discusses the case of Saudi Muslim women’s rights activist Manal al-Sharif to challenge both the national patriarchal and Western neoliberal narratives, which belittle women’s agency in their own increasing empowerment. Ultimately, this thesis will focus on a how female empowerment as a regional phenomenon can be analysed within a global context.Show less
