This empirical study explores the relationship between authoritarianism and women empowerment. In academia relatively little attention has been paid to the correlation between gender studies,...Show moreThis empirical study explores the relationship between authoritarianism and women empowerment. In academia relatively little attention has been paid to the correlation between gender studies, particularly women’s rights, and authoritarianism. Recently however, literature in this field of study is expanding as more researchers start questioning the motivations and determinants of gender inclusion in authoritarian regimes. The objective of this research is to explore the Saudi regimes rational, behind one the hand advancing a state-feminist agenda which empowers women in different spheres of life, while at the other hand it is repressing the same group it claims to support. Based on Gerschewski’s Three Pillars of Stability theory, this study makes the premise that there is a correlation between women’s empowerment policies and the notion of regime survival. Gerschewski’s theory offers three pillars which are employed by autocratic regimes to remain in power: legitimation, co-optation, and repression.Show less
Over the past decades, migrant labour from South and South East Asia became more and more essential to the Gulf region’s economic development and migrant numbers continue to grow. This paper...Show moreOver the past decades, migrant labour from South and South East Asia became more and more essential to the Gulf region’s economic development and migrant numbers continue to grow. This paper provides an analysis of the political economy of the Gulf states, which aims at moving away from Gulf exceptionalism and oil centrism and instead, placing the Gulf within the global perspective of neoliberal economic development. With this in mind, the paper attempts to explain the increase in labour migrant numbers from Asia to the GCC countries after 1990, and examines these increases in relation to neoliberal economic developments, which occurred during the 1990s and 2000s.Show less
Since 2011, the political arena of the Middle East has transformed dramatically by the events known as the “Arab Spring. After years of deep-rooted authoritarianism and autocratic rule, citizens of...Show moreSince 2011, the political arena of the Middle East has transformed dramatically by the events known as the “Arab Spring. After years of deep-rooted authoritarianism and autocratic rule, citizens of many states in the region took to the streets in attempting to embark on a process that would democratize their nation. Scholars argue over the exact reasons for the uprisings, however, consensus exists over the fact that it stems from political, economic, and social dissatisfaction. The revolts started in Tunisia and set a chain reaction in motion, eventually reaching the shores of Gulf Cooperation Council, an economic and political union comprising of the Arabian Gulf States of Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates. Although the kingdoms of the Arabian Gulf are rather similar in their socio-economic and political build-up, the GCC witnessed both minor and major uprisings kind of revolt and the respective nations responded in different manners to its domestic uprisings. This BA thesis seeks to create a detailed analysis of the distinct nature of the uprisings that took place within the borders of the GCC. Most GCC members experienced some sort of public unrest one way or another with Bahrain and Oman witnessing persistent violent street protests. After doing preliminary readings, it has become clear that the GCC-states can be divided into three different groups based on the intensity of the riots as well as the governments’ responses to the demands of its citizens. The first group consists of those countries that witnessed enduring riots resulting in the deaths among its citizens, like Bahrain, Oman, and Saudi Arabia. The second group of nations consists of those which experienced minor protests that did not result in any deaths among protestors. The only country fitting into this group is Kuwait. Lastly, the governments of both Qatar and the United Arab Emirates did not have to deal with domestic uprisings, however, there was some unrest, especially through online activism. Specifically, my research will attempt to disclose the plausibilities behind the distinct levels of intensity of the civil uprisings which took place in these structurally similar kingdoms. The presence of the rentier state undoubtedly plays a crucial role in the lives of GCC citizens as well as in the preamble of the uprisings in the GCC, however, the question regarding the rationale behind citizens’ discontent as well as the intensity of governments’ counteractions remains. The research for this BA thesis aims at assessing sources through means of qualitative research by examining reports, news articles, nevertheless focussing on engaging with the academic literature on the topic. By analyzing these sources, I will be able to draw analogies and comprehend the discrepancies which took place during the Arab Spring’s civil uprisings in the GCC. Moreover, my thesis will evaluate GCC member states’ different sorts of uprisings and their dissimilar responses to the revolts within their own physical and symbolic space. Additionally, the paper discloses the GCC’s revolts and respective reactions without delving into the main causes of the Arab Spring. The paper is structured as follows. The first section will introduce the GCC’s socio-political climate, the concept of the rentier state, and its usefulness to describe the rationale behind the discrepancies between the civil uprisings in each different country. The central part of the thesis will discuss the GCC’s the dissimilarity in the civil uprisings’ intensities as well as the unalike approach governments took regarding their citizens’ demands. The final section will reveal the research’s findings and draw several conclusions. In addition to this, a prediction will be made for the future based on the reactions and concessions made by governments at the time of the uprisings and whether this will prove beneficial in the long-term.Show less
This paper presents a research conducted to expose the effects that renewable energy projects have on the rentier state of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The research contains a detailed description...Show moreThis paper presents a research conducted to expose the effects that renewable energy projects have on the rentier state of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The research contains a detailed description of the Saudi Arabian rentier state and the way this state is built up. The renewable energy projects that were, are and will be set up in this state are thoroughly discussed and the way these exact projects are formed is also described. A detailed overview of the parties involved in these projects is also provided. Furthermore, there is a successive part that also describes the way these renewable energy projects fit into the rentier state. Considering the foundation of the rentier state, certain difficulties, encountered with the implementation of the renewable energy projects, and their solutions are also discussed. Finally, the last chapter describes the future vision of the Saudi Arabian state, the effects the domestic developments might have on the wider region and expert vision on the developments. The study concludes by stating that there are, as assumed, effects of renewable energy on the rentier state. The renewable energy projects are, however, just like the fossil fuels in the rentier state theory, almost always completely managed by the state. In some cases directly by the state, in others indirectly via state grants and investments. The economy will be further diversified due to the renewable energy projects, but this has yet to take place. Concrete plans with foreign parties have been made but not yet executed. The focus of the current renewable energy projects is to take on the ever-growing domestic demand for energy so that the fossil fuels saved by these projects can be exported in order to sustain the rentier basis of the state. Overall, the renewable energy projects do effect the rentier state of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, but not necessarily threaten it.Show less
Water security has become an important issue in arid regions like the Persian Gulf. Water scarcity coupled with a growing population have led the GCC countries to implement new policies and improve...Show moreWater security has become an important issue in arid regions like the Persian Gulf. Water scarcity coupled with a growing population have led the GCC countries to implement new policies and improve their water sector. This paper explores the water situation of these countries in an effort to determine the role of water cooperation in tackling water insecurity. By looking at data, reports and official documents, this research studies water cooperation as a potential solution to water insecurity, as well as the trends of the GCC countries in this regard.Show less
This thesis analyzes the policies adopted by the PRC toward the GCC in the context of the decline of US hegemony in the 21st century through the prism of neoclassical realism. The PRC, in response...Show moreThis thesis analyzes the policies adopted by the PRC toward the GCC in the context of the decline of US hegemony in the 21st century through the prism of neoclassical realism. The PRC, in response to the evolving global distribution of power, has expanded relations with the GCC. Domestic political factors within the PRC itself, however, are weighed heavily against engaging in balancing behavior due to the immense costs it would impose. Therefore, the PRC has adopted the policy of strategic hedging in the GCC to maximize gains while minimizing the potential for confrontation with the US. By tracing the causal mechanism in neoclassical realism that translates changes in relative power to the formulation of foreign policy, this thesis proves there is a clear causal link in this case between power deconcentration and the adoption of strategic hedging behavior. This strategy has been remarkably successful, fulfilling the needs of the PRC while simultaneously working within a framework amenable to the US. In this manner, the PRC’s GCC policy complements, rather than competes with, US interests in the region.Show less
