Obama Should Be a Second Carter in the Middle East

President Barack Obama has extended the hand of engagement to the Muslim and Arab world, while warning Israel against new settlements in occupied Palestine and hedging his bets with remote drone strikes against Al-Qaida and the Taliban in Pakistan. The new CIA director, a military historian and the Somali-born feminist Ayaan Hirsi Ali assess his strategy.     

中东局势又起波澜

随着奥巴马上台及其中东新政的逐渐成形,一向被公认为“火药桶”的中东地区,一年多来总体局势有所缓和。其实,貌似平静的昔日“多事之秋”,一直是暗流涌动。最近,围绕伊核危机的新博弈、以色列袭击国际救援船队以及伊拉克暴力事件再次抬头等事态发展,又使涌动的暗流逐渐浮出水面,致使中东局势又起波澜。     

美国中东战略的新动向

"9·11"后,美重新调整中东战略,不断加大对大中东地区的战略投入,对世界格局产生了重大影响.与旧的中东战略相比,美新中东战略无论在外延和内涵上都发生了重大变化,值得我们深入研究.     

多方制衡下的土、库冲突

2007年10月21日,土耳其库尔德工人党武装在袭击中抓走8名土军士兵,并公布了这些士兵的姓名,土耳其政府大为震怒,于22日在土伊边境集结10万大军,后又扩充到15万,意在深入伊拉克境内,打击在伊境内的库尔德工人党武装力量.     

周恩来与中东--纪念周恩来总理逝世30周年

周恩来作为一代伟人,一生建树颇丰.他是当代中国和世界最有影响的外交家,其外交思想光彩照人,不朽功绩永垂青史.他为开拓新中国对中东的工作做出了卓越贡献,其业绩对推动中国与中东国家关系的发展产生了重大而深远的影响.     

有关当前中东变局的两点思考

最近在中东地区发生的变局,由于还没能夺取政权并对社会进行根本改造,因此,就其目前的性质而言,还是称为民众社会运动比较客观,也比较符合实际情况。当然,民众社会运动也可以逐渐演化为革命,关键要看政局的未来走向。虽然不可否认,中东变局存在着不少外部推力,但根本性原因还在于其内部的结构性冲突,即政治上威权政权的僵化结构、社会上人口增长的能力结构和经济上对外关系的依附结构。     

Public Administration in the Middle East and North Africa

ABSTRACT

This article highlights the objective of the special issue which is to understand the status of public administration in six profiled countries – Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Turkey – in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The special issue explores public administration as a concept—the diversity of guiding general principles that determines how governments administer the affairs of state in the context of their governance frameworks—and as praxis—the diversity of public administration structures, procedures and practice, and reform initiatives. It is evident that the countries profiled have adopted a mode of public administration and governance that mirrors its history, and its cultural, geo-political, socio-economic, and conflictive environments. In this context, the editors hope that the articles presented in this special issue will contribute to advancing the public administration literature in MENA.     

Mining strategies in the Middle East and North Africa

This article provides a mapping exercise of the economic importance of non-hydrocarbon minerals (nhm) in the Middle East and North Africa (mena) and shows how governments in the region increasingly perceive them as strategic resources. The focus is on Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries, Turkey, Morocco and Iran. nhm like iron ore, phosphates, aluminium and uranium are important for development models in the region, either as export commodities or as vital input factors. Since the 1990s, and as elsewhere in the world, the sector has witnessed privatisation and the promulgation of new mining codes. Yet governments have retained core capabilities and manage most key commodities themselves either directly or indirectly. Mining projects have met with opposition from labour representatives. They also have considerable environmental impact. The article discusses rentier state and resource curse theories, but argues that nhm have also increased development options and have contributed to economic diversification rather than being just a curse.     

"Yes We Can" in the Middle East

President Barack Obama pledged in his first TV interview—with the Arab satellite channel Al Arabiya—that America under his watch would "listen with respect and not dictate" to the world. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has further announced that this country will no longer just throw around its military might but will pursue a "smart power" approach by tempering the use of hard weaponry with the "soft power" of persuasion and cultural attraction. Or, as Madame Secretary's husband Bill has put it, America will now lead through the power of example instead of the example of power.
The first exceedingly complex test of Obama's smart power strategy will be how to end George W. Bush's misguided "war on terror" in Afghanistan and Pakistan, keeping al-Qaida at bay without being swallowed by the quagmire of tribal politics. An array of experts from New Delhi to Paris offers their views in this section.     

中东国家民主实践模式的思考

纵观世界政治发展进程,民主化作为政治现代化的主要内容,已成为当与今许多国家的政治现实。然而,民主化在中东地区仍处于滞后状态。伊拉克战争后,美国从自身利益出发,推行"大中东民主战略",加快对中东地区的政治整合与"民主改造"步伐,从而在中东地区引     

中东热点问题与民族宗教因素

近些年来,中东地区巴勒斯坦和以色列矛盾、伊拉克战争、伊朗核问题、黎巴嫩问题、苏丹达尔富尔等热点问题交替出现,跌宕起伏,造成地区局势激烈动荡,对世界和平与安全构成严重威胁.中东热点问题取决于诸多因素,其中民族宗教因素不容忽视.     

当前中东形势的特点及发展趋势

李国富(中国国际问题研究所中东研究中心主任、研究员):近一两年来,中东局势发展持续动荡,诡谲多变.伊拉克已取代巴以成为地区局势动荡的策源地;围绕着伊朗核问题的紧张局势正越来越成为地区更大危机的爆破点;人们虽对巴以不间断的暴力冲突已习以为常,但这并没有削弱它对中东其他问题的影响力.