Foreign Policy Activism in Saudi Arabia and Oman. Diverging Narratives and Stances towards the Syrian and Yemeni Conflicts

Abstract

Amid growing animosity and security concerns in the Middle East, the Gulf region appears to be on the way to becoming the new centre of gravity of regional equilibria. The increasingly active foreign policy postures of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries is a key aspect of the new regional order in the making. Saudi Arabia and Oman are two examples of this trend. Their involvement in the Syrian and Yemeni conflicts reveals important differences regarding the aims, narratives, political and military postures, strategies and alliances pursued by Riyadh and Muscat and casts a shadow over the future of GCC cooperation and integration.     

Investigating and Prosecuting Large-scale Corruption: The Italian Experience

The author, who has been one of the leading prosecutors investigatingorganized crime (and in particular corruption crimes) in northernItaly, discusses the Italian experience concerning the use ofsuspects cooperating with prosecutors, the relevance for thefight against organized crimes of such criminal notions as ‘criminalassociation’, as well as the various investigating strategiesmore suited to combating organized crime. He concludes thatin Italy the cooperation of suspects based on the offer of lightpenalties or other quid pro quo measures has never been theonly means of collecting evidence, as prosecution must alsoavail itself of other evidence.     

Measures and mechanisms to strengthen international cooperation among prosecution services

International cooperation among prosecution services is an urgent necessity and cooperation mechanisms are evolving rapidly to keep pace with new technologies. Their evolution over the last decade or so reflects the new determination of States to work more closely with each other to face the growing threats of organized crime, corruption and terrorism. Because of the dynamic nature of these crimes, Member States must constantly refine and perfect their strategies. Yet, in spite of the considerable progress achieved at the bilateral, regional, and international levels, international cooperation in the investigation and prosecution of serious crimes still needs considerable strengthening. This paper reviews some key issues, trends, and innovative practices with respect to both formal and informal international cooperation in criminal matters. It considers some of the practical issues that have recently emerged during the implementation of these measures and strategies as well as some of the solutions that are being advanced.     

Organizational structures of Knowledge Transfer Offices: an analysis of the world’s top-ranked universities

Universities are central actors in the production and delivery of new knowledge, and they play a unique role in National and Regional Innovation Systems. Almost all research universities have established Knowledge Transfer Offices (KTOs) to pursue their so-called ‘third mission’. This paper analyses the organizational structure of KTOs by discussing how universities organize their knowledge transfer activities, and by considering what factors may impact on the choice of specific organizational structures. We examine the KTO structures of the top 200 ranked universities in the world and highlight the presence of three knowledge transfer organizational models (internal, external, and mix) and six configurations of these models.     

Dynamics of Science-based entrepreneurship

This article introduces the rationale for the special issue, summarizes the main themes covered by the papers presented and suggests areas for further research. Previous research has focused on the creation of Science-based entrepreneurial firms (SBEFs) but there is little research relating to their growth and the challenges in ensuring growth occurs. At the macro-level, there is a need to distinguish general versus specific policies and how these vary between different institutional environments. At the firm level, there is a need to consider the factors influencing the development of boards, the growth of SBEFs and their dynamics in terms of acquisitions and IPOs.     

State aid control in the modernisation era: Moving towards a differentiated administrative integration?

Despite contentions that state aid control is an instance of direct execution, the State Aid Modernisation (SAM) package has largely dispersed responsibility for giving effect to the common legal framework across national administrations. In this setup, the effectiveness of state aid law is confronted with asymmetric capacities, diffuse application of complex rules and difficulty in keeping dispersed powers under control. This article combines selected evidence on the operation of state aid control with a multidisciplinary analysis of the functioning of integration mechanisms in the European administrative space. The aim is to examine the potential effects of SAM. It contends that, while the reform has strengthened the Commission's dominance, the instruments of administrative integration might fail to secure adequate capacities and implementation performances at national level, due to constitutional constraints and opposing forces. This effect, it is argued, could be divisive, and risks undermining the integrity of the internal market.