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Issue 10/June 2000
Editor, Prof. Barry Rubin
Assistant Editors, Linda Sharaby and Cameron Brown
Editorial Assistant: Ozgul Erdemli
Issue 10/June 2000
Editor, Prof. Barry Rubin
Assistant Editors, Linda Sharaby and Cameron Brown
Editorial Assistant: Ozgul Erdemli
CONTENTS
IMPORTANT NEWS:
MERIA
NEWS & JOURNAL IN ADOBE/PRINTED FORMAT;
3. FREE SUBSCRIPTIONS TO E-MAIL PUBLICATIONS
4. FUNDING/SCHOLARSHIPS/FELLOWSHIPS/WRITING OPPORTUNITIES
5. RESEARCH QUERIES-PLEASE HELP
6. AUTHOR'S ALERTS (writers report on their books, articles, and activites)
7. ANNOUNCEMENTS OF MEETINGS, CONFERENCES, LECTURES
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS:
IMPORTANT NOTE TO MERIA READERS: Lynne Rienner offers the MERIA readers a discount on
all books mentioned in MERIA. The discount is 20% off of their list price, plus $3.50 for U.S. postage or $5.00 for foreign surface mail.
The orders need to be prepaid with a check, Visa or Mastercard. Customers can order by phone, fax, mail, or email to cservice@rienner.com and they
just need to mention code #MER when ordering.
A. MERIA JOURNAL: NOW IN PRINTED JOURNAL FORMAT (Adobe Acrobat) MERIA
offers a new free service giving you our publications in an appearance identical
to any printed journal using PDF format, which can be read by Adobe Acrobat
Reader. Most people already have Adobe Acrobat Readers on their computers. If
you don't, we'll give you the system for free from our homepage <http://meria.biu.ac.il>.
Any system can use this program which allows for easier reading as well as
convenient library, institutional, or classroom use. You can receive MERIA
journal and MERIA News as an Adobe attachment, as a plain text e-mail, or both.
Write <besa@ashur.biu.ac.il>
if you want to receive the adobe version. You can also download MERIA Journal in
Adobe format on our website, eventually this will include all previous editions
as well.
B. The first issue of Turkish Studies (ISSN 1468-3849, Volume 1, 2000) is
now available, and the second will appear in the fall. Turkish Studies offers a
30% introductory discount for individual and a 20% introductory discount to
institutional subscribers who are MERIA readers. (Regular Subscription rates:
Individuals - £22/$35, Institutions - £75/$115 New individual subscriber
introductory rate - £17/$28). To receive the discounts and get more information
on Turkish Studies, write <akidson@frankcass.com>
and see the Turkish Studies homepage <http://www.frankcass.com/jnls/tur.htm>.
1. PUBLICATIONS OF INTEREST
A. Book review
Richard
Butler, The Greatest Threat: Iraq, Weapons of Mass Destruction and the Crisis of
Global Security (NY: Public Affairs Press, 2000) $26.00, hardcover, 288 pp. <www.publicaffairsbooks.com>. Richard Butler, former head of the UN
arms inspection program in Iraq, has written a compelling book. He has three
theses. First, "The greatest threat to life on earth is weapons of mass
destruction." Second, "the most determined" leader seeking to
obtain and perhaps use such weapons is Saddam Hussein. Third, the effort to
discover and destroy Iraq's stockpiles of arms and materiel has failed to a
significant degree. Butler writes clearly and in detail about the inspectors'
efforts to discover Iraq's hidden equipment--focusing especially on his
experience in the 1997-1998 period--as well as his evidence and suspicion about
items that still exist. He also analyzes the role of other states, sharply
criticizing Russia's policy, which he sees as helping Iraq. If Butler is right,
this problem will return to play an important role in future Middle East
politics. This is certainly the most important book to come out of the almost
decade-long sanctions era regarding Iraq and provides a superb inside story on
the fate of the inspections and sanctions programs. Barry Rubin
Nawaf E. Obaid, The Oil Kingdom at 100 (Washington, D.C.: The Washington
Institute for Near East Policy, 2000) $19.95, 136 pp.
<www.washingtoninstitute.org>. This monograph takes an all-encompassing, and yet highly
detailed look at Saudi oil policy and its affects on both domestic and foreign
policy. It begins with a detailed
look at the current state of oil policy formation, describing how the Kingdom
has moved away from relying on personal influence and intuition, creating in its
stead a decisionmaking process which is more formal, professional, and
bureaucratic. Obaid then looks at the players that make up the 'Saudi Petroleum
Community', and how this community has successfully responded to the challenge
of weak oil prices. Lastly, the author looks at how oil policy figures into the
larger pictures of Saudi domestic and foreign policies. CSB
B. New publications
Muwatin’s (the Palestinian Institute for the Study of Democracy)
publications in Arabic <muwatin@muwatin.org>,
<http://www.muwatin.org>:
Imad Ghayathah, “The Palestinian Student Movement: Practice and
Efficacy”; Walid Salim, “The National Democratic Question in Palestine”;
Khawla Shakhshir Sabri, “Gender Equality in Non-Curricular Education in
Palestinian Schools”; Raja Bahloul, “God Sovereignty vs. Popular
Sovereignty: On the Relation between Democracy and Secularism”; Khalid Al
Hindi, “Democratic Practice in the Palestinian Political Prisoners
Movement”; Milton Fisk, “How to Survive with Dignity in a Global Economy:
The Battle for Public Goods”; Taleb Awad, “The Democratic Transformation in
Jordan, 1989-1999”; “Palestinian
Women’s Movement: The Problematique of Democratic Transformation and Future
Strategies”; Majdi Malki (ed.), “Palestinian Students’ Movement.”
Michael Herb, “All in the Family: Absolutism, Revolution, and Democracy
in the Middle Eastern Monarchies” (Albany: State University of New York Press,
1999) <http://www.gsu.edu/~polmfh/aitf.htm>
or <http://www.sunypress.edu>
Donald Quataert, “The Ottoman
Empire, 1700-1922” (Cambridge: Cambridge U. Press, 2000). <http://www.cup.cam.ac.uk>
and <information@cup.cam.ac.uk>.
Naje Al-Ali, “Secularism, Gender and the State in the Middle East: The
Egyptian Women’s Movement” (Cambridge: Cambridge U. Press, 2000). <http://www.cup.cam.ac.uk>
and <information@cup.cam.ac.uk>.
Moshe Ma'oz, Middle Eastern Minorities: Between Integration and Conflict
(Washington, D.C.: The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, 1999).
<http://www.washingtoninstitute.org>
Mohammed Abu-Nimer, Dialogue, Conflict
Resolution, and Change: Arab-Jewish Encounters in Israel (Albany: State
University of New York Press, 1999). <http://www.sunypress.edu>
Ilan Berman, Partnership in Transition: U.S.-Israel Strategic Cooperation
beyond the Cold War (Washington, D.C.: The Jewish Institute for National
Security Affairs, 2000). <http://www.jinsa.org>
Dore Gold, “Middle East Missile Proliferation, Israeli Missile Defense,
and the ABM Treaty Debate” (May 2000). <http://www.jcpa.org>
Arien Mack (ed.), “Iran: Twenty Years After the Revolution,” Social
Research Volume 67, No. 2 (Summer 2000). <www.newschool.edu/centers/socres>
The Estimate: Political and Security Intelligence Analysis of the Islamic
World and Its Neighbours, Volume 12, No. 9: <http://www.theestimate.com/public/050500.html>
2. WEBSITES/GROUPS ONLINE
A. General
Frank Unlandherm, ME librarian at Columbia University, has created a ‘publishers and bookstore’ page: <http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/indiv/area/MiddleEast/Pubs.html>
French Centre for
Yemeni Studies: <http://www.univ-aix.fr/cfey/indexeng.html>.
U.S. Department of
State's latest report on "Patterns of Global Terrorism": <http://www.state.gov/www/global/terrorism/1999report/1999index.html>.
Radio Bergen Middle East, source of Middle East news and analyses: <http://radiobergen.org/index_main2.html>.
The Mediterranean and Middle East Policy of the European Union <http://www.euromed.net/eu/med_mideast.html>.
The International Magazine on Arab Affairs, Arabies: <http://www.arabies.com/>.
Articles from The Estimate’s (Political and Security
Intelligence Analysis of the Islamic World and Its Neighbors) public archive:
<http://www.theestimate.com/html/freearchive.html>.
Egypt Magazine from SIS:
<http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/public/magazine/iss019e/html/mnew.htm>.
UK mirror for Egypt SIS site: <http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/>
and the American mirror: <http://www.us.sis.gov.eg/>.
Bibliography of Yemeni Politics (1996-1999): <http://www.univ-aix.fr/cfey/giraud98.html>.
Umma Party, Sudan: <http://umma.org/>
B. Central Asia/Eurasia
Central Eurasian
Studies Society (CESS) -newly formed organization for people working on these
issues. To join: <http://cess.uno.edu>.
Central Asian
Studies World Wide (CASWW)-a comprehensive reference resource on which you can
be listed: <http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~casww>.
Dissertations
in Central Asian Studies, include your work: <http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~casww/CASWW_Diss.html>.
C. Gulf
Gulf States
Newsletter (UK-based): <http://www.gulfstates.co.uk>.
Nice link-site
about UAE: <http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~mideast/inMEres/countries/uae.html>.
United Arab Emirates site with good links: <http://www.uaeone.com>
Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai and
Defence Minister of UAE: http://www.sheikhmohammed.co.ae/english_html/index.htm.
YAP
(Young Arab Programme) includes news, columns, culture, and features.
<http://www.theyap.org/index.htm>.
Amnesty
International report on human rights in Saudi Arabia <http://www.sam.win-uk.net/site/report.html>.
D. Levant
Archived Le Monde Diplomatique (LMD) articles on Lebanon: <http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/cahier/proche-orient/region-liban>.
Lebanese Centre for Policy Studies (LCPS): <http://www.lcps.org.lb>.
Lebanese Figures of the Century: <http://www.terra.net.lb/events/Mil_Fig_2000/main.asp>.
MIRSAD
(Multi-Initiative on Rights: Search, Assist & Defend) an independent human
rights NGO in Lebanon: <http://www.mirsad.org.lb/>
Guardian's interactive guide to the history of Israel’s occupation of
Lebanon: http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/flash/0,5860,329585,00.html.
Parliamentary Horizons, a bi-monthly newsletter about the Palestinian
Legislative Council: http://www.muwatin.org.
Three-part history of Jerusalem:
<http://www.zionist.com/JerusalemI.htm>,
<http://www.zionist.com/JerusalemII.htm>,
<http://www.zionist.com/JerusalemIII.htm>.
Discussion on the Future of Jerusalem:<http://www.egroups.com/group/FutureofJerusalem>
Articles on Israel, Palestinians and peace negotiations from the
Economist: <http://www.economist.com/editorial/freeforall/focus/focus_the_middle_east_tframeset.htm>.
Material from the 2000 First Quarterly Monitoring Report of Donors'
Assistance for the Palestinian Authority: <http://www.pna.net/building_state/donor_assistance_2000.html>.
A Progress Report from the PNA, “Pathway towards a Palastinian Vision
for 2005 and Beyond”: <http://www.pna.net/events/pathway_lisbon.htm>.
E. Turkey
Survey of Turkey in Economist, 10 articles: <http://www.economist.com/editorial/freeforall/current/index_survey.html>.
Pointers to Politicians in Turkey: <http://web.bilkent.edu.tr/siyasi.html>.
The updated page of Turkish Embassy in Washington D.C.: <http://www.turkey.org/intro.html>.
Turkish Foreign Policy and Press Releases: <http://www.turkey.org/press_mainfr.html>.
Troubled waters - article from "Arabies" on Turkey’s control
of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers: <http://www.arabies.com/ArtclN13/focus3.htm>.
Perceptions, Journal of International Affairs, Vol.5, No.1: <http://www.mfa.gov.tr/grupa/percept/V-1/default.htm>.
Turkey update- the weekly roundup of news about Turkey: <www.turkeyupdate.com>.
3. FREE SUBSCRIPTIONS TO E-MAIL PUBLICATIONS
To join Central Eurasian Studies Society (CESS) and to receive occasional
mailings: <http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~casww/CESS_Membership_Form.html>
or <schoeber@fas.harvard.edu>.
CentralAsia-L Announcement List for Central Asian Studies is the best
source for information on activities and resources in Central Asian studies
worldwide (conferences, publications, grants, jobs, etc.). To subscribe: <http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~casww/Subscribe_CA-L.html>,
or <owner-CentralAsia-L@fas.harvard.edu>.
Central-Asia-Inst-List is a discussion list intended to promote
cooperation and coordination in institutional initiatives in Central
(Eur)Asian studies, to subscribe:
Neil
Lazarus's site: <www.israelinfo.comevisit.com>
now includes latest
developments in the Middle East and the Peace Process. Readers can join his new
mailing list: http://www.israelinfo.comevisit.com/mailing.htm
for regular updates.
The
mideast‑environment‑globalization email discussion group is run by
Friends of the Earth Middle East [FoEME]. To
receive this material, write: <mideast‑environment‑globalization‑subscribe@egroups.com>,
<http://www.foeme.org>,
4. FUNDING/SCHOLARSHIPS/FELLOWSHIPS/WRITING OPPORTUNITIES
The National
Humanities Center offers 35-40 residential fellowships for advanced study in all
fields of the humanities. Applicants
must hold doctorate or equivalent credentials and have a record of publication.
Applicants must submit the Center's forms supported by a CV, a 1000-word project
proposal, and three letters of recommendation. Deadline: October 15, 2000. <http://www.nhc.rtp.nc.us:8080>,
<nhc@ga.unc.edu>.
Search for Common
Ground and the European Centre for Common Ground request submissions for their
annual competition to recognize and encourage journalism that contributes to
better understanding between people in the Middle East. Articles must have been
published between January 1, 1999 and June 30, 2000. Awards are sponsored by the
J. Zel Lurie Fund for Investigative Journalism and the Umut Foundation of
Turkey. <cgawards@sfcg.org>,
<http://www.sfcg.org/awards/mejrnlsm.htm>
.
Call
for Papers for the 7th Congress of the International Association of Middle
Eastern Studies (IAMES) to be held 4 to 8 October, 2000. The general theme will
be "Dialogue between Cultures". <www.fu-berlin.de/iames>.
Panels, round-tables and paper suggestions must be sent through the
interactive registration forms on the web-site, including an abstract, no
later than 20 June. For questions or inquiries,
Call
for Papers for International Conference, "Rites of Passage: Negotiation,
Reinvention and Transformation," Wesley College, The University of Sydney,
NSW, Australia on June 30‑July 2, 2000. Please send abstracts
(100‑300 words) and a short CV by email to
<younisr@halley.syd.cqu.edu.au>
or fax "Dr. Raymond Younis" (+61
2) 9516‑3829. Tel:(+61 2) 9229‑1321. To stay at Wesley College for
the conference: <admin@wesley.usyd.edu.au>,
tel. (+2 9565 3377) or fax (+2
9516 3829).
Fulbright Awards
for research or teaching by college and university faculty or established
professionals during the 2001-02 academic year are now being accepted by the
Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES).
Deadline: August 1, 2000. Applicants
must be U.S. citizens. Applications
will be accepted for most countries of the Middle East, South Asia, and Central
Asia: <http://www.iie.org/cies/fulsp.htm>,
<ggarrison@cies.iie.org>.
The
International Association "CAUCASUS: Ethnic Relations, Human Rights,
Geopolitics" (IACERHRG) calls for papers for its annual conference on
"The International Criminal Court (ICC) and the Caucasus" (Tbilisi,
Georgia). Languages: Georgian, English, Russian. Deadline for abstracts: October
1, 2000. <iacerhrg98@hotmail.com>,
<http://members.theglobe.com/levur/iacerhrg>.
The Central
European University Center for Policy Studies (CPS) is calling for proposals for
its year 2001 International OSI Policy Fellowships (IPF) program, affiliated
with the CPS and the Open Society Institute-Budapest. Applicants are encouraged
to submit individual, practical and policy-oriented research proposals in: The
Impact of European Union Expansion on Non-Accession Countries; Modernization,
Globalization and Islam; The Future of the Caucasus; The Future of Southeast
Europe; Media and Information Policy Education; Finance Policy; Gender Policy;
and The Public Policy Environment. Deadline: August 1, 2000. <http://www.osi.hu/ipf/apply.html>.
The Mediterranean
Programme of the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies at the European
University Institute (Florence, Italy) invites scholars to submit proposals for
papers to be presented at the Second Mediterranean Social and Political Research
Meeting, March 21 - 25, 2001. Deadline: September 29, 2000. <http://www.iue.it/RSC/MED/meeting2001.htm>.
Centro
de Estudios sobre Africa y Medio Oriente (CEAMO) calls for papers for the 7th
International Seminar Current Problems in Africa and the Middle East (November
22-24, Cuba) Deadline: October 15, 2000. <ceamo@ceniai.inf.cu>.
The Centre for
Research on the Arab World (CERAW) at the University of Mainz, (Germany) calls
for participation in an Interdisciplinary Research Network and a Workshop on
Business Activities of Migrants from the Middle East. The workshop will take
place during the congress of the German Middle East Studies Association (DAVO)
in Mainz on October 12-14, 2000. <http://www.davo-online.de>,
<r.puetz@geo.uni-mainz.de>.
The Center for
Contemporary Arab Studies at Georgetown University calls for papers for its 25th
annual symposium “Arab Legal Systems in Transition” (April 5-6, 2001,
Washington D.C.). All proposals will be considered, but applicants are
encouraged to submit proposals in the following subject areas: Islamic Legal
Theory; Legal Education Labor, Union, and NGO Law; Intellectual Property Rights;
Family Law/Personal Status Law; Investment and Corporate Law; Transparency and
Governance; Border Disputes and Natural Resources; Refugee Issues and Human
Rights; Immigration Law. Deadline: October 1, 2000. <ccasinfo@gunet.georgetown.edu>,
<http://www.ccasonline.org>.
5. RESEARCH QUERIES-PLEASE HELP
Mordechai Haller <msfoxbat@mscc.huji.ac.il>is
interested in locating publications (articles or books) in English or Hebrew
that deal in a detailed manner with Syria's relationship with Hamas; Hizbollah's
relationship with Hamas, the Syrian occupation of Lebanon in the 1990s.
Hamdi Abdalla <alsaaidi@emirates.net.ae>
asks for help to find some tapes of Anwar Sadat speecehes.
6. SCHOLAR'S AND AUTHOR'S ALERTS
Gary Bunt <g.bunt@lamp.ac.uk> has
published "Virtually Islamic, Computer-mediated Communication and Cyber
Islamic Environments," (Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 2000) ISBN
0-7083-1612-3 hardback, ISBN 0-7083-1611-5 paperback. Virtually Islamic
represents the first extensive study of the phenomena of Islam in cyberspace. It
discusses the role of computer-mediated communication in relation to key areas,
including religious authority, interpretation of primary Islamic sources,
trans-global and local networks of Muslim understanding, and the impact of 'new
media' on perceptions of Islam. New methodological considerations towards this
developing subject area are introduced. “Virtually
Islamic” draws upon the diverse approaches towards notions of Islamic
knowledge and communication in the contemporary world. <http://www.virtuallyislamic.com>
Arthur Goldschmidt Jr. is the author of A Biographical Dictionary of Modern Egypt, containing brief sketches of the lives of some 375 men and women who have influenced Egypt's history since 1750, with many bibliographical references. Subjects range from political figures like Muhammad Ali and Gamal Abdel Nasser, businessmen like Tal'at Harb and Ahmad Abbud, musicians like Abd al-Halim Hafiz and Umm Kulthum, actors like Umar Sharif and Fatin Hamama, to outside rulers like Napoleon and Cromer. The book is available from Lynne Rienner publishers <www.rienner.com>.
Professor Alwyn R. Rouyer, "Turning Water
into Politics, The Water issue in the Palestinian‑Israeli Conflict."
<http://www.uidaho.edu/~rouyer>.
This book is a clear and comprehensive
examination of the water issue in the Palestinian‑Israeli conflict and
peace process. The water dispute between the Isralis and Palestinians seldom
grabs newspaper headlines like the issue of Jerusalem or Jewish settlements, but
no permanent peace accord can be achieved between these two people without
agreement over allocations of shared water resources. While historical,
environmental, and economic dimensions of the issue are examined, the book
demonstrates the essential political nature of the dispute and concludes that it
can be solved only through political compromise.
7. ANNOUNCEMENTS OF MEETINGS, CONFERENCES, LECTURES
[This only lists new
entries. For additional items, see MERIA News past issues on our homepage. We welcome submissions of events.]
June 25-27, Tel Aviv, Israel, 16th Annual Meeting of Association for Israel Studies, "Multiple Perspectives on Israel," hosted by Tel-Aviv University. <http://www.aisisraelstudies.org/ais.htm#16th Annual Meeting>.
June 25, Tel Aviv, Israel, MERCHAVIM's first annual lecture on "Shared Citizenship- The Essential and Possible Limits," The Institute of Multicultural and Democratic Education for Israel (MERCHAVIM), 6.00 pm, The Technological and Engineering Center, 218 Bnei Efraim St., Hadar Yosef. <mikep@amalnet.k12.il>.
June 26, Tel Aviv, Israel, lecture on "Israel and Lebanon: Do Good Fences Make Good Neighbors?," BESA Center for Strategic Studies,4.00 pm, Bar-Ilan U, Mexico Building, Room 320, 3rd Floor. <besa@mail.biu.ac.il>.
July 10-12, London, UK, conference, "Resolving International Border Disputes for the Oil and Gas Industry," One Whitehall Place, Westminster, London: <http://www.global-business-network.co.uk/page4.html>, <menas@compuserve.com>
July 10-13, Edinburgh, Scotland, conference "Literature and
Nationalism in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)" Edinburgh Institute
for the Advanced Study of Islam and the Middle East. <EIASIME@ed.ac.uk>
July 12-14, Durham, UK, conference on “Borders, Orders and Identities
of the Muslim World,” Centre for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies,
University of Durham: <http://www-ibru.dur.ac.uk/conf/islam/intro.html>,
<ali.ansari@durham.ac.uk>,
<michelle.speak@durham.ac.uk>
October 11-12, Mainz, Germany, conference of the Interdisciplinary
Research Network on "Cinema and the Middle East", German Middle
East Studies Association for Contemporary Research and Documentation (DAVO).
<a.escher@geo.uni-mainz.de>,
<http://www.davo-online.de>
October 28-29, Tbilisi, Georgia, the 2nd Annual Conference of the
International Association on "CAUCASUS: Ethnic Relations, Human Rights,
Geopolitics" (IACERHRG). The main theme of the Conference is "The
International Criminal Court (ICC) and the Caucasus". <iacerhrg98@hotmail.com>,
<http://members.theglobe.com/levur/iacerhrg>
Correction:
Due to an editing error in Daryl Champion, “Saudi Arabia: Elements of
Instability within Stability,” (MERIA Journal, Vol. 3, No. 4, December 1999),
the date of the attack on the U.S.military barracks at Khobar was given as June
15, 1996. The correct date is June 25, 1996. This correction has been made in
the article on our homepage.
Awards: Lycos, Top 5% Site; Arab E-Journal, Publication of the month; Selection, Scout Report for Social Sciences; Award, Newsbytes news wire; LinksGo Key Resource Award//MERIA is indexed in Cambridge University's Index Islamicus. Staff: Barry Rubin, editor; Assistant Editors: Linda Sharaby (editorial); Cameron Brown (administrative). London representative: Lawrence Joffe. Canadian representative: Brent Sasley.
MERIA offers you discounts on books and publications. We welcome special arrangements for our readers. To propose articles, items for publication, give others free subscriptions, or other correspondence, write:besa@mail.biu.ac.il