After the Sheikhs: The Coming Collapse of the Gulf Monarchies

The Gulf monarchies (Saudi Arabia and its five smaller neighbours: the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and Bahrain) have long been governed by highly autocratic and seemingly anachronistic regimes. Yet despite bloody conflicts on their doorsteps, fast-growing populations, and powerful modernising and globalising forces impacting on their largely conservative societies, they have demonstrated remarkable resilience. Obituaries for these traditional monarchies have frequently been penned, but even now these absolutist, almost medieval, entities still appear to pose the same conundrum as before: in the wake of the 2011 Arab Spring and the fall of incumbent presidents in Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya, the apparently steadfast Gulf monarchies have, at first glance, re-affirmed their status as the Middle East s only real bastions of stability. In this book, however, noted Gulf expert Christopher Davidson contends that the collapse of these kings, emirs, and sultans is going to happen, and was always going to. While the revolutionary movements in North Africa, Syria, and Yemen will undeniably serve as important, if indirect, catalysts for the coming upheaval, many of the same socio-economic pressures that were building up in the Arab republics are now also very much present in the Gulf monarchies. It is now no longer a matter of if but when the West s steadfast allies fall. This is a bold claim to make but Davidson, who accurately forecast the economic turmoil that afflicted Dubai in 2009, has an enviable record in diagnosing social and political changes afoot in the region.

Politics & Social Sciences

Davidson, Christopher

Politics & Government

Hurst

Dubai is a remarkable success story. From its origins as a small fishing and pearling community, the emirate has gone from strength to strength, having established itself as the premier trading entrepot of the Arabian Gulf and, in more recent years, having boomed into a massive metropolis of some two or more million people, most of whom are expatriates engaged in an increasingly diversified economy that has become synonymous with startling and innovative architecture. Following a detailed historical background, Davidson's in-depth study demonstrates how Dubai's pioneering post-oil development strategies were implemented against a carefully managed backdrop of near complete political stability, despite the lack of democratisation and genuine civil society. He then addresses the problems that may surface as the need for sustained foreign direct investment encourages far-reaching socio-economic reforms, many of which may affect the ideological, religious, and cultural legitimacy of the traditional monarchy. He also analyses Dubai's awkward relationship with its federal partners in the United Arab Emirates, before highlighting some of the hidden costs of being the region's most successful free port-namely its attractiveness to international criminal fraternities, the global black money economy and terrorist networks.

Dubai: The Vulnerability of Success

History

Middle East

Oxford University Press

Abu Dhabi is a new economic superpower that will soon wield enormous influence across both developing and developed worlds. The principal emirate of the United Arab Emirates federation commands over 8 percent of global oil reserves, has nearly $1 trillion in sovereign wealth funds to invest and is busily implementing a thoughtful economic master plan. It has also pumped huge amounts of money into culture, sport and infrastructural development in an attempt to eclipse even its ubiquitous UAE partner--Dubai--as an international household name. Abu Dhabi will host the Formula One Championship decider in 2009, is opening the world's first Ferrari theme park, has a rapidly expanding airline and is setting up satellite branches of the Guggenheim and Louvre museums. Gulf expert Christopher Davidson's book charts the emirate's remarkable trajectory from its origins as an eighteenth-century sheikhdom to its present position on the cusp of preeminence. Abu Dhabi's impressive socio-economic development, he offers a frank portrayal of a dynasty's dramatic survival, demonstrating the newfound resilience of a traditional monarchy in the twenty-first century and its efforts to create a system of "tribal capitalism" that incorporates old political allegiances into modern engines of growth. Finally, he turns his attention to a number of problems that may surface to impede economic development and undermine political stability. These include an enfeebled civil society and invasive media censorship, a seemingly unsolvable labour nationalisation paradox, an underperforming education sector, and increasing federal unrest.

Abu Dhabi: Oil and Beyond (Power and Politics in the Gulf)

A rising economic power, Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the United Arab Emirates, is poised to become a major player in the fortunes of both Third and First World countries. Abu Dhabi owns more than 8 percent of the world's oil reserves, has close to one trillion dollars to invest in sovereign wealth funds, and is about to implement a masterful set of economic initiatives that will yield even greater returns.Abu Dhabi has begun to eclipse its partner city, Dubai, in terms of sheer wealth and cultural and infrastructural development, opening the world's first Ferrari theme park and erecting satellite branches of the Guggenheim and the Louvre. Author of the best-selling Dubai: The Vulnerability of Success and an expert on Gulf politics, Christopher M. Davidson tracks Abu Dhabi's remarkable growth from a modest, eighteenth-century sheikhdom to its present opulent state. He recounts the dramatic efforts made by the emirate's dynastic family to retain their power, detailing the system of "tribal capitalism" they created in order to reconcile old political allegiances with modern engines of growth. Davidson concludes with potential challenges to Abu Dhabi's political and economic success, including a weakening of civil society, invasive media censorship, an ongoing labor crisis, increasing federal unrest, and persistent underperformance in the education sector.

Abu Dhabi: Oil and Beyond (Columbia/Hurst)

Business & Money

Economics

Columbia University Press

An electric combination of economic, diplomatic, and cultural concerns have "Asianized" Asia, uniting the continent's many countries under a framework of interests and trends. Pushing Asia's domain even further is a new and abiding relationship between its three most industrialized economies and the Persian Gulf's six monarchies. What began as a basic, twentieth-century marriage of convenience founded on the trading of hydrocarbon has now evolved into a complex, long-term commitment guaranteeing continuous exchange of resources and requirements. This bond has also strengthened the non-hydrocarbon, bilateral trade that facilitates wealth investments on both sides, building lucrative opportunities for Pacific-Asian construction and, in China's case, vast forces of labor. Christopher Davidson, an acclaimed expert on the Middle East's rapidly changing economy, details the eastern and western factors that have brought Asia and the Gulf closer together. Although this relationship has yet to include military arrangements, evidence suggests that the two regions have bolstered other noneconomic ties. Davidson unwinds the complex links between these emerging powers and shows how their unique economic, political, geographical, and cultural identities both strengthen and threaten their future partnership.

The Persian Gulf and Pacific Asia: From Indifference to Interdependence (Columbia/Hurst)

Asia

In this unparalleled investigation, Christopher Davidson exposes the true extent of Western interference in the Middle East over the past one hundred years. Drawing on the examination of hundreds of leaked and declassified documents, and interviews with former officials, academics, journalists and activists, he shows how the region’s most powerful actors have been manipulated by foreign players in a game that has given rise to dictators, sectarian wars, bloody counter-revolutions and the most brutal incarnation of extremism ever seen.

Shadow Wars: The Secret Struggle for the Middle East

Africa

Oneworld Publications

Environmental Burden of Disease Assessment (Environmental Science and Technology Library, 24)

This publication characterizes the environmental burden of disease in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), measured by the excess number of deaths and illnesses in the population due to exposure to environmental hazards. The robust methods used in this risk analysis can be applied to any country or region. This publication documents the systematic, multi-step process used to identify environmental priorities and the detailed methods used to quantify the disease burden attributable to each risk. Based on the results of the burden of disease assessment, the publication summarizes the subsequent steps that are recommended to further reduce the burden of disease resulting from various environmental risk factors.
Authors and Contributors This book represents the synthesis of research carried out by a large, interdisciplinary team from several institutions and multiple nations between June 2008 and June 2011.The lead authors are responsible for weaving together the pieces prepared by the team.Nonetheless, this book would not have been possible without major contributions from each team member.The list below shows contributors to each chapter.Following this list are biographies of all of the authors and contributors.
Lead Authors 
Jacqueline MacDonald Gibson, Frederic J. P. Launay, Jens T. W. Thomsen, Angela Brammer, Christopher Davidson
Additional Contributors (by Chapter)
Chapter 2: Prioritizing Environmental Risks to Health Henry H. Willis, Aimee Curtright, Gary Cecchine, Zeinab S. Farah,Sandra A. Geschwind, Jianhui Hu, Ying Li, Melinda Moore, Sarah Olmstead, Hanine Salem, Regina A. Shih, J. Jason West
Chapter 3: Assessing the Environmental Burden of Disease:Method Overview Tiina Folley, Elizabeth S. Harder, Mejs Hasan
Chapter 4: Burden of Disease from Outdoor Air Pollution Ying Li, Gavino Puggioni, Prahlad Jat, Mejs Hasan, Marc Serre, Kenneth G. Sexton, J. Jason West, Saravanan Arunachalam, Uma Shankar, William Vizuete, Mohammed Zuber Farooqui
Chapter 5: Burden of Disease from Indoor Air Pollution Chris B. Trent
Chapter 6: Burden of Disease from Occupational Exposures Tiina Folley, Leena A. Nylander-French 
Chapter 7: Burden of Disease from Climate Change Richard N. L. Andrews, Leslie Chinery, Elizabeth S. Harder, J. Jason West 
Chapter 8: Burden of Disease from Drinking Water Contamination Gregory W. Characklis, Joseph N. LoBuglio 
Chapter 9: Burden of Disease from Coastal Water Pollution Gregory W. Characklis, Leigh-Anne H. Krometis, Joseph N. LoBuglio Chapter 10: Burden of Disease from Soil and Groundwater Contamination Chidsanuphong Chart-asa, Stephanie Soucheray-Grell
Chapter 11: Burden of Disease from Produce and Seafood Contamination Leigh-Anne H. Krometis, Leslie Chinery

Launay, Frédéric

MacDonald Gibson, Jacqueline

Brammer, Angela

Folley, Tiina

Thomsen, Jens

Environmental & Natural Resources Law

Springer

This publication characterizes the environmental burden of disease in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), measured by the excess number of deaths and illnesses in the population due to exposure to environmental hazards. The robust methods used in this risk analysis can be applied to any country or region. This publication documents the systematic, multi-step process used to identify environmental priorities and the detailed methods used to quantify the disease burden attributable to each risk. Based on the results of the burden of disease assessment, the publication summarizes the subsequent steps that are recommended to further reduce the burden of disease resulting from various environmental risk factors.​Authors and ContributorsThis book represents the synthesis of research carried out by a large, interdisciplinary team from several institutions and multiple nations between June 2008 and June 2011.The lead authors are responsible for weaving together the pieces prepared by the team.Nonetheless, this book would not have been possible without major contributions from each team member.The list below shows contributors to each chapter.Following this list are biographies of all of the authors and contributors. Lead Authors                Jacqueline MacDonald Gibson, Frederic J. P. Launay, Jens T. W. Thomsen, Angela Brammer, Christopher DavidsonAdditional Contributors (by Chapter)Chapter 2: Prioritizing Environmental Risks to HealthHenry H. Willis, Aimee Curtright, Gary Cecchine, Zeinab S. Farah,Sandra A. Geschwind, Jianhui Hu, Ying Li, Melinda Moore, Sarah Olmstead, Hanine Salem, Regina A. Shih, J. Jason WestChapter 3: Assessing the Environmental Burden of Disease:Method OverviewTiina Folley, Elizabeth S. Harder, Mejs HasanChapter 4: Burden of Disease from Outdoor Air PollutionYing Li, Gavino Puggioni, Prahlad Jat, Mejs Hasan, Marc Serre, Kenneth G. Sexton, J. Jason West, Saravanan Arunachalam, Uma Shankar, William Vizuete, Mohammed Zuber FarooquiChapter 5: Burden of Disease from Indoor Air PollutionChris B. TrentChapter 6: Burden of Disease from Occupational ExposuresTiina Folley, Leena A. Nylander-French Chapter 7: Burden of Disease from Climate ChangeRichard N. L. Andrews, Leslie Chinery, Elizabeth S. Harder, J. Jason West Chapter 8: Burden of Disease from Drinking Water ContaminationGregory W. Characklis, Joseph N. LoBuglio Chapter 9: Burden of Disease from Coastal Water PollutionGregory W. Characklis, Leigh-Anne H. Krometis, Joseph N. LoBuglioChapter 10: Burden of Disease from Soil and Groundwater ContaminationChidsanuphong Chart-asa, Stephanie Soucheray-GrellChapter 11: Burden of Disease from Produce and Seafood ContaminationLeigh-Anne H. Krometis, Leslie Chinery

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Books by Davidson, Christopher

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Davidson, Christopher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

After the Sheikhs: The Coming Collapse of the Gulf Monarchies

Dubai: The Vulnerability of Success

Dubai: The Vulnerability of Success

Abu Dhabi: Oil and Beyond (Power and Politics in the Gulf)

Abu Dhabi: Oil and Beyond (Columbia/Hurst)

The Persian Gulf and Pacific Asia: From Indifference to Interdependence (Columbia/Hurst)

Shadow Wars: The Secret Struggle for the Middle East

Environmental Burden of Disease Assessment (Environmental Science and Technology Library, 24)

Environmental Burden of Disease Assessment (Environmental Science and Technology Library, 24)