DOCSLIB.ORG

MIDDLE EAST Middle East Climate Deserts

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
MIDDLE EAST Middle East Climate Deserts MIDDLE EAST Middle East Climate Deserts • Sahara (North Africa) & Arabian Desert Desert Landscape • Sand dunes • Rocky desert – 15% of Sahara – 85% of Sahara Areas With Freshwater • Areas with Mediterranean Climate – Same climate as So. Cal. – Rainy winter, Dry summer – On Med. coast above 32oN Areas With Water • Mountains… – Atlas Mtns. – Zagros Mtns. – Yemen Mountains of Yemen Areas With Water • River Valleys… – Nile River – Tigris & Euphrates River Valleys – Ancient Civilizations • Nile Valley - Egypt LANGUAGES • Arabic – Originated in Arabian Peninsula – South of Taurus & Zagros Mtns. Arabic LANGUAGES • Non-Arab Mountainous North… – Turkish – Farsi in… LANGUAGES • Hebrew in…. ISLAM • Followers are “Muslims” • Began with Muhammad – Lived ~ 600 AD – Born in Mecca (Saudi Arabia) • Holiest City… Five Pillars of Islam 1. Make a profession of faith – “There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His prophet” PILLARS OF ISLAM 2. Pray 5x/day towards Mecca 3. Charity… PILLARS OF ISLAM 4. Daytime fasting during Ramadan 5. Pilgrimage to Mecca Islam Division • Sunni Muslims – Most Muslim countries • Shi’ite Muslims – Iran, Iraq THE MAGHREB • 3 Countries: M.A.T. • Were French Colonies until 1950s • Atlas Mtns. • Med. Climate… • Sahara… ATLAS MOUNTAINS • Over 13,000’ in… • Highest mtns… MOROCCO • Strait of Gibraltar MOROCCO • Casablanca… EGYPT • Most Populated … • Nile River – Water supply – Floods • Deposited fertile silt… Nile River Valley • 95% of Egypt’s pop. Aswan High Dam & Lake Nasser • Benefits: – Electricity – Year-round irrigation • More ag production • Benefits of Dam: Aswan High Dam & Lake Nasser • Negative Effects: – Silt trapped…. • No more floods depositing fertile silt • Med Sea fishing… Cairo • Largest city… – Only subway… Giza • Pyramids Alexandria • 2nd largest city… • Summer… Suez Canal • Mediterranean Red Sea • Built 1860s – By Brit & French… • 1956 – Egypt gained control • Tolls… Sinai Peninsula • Mt. Sinai Mt. Sinai • Moses… – 10 Commandments… LEBANON • Mediterranean Climate – No desert LEBANON • Mountains (10,000’) • Cedar Forests… LEBANON • Beirut - capital LEBANON • Ancient Home of the Phoenicians – Became Christian • Arab Conquest, 700 AD – Brought Islam • Under French control 1920s-1940s – French is the 2nd language… LEBANON • Diverse population – 60% Muslim – 40% Christian LEBANON • Civil War 1980s – Christians vs. Muslims – Emigration of Christians • Peaceful now ISRAEL • 1/50 the size of Calif. • Unique religion/language of the Mid East Israel’s People • 80% Jewish, Hebrew-speaking ISRAEL’S PEOPLE • 20% Muslim Arabs ISRAEL • Country est. 1948 • Historically called “Palestine” • Med. Sea in west • Water Features in east – Sea of Galilee • Main source of freshwater – Jordan River – Dead Sea DEAD SEA • 1300’ below sea level…. • Lowest elevation.. • Extremely salty… Dead Sea ISRAEL’S CLIMATE • North ½ – Med climate – Rainy in winter • South ½ - Negev Desert Negev Desert in South “The Promised Land” of the Jews • God promised Palestine to Abraham’s Descendants – Jews are Abraham’s Descendants – Jerusalem – Jewish Capital • King Solomon’s temple – Destroyed in 70 A.D. – Western Wall remains – Holiest Place for Jews Jerusalem • Dome of the Rock – Holy for Muslims – Muhammad rose to heaven Jerusalem – Holiest Place for Christians • Jesus’ death (crucifixion) & resurrection Arab-Jewish Conflict • Britain ruled 1920s–1940s • 1947 - UN plan to divide Palestine – Jewish state (“Israel”) (green on map) • Est. 1948 – Arab state (“Palestine”) (yellow on map) • Not accepted by Arabs Arab-Jewish Conflict • Both believe Palestine should be theirs – “Promised land” for Jews – Arabs lived there 700-1900s AD ARAB-JEWISH WARS • Israel conquered additional land after 1948 – West Bank – Gaza Strip JORDAN • Desert • Petra SYRIA • Civil War 2011-Present (2016) • 3-way war – Govt, Rebels, & ISIS (“Islamic State”) • ISIS – Group of Islamic extremists • Want strict Islamic law – Conquering much of Syria & Iraq – Violence against: • Christians • Moderate Muslims SYRIA’S CIVIL WAR • Mass Migration of Refugees – 4 mln left Syria (20% of population) – Many trying to go to Europe • Esp. Germany IRAQ • “Mesopotamia” – T & E Rivers • World’s first: – Agriculture – Cities (Babylon…) IRAQ • Was led by Saddam Hussein – Overthrown in U.S. invasion 2003 • ISIS controls parts of Iraq ARABIAN PENINSULA • Saudi Arabia • Yemen • Oman • United Arab Emirates • Qatar • Bahrain • Kuwait • Desert Nomads – Bedouins • Herders of… PERSIAN GULF • 60% of World’s Oil #1 – Saudi Arabia Oil Exports from the Persian Gulf • Exported to: – Europe & Japan – USA (12% of U.S. oil demand) PERSIAN GULF CITIES • Oil Wealth Rapid Urban Development DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES • World’s tallest building… DUBAI • Incredible shopping malls TURKEY • In Europe & Asia BOSPORUS STRAIT Europe Asia ISTANBUL • On the Bosporus – Old name: Constantinople – Center for Christianity until 1400s TURKEY’S CLIMATE • Mostly Mediterranean • No desert • Xlnt Agriculture Iran • Old name = “Persia” • 1979 Revolution – Relations with USA… • Trying to develop Nuclear Weapons? AFGHANISTAN • Desert & Mtns (25,000’) • Difficult to conquer or control Afghan People • Muslim, but not Arab – Pashto Language • Very Poor • Opium AFGHANISTAN HISTORY • Ruled by Taliban, 1990s – Permitted al-Qaeda training bases • Osama bin Laden founded/funded Al-Qaeda – From Saudi Arabia – Killed 2011 .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Download Download
    Nisan / The Levantine Review Volume 4 Number 2 (Winter 2015) Identity and Peoples in History Speculating on Ancient Mediterranean Mysteries Mordechai Nisan* We are familiar with a philo-Semitic disposition characterizing a number of communities, including Phoenicians/Lebanese, Kabyles/Berbers, and Ismailis/Druze, raising the question of a historical foundation binding them all together. The ethnic threads began in the Galilee and Mount Lebanon and later conceivably wound themselves back there in the persona of Al-Muwahiddun [Unitarian] Druze. While DNA testing is a fascinating methodology to verify the similarity or identity of a shared gene pool among ostensibly disparate peoples, we will primarily pursue our inquiry using conventional historical materials, without however—at the end—avoiding the clues offered by modern science. Our thesis seeks to substantiate an intuition, a reading of the contours of tales emanating from the eastern Mediterranean basin, the Levantine area, to Africa and Egypt, and returning to Israel and Lebanon. The story unfolds with ancient biblical tribes of Israel in the north of their country mixing with, or becoming Lebanese Phoenicians, travelling to North Africa—Tunisia, Algeria, and Libya in particular— assimilating among Kabyle Berbers, later fusing with Shi’a Ismailis in the Maghreb, who would then migrate to Egypt, and during the Fatimid period evolve as the Druze. The latter would later flee Egypt and return to Lebanon—the place where their (biological) ancestors had once dwelt. The original core group was composed of Hebrews/Jews, toward whom various communities evince affinity and identity today with the Jewish people and the state of Israel.
    [Show full text]
  • The Biden Administration and the Middle East: Policy Recommendations for a Sustainable Way Forward
    THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION AND THE MIDDLE EAST: POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR A SUSTAINABLE WAY FORWARD THE MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE MARCH 2021 WWW.MEI.EDU 2 The Biden Administration and the Middle East: Policy Recommendations for a Sustainable Way Forward The Middle East Institute March 2021 3 CONTENTS FOREWORD Iraq 21 Strategic Considerations for Middle East Policy 6 Randa Slim, Senior Fellow and Director of Conflict Paul Salem, President Resolution and Track II Dialogues Program Gerald Feierstein, Senior Vice President Ross Harrison, Senior Fellow and Director of Research Israel 23 Eran Etzion, Non-Resident Scholar POLICY BRIEFS Jordan 26 Dima Toukan, Non-Resident Scholar Countries/Regions Paul Salem, President US General Middle East Interests & Policy Priorities 12 Paul Salem, President Lebanon 28 Christophe Abi-Nassif, Director of Lebanon Program Afghanistan 14 Marvin G. Weinbaum, Director of Afghanistan and Libya 30 Pakistan Program Jonathan M. Winer, Non-Resident Scholar Algeria 15 Morocco 32 Robert Ford, Senior Fellow William Lawrence, Contributor Egypt 16 Pakistan 34 Mirette F. Mabrouk, Senior Fellow and Director of Marvin G. Weinbaum, Director of Afghanistan and Egypt Program Pakistan Program Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) 18 Palestine & the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process 35 Gerald Feierstein, Senior Vice President Nathan Stock, Non-Resident Scholar Khaled Elgindy, Senior Fellow and Director of Program Horn of Africa & Red Sea Basin 19 on Palestine and Palestinian-Israeli Affairs David Shinn, Non-Resident Scholar Saudi Arabia 37 Iran
    [Show full text]
  • U.S. - North Africa Partnership for Economic Opportunity
    U.S. - North Africa Partnership for Economic Opportunity Executive Summary During the 2010 U.S.-Maghreb Entrepreneurship Conference, the U.S. Department of State announced the launch of the U.S.-North Africa Partnership for Economic Opportunity (NAPEO), a new public-private partnership that exists to better link entrepreneurs and business leaders in the United States and North Africa (Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia). NAPEO is the regional component of Partners for a New Beginning (PNB), a collection of public-private partnerships committed to broadening and deepening engagement between the United States and local communities abroad. These initiatives were founded in support of President Obama's vision for a New Beginning based on mutual interest and respect through efforts to advance economic opportunity, science & technology, education, and exchange. The essence of NAPEO is to be a network for entrepreneurs and business leaders from the United States and North Africa. This network will be the supporting backbone for both communities to identify, initiate and sustain projects at the Maghreb regional and local level that will foster entrepreneurship and job creation, especially for the youth. It is a meaningful, substantive and regionally-focused response to the vision laid out by President Obama at Cairo University where he called for “broader and deeper engagement” between the U.S. and Muslim communities worldwide. This partnership will focus on three overarching goals: 1) developing stronger people-to-people relationships between the U.S. and the Maghreb, 2) promoting start-ups and entrepreneurship in the Maghreb and 3) promoting inter-regional cooperation among entrepreneurs in the Maghreb.
    [Show full text]
  • The Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
    Regional strategy for development cooperation with The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) 2006 – 2008 The Swedish Government resolved on 27 April 2006 that Swedish support for regional development cooperation in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA region) during the period 2006-2008 should be conducted in accordance with the enclosed regional strategy. The Government authorized the Swedish International Development Coope- ration Agency (Sida) to implement in accordance with the strategy and decided that the financial framework for the development cooperation programme should be SEK 400–500 million. Regional strategy for development cooperation with the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) 2006 – 2008 Contents 1. Summary ........................................................................................ 2 2. Conclusions of the regional assessment ........................................... 3 3. Assessment of observations: Conclusions ......................................... 6 4. Other policy areas .......................................................................... 8 5. Cooperation with other donors ........................................................ 10 6. The aims and focus of Swedish development cooperation ................ 11 7. Areas of cooperation with the MENA region ..................................... 12 7.1 Strategic considerations ............................................................. 12 7.2 Cooperation with the Swedish Institute in Alexandria and ............... 14 where relevant with the Section for
    [Show full text]
  • Is Regional Cooperation in the Maghreb Possible? Implications for the Region and External Actors”
    IAI 0914 DOCUMENTI IAI REPORT OF THE CONFERENCE “IS REGIONAL COOPERATION IN THE MAGHREB POSSIBLE? IMPLICATIONS FOR THE REGION AND EXTERNAL ACTORS” by Silvia Colombo Report of the conference "Is Regional Cooperation in the Maghreb Possible? Implications for the Region and External Actors”, second seminar of the Mediterranean Strategy Group, organized by the German Marshall Fund of the U.S. in cooperation with the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI) and with the support of the Compagnia di San Paolo, ENEL, OCP Group, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, and the Luso- American Foundation Genoa, May 10-12, 2009 © Istituto Affari Internazionali IAI 0914 Mediterranean Strategy Group Genoa May 10 – 12, 2009 “IS REGIONAL COOPERATION IN THE MAGHREB POSSIBLE?” Implications for the Region and External Actors Organized in Cooperation with the Italian Institute for International Affairs (IAI) and with the support of the Compagnia di San Paolo, ENEL, OCP Group, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, and the Luso-American Foundation 2 © Istituto Affari Internazionali IAI 0914 REPORT OF THE CONFERENCE “IS REGIONAL COOPERATION IN THE MAGHREB POSSIBLE? IMPLICATIONS FOR THE REGION AND EXTERNAL ACTORS” by Silvia Colombo The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), in cooperation with the International Affairs Institute (IAI) of Rome, held the second seminar of the Mediterranean Strategy Group in Genoa on May 10-12 2009 under the title “ Is Regional Cooperation in the Maghreb Possible? Implications for the Region and External Actors ”. The meeting is part of a multi-year project of dialogue and analysis exploring critical Mediterranean issues in a transatlantic context. The Mediterranean Strategy Group is conducted with the support of the Compagnia di San Paolo, ENEL, OCP Group, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, and the Luso-American Foundation.
    [Show full text]
  • The Labyrinth of Subregional Integration in the South Mediterranean
    Economy and Territory Commercial Relations The Labyrinth of Subregional Integration in the South Mediterranean Iván Martín economic system. As single entities, ges and lower figures in job creation, Universidad Carlos III the individual national markets are too in addition to the increased bargai- Panorama: the Mediterranean Year de Madrid small to attract productive investment ning power these three countries by targeting their domestic markets, would have if they acted in collabora- and their lack of competitiveness makes tion at the international forums and The year 2003 ended with yet another it very difficult for them to become toward their main trading partners, in- failure of the attempts to revitalise the export platforms. However, the influx stead of negotiating separately, and Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) between of large volumes of foreign investment to the potential for softening the fore- 2003 Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia (and Lib- is a vital link for the feasibility of the in- seeable negative consequences that ya and Mauritania), with the suspen- ternal and external liberalisation and the expansion of the European Union Med. sion sine die of the summit of the modernisation process in which these towards the east will have for these Chiefs of State of the five member countries are immersed.1 countries. countries, which was to be held in Al- Even Morocco, which until now has giers on 23rd December 2003, thus monolithically made any progress in wiping out four years of intensive di- this area conditional on the formal re- Waiting for Agadir? plomatic efforts. Since its creation in cognition of its sovereignty over West 1989, the AMU has never truly got off Sahara, seems to be starting to ques- In the midst of this rather depressing 164-165 the ground, and has not even been tion the cost of this attitude.
    [Show full text]
  • October 1, 2019 the Academic College of Western Galilee
    October 1, 2019 The Academic College of Western Galilee CURRICULUM VITAE MICHAEL M. LASKIER מיכאל מ. לסקר PERSONAL DATA E-mail: [email protected] , [email protected] EDUCATION 1971 B.A. History, Magna cum laude, UCLA 1973 M.A. History, UCLA 1979 Ph.D. History, UCLA Thesis: “The Jews of Morocco and the Alliance Israélite Universelle: 1860-1956” Published by University Microfilm International, Ann Arbor, Michigan Supervisors: Professors Nikki R. Keddie and Malcolm H. Kerr PROFESSIONAL ACADEMIC EMPLOYMENT 1. 2018-: The Academic College of the Western Galilee. Professor of Arab and Islamic Studies in Medieval, Modern, and Contemporary Periods; Member of the College's Faculty Appointments and Promotions Committee 2. 2012-2017: The Academic College on the Sea of Galilee (then under the auspices of Bar-Ilan University), Chief Academic Officer of the Bar-Ilan Division at the College. A five-year appointment by Bar-Ilan University 3. 1999-2017: Bar-Ilan University, Department of Middle Eastern Studies. Tenured full Professor since 2000. A Member of the Senior Faculty Appointments Committee, October 2006-October 2009 & October 2015-October 2017; Member of the University's Central Doctoral Committee, October 2005-December 2007; Senate Member: 2009-2017; Member of the Senior Faculty Appeals Court; Director: The Menachem Begin Institute for the Study of Underground & Resistance Movements, 2006-2016; Member of the Bar-Ilan University Academic Press's Publications Committee, 2011-2017; National Council for the Preservation of the Independence of Israeli Universities (appointed by the Bar-Ulan University's Senate as its Representative (2014-2016); Professor Emeritus since 1 October 2017; on Sabbatical from Bar-Ilan University – 2012-2013 & 2016-2017 4.
    [Show full text]
  • A Green Blue Deal for the Middle East
    0 | Page A Green Blue Deal for the Middle East Authors: Gidon Bromberg, Israeli Director, Nada Majdalani, Palestinian Director & Yana Abu Taleb, Jordanian Director. EcoPeace Middle East is a unique organization that brings together Jordanian, Palestinian, and Israeli environmentalists. Our primary objective is the promotion of cooperative efforts to protect our shared environmental heritage. EcoPeace has offices in Amman, Ramallah, and Tel-Aviv. Forward and Acknowledgment This report incorporates earlier texts of EcoPeace Middle East including “Water Energy Nexus: A Pre- Feasibility Study for Mid-East Water-Renewable Energy Exchanges” (2017), “An Agreement to Share Water between Israelis and Palestinians” (2012), “Governance Structures for transboundary water management in the Jordan basin” (2016), “Climate Change, Water Security, and National Security for Jordan, Palestine, and Israel” (2019), “Can Water Bring The Political Process To A Safer Shore?: Water Issues from a Source of Conflict to Vehicle for Regional Cooperation and Stability” (2016), “Regional NGO Master Plan for Sustainable Development in the Jordan Valley” (2015), “Health Risks Assessment for the Israeli Population following the Sanitary Crisis in Gaza” (2019), “Israeli Water Diplomacy and National Security Concerns” (2018), “Report on the Status of the HebronBesor-Wadi Gaza Basin” (2018), “River out of Eden: Water, Ecology and The Jordan River in the Abrahamic” (2017). For more information or to download any of our publications please visit: www.ecopeaceme.org. The authors would like to credit and thank Shelby Kaplan for her assistance in various rounds of edits of early drafts of this report. The authors are also grateful for comments received from Lucy Kurtzer- Ellenbogen, Neil Kritz and Robert Barron from the United States Institute for Peace and Henk Ovink (Special Envoy for International Water Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) and Jasper van Mastrigt (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands).
    [Show full text]
  • Island Archaeology and the Origins of Seafaring in the Eastern Mediterranean
    An offprint from ISLAND ARCHAEOLOGY AND THE ORIGINS OF SEAFARING IN THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN Proceedings of the Wenner Gren Workshop held at Reggio Calabria on October 19-21, 2012 In memory of John D. Evans Eurasian Prehistory Guest Editors: Albert J. Ammerman and Thomas Davis PART ONE (Eurasian Prehistory 10/2013) Introduction 1. Introduction Albert J. Ammerman 2. Chronological framework Thomas W. Davis Placing island archaeology and early voyaging in context 3. The origins of mammals on the Mediterranean islands as an indicator of early voyaging Jean-Denis Vigne 4. Cosmic impact, the Younger Dryas, Abu Hureyra, and the inception of agriculture in Western Asia Andrew M. T. Moore and Douglas J. Kennett 5. The homelands of the Cyprus colonizers: selected comments Ofer Bar-Yosef 6. Marine resources in the Early Neolithic of the Levant: their relevance to early seafaring Daniella E. Bar-Yosef Mayer 7. Early seafaring and the archaeology of submerged landscapes Geoff N. Bailey Case studies A. Cyprus 8. Tracing the steps in the fieldwork at the sites of Aspros and Nissi Beach on Cyprus Albert J. Ammerman 9. Akrotiri-Aetokremnos (Cyprus) 20 years later: an assessment of its significance Alan H. Simmons 10. The transportation of mammals to Cyprus sheds light on early voyaging and boats in the Mediterranean Sea Jean-Denis Vigne, Antoine Zazzo, Isabella Carrère, François Briois and Jean Guilaine 11. On the chipped stone assemblages at Klimonas and Shillourokambos and their links with the mainland François Briois and Jean Guilaine PART TWO (Eurasian Prehistory 11/2014) 12. Temporal placement and context of Cyro-PPNA activity on Cyprus Sturt W.
    [Show full text]
  • Trade Costs and Inclusive Growth: Case Studies Presented by WTO
    220 Trade costs and inclusive growth Rodriguez, F. and Rodrik, D. (2001), Trade policy and economic growth: a skeptic’s guide to the cross-national evidence. In NBER Macroeconomics Annual 2000, 8 Regional integration in the MENA region: Volume 15 (pp. 261-338). MIT Press. Deepening the Greater Arab Free Trade Seck, A. (2014), “Trade Facilitation and Trade Flows in Africa”, paper presented at Area through trade facilitation the 17th Annual Conference on Global Economic Analysis, Dakar, Senegal, 18–20 Houcine Boughanmi* June. Retrieved at: https://www.gtap.agecon.purdue.edu/resources/res_display. asp?RecordID=4408 Squalli, J. and Wilson, K. (2011), “A New Measure of Trade Openness”, The World Economy 34(10): 1745-1770. Abstract United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) (2013), Trade This chapter assesses the trade facilitation performance of the countries of the Facilitation from an African Perspective, Addis Ababa: UNECA. Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and determines the welfare and sectoral effects of trade facilitation improvements within the context of regional Wacziarg, R. and Horn Welch, K. (2008), “Trade Liberalization and Growth: New trade integration. It shows that introducing a trade facilitation provision in the Evidence”, World Bank Economic Review 22(2): 187-231. Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA) will lead to a significant welfare increase for all MENA sub-regions compared with a scenario of further trade liberalization Wagner, J. (2007), “Exports and Productivity: A Survey of the Evidence from Firm- without trade facilitation. Trade facilitation in the GAFTA would enhance export level Data”, The World Economy 30(1): 60-82.
    [Show full text]
  • The Mirage of Regionalism in the Middle East and North Africa Post-2011
    MENARA Working Papers No. 18, October 2018 THE MIRAGE OF REGIONALISM IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA POST-2011 Raffaella A. Del Sarto and Eduard Soler i Lecha This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme under grant agreement No 693244 Middle East and North Africa Regional Architecture: Mapping Geopolitical Shifts, Regional Order and Domestic Transformations WORKING PAPERS No. 18, October 2018 THE MIRAGE OF REGIONALISM IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA POST-2011 Raffaella A. Del Sarto and Eduard Soler i Lecha1 ABSTRACT Existing regional cooperation platforms in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region are internally fragmented and largely ineffective. Focusing on the League of Arab States, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Arab Maghreb Union, this paper discusses attempts to re- energize and instrumentalize existing regional organizations following the Arab uprisings. It shows that regional developments at the time provided significant opportunities for regional cooperative security mechanisms to emerge, resulting in an exceptional but brief period of activism by these organizations. As the mirage of regionalism quickly faded, intra-regional rivalries, in a period of pronounced uncertainty, led to the eventual failure to foster any significant regional cooperation. While internal divisions are currently threatening the very survival of the GCC, new and potentially short-lived forms of cooperation have been emerging, with bilateral alliances between like- minded regimes becoming prominent. MENA is an increasingly fragmented but simultaneously interconnected region, as exemplified by the mismatch between failed regionalism and a growing regionalization. Concurrently, the contours of MENA regional dynamics are becoming increasingly blurred as sub-regions are transformed into the borderlands of specific regional cores, with some players in the Gulf emerging as such cores.
    [Show full text]
  • Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa Ana R
    THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION Regions of Enduring Interest: Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa Ana R. Quintana and Charlotte M. Florance he United States has an abiding geopolitical Transnational organized crime continues to pro- interest in both the Latin America/Caribbean liferate throughout Latin America, fueling violence, Tregion and Africa, an interest that derives from eroding the rule of law, and hindering economic America’s close economic, cultural, and demograph- development. While overall homicide rates have ic ties with these two regions. Though their security decreased around the world, this region has expe- challenges do not rise to a level at which they threat- rienced a very different trend: Excluding anomalies en the vital national interests of the U.S., numerous like Chile and Costa Rica, the Central American and destabilizing forces still plague these regions, pos- South American subregions are among the most ing substantial hurdles to their economic develop- dangerous in the world. ment and political stability. Successes in eradicating Colombian cartels and Challenges aside, these areas also present great increased counter-crime initiatives in Mexico have opportunities. The U.S. certainly remains engaged pushed drug trafficking organizations into Central with the governments and peoples of the states that America, where smaller and poorer governments comprise Africa and greater Latin America, but so are ill-equipped to deal with such violent entities. In too do competitors of the U.S.—rivals who seek to addition, a resurgence of illicit smuggling routes in gain access to these regions’ markets and resources the Caribbean corridor has raised concerns about and, for good or ill, cultivate relationships that sup- the future of U.S.
    [Show full text]