“Guests and Aliens”: Re-Configuring New Mobilities in the Eastern
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
The Illegal Excavation and Trade of Syrian Cultural Objects
JOURNAL OF FIELD ARCHAEOLOGY, 2018 VOL. 43, NO. 1, 74–84 https://doi.org/10.1080/00934690.2017.1410919 The Illegal Excavation and Trade of Syrian Cultural Objects: A View from the Ground Neil Brodiea and Isber Sabrineb aUniversity of Oxford, Oxford, UK; bUniversitat de Girona, Girona, Spain ABSTRACT KEYWORDS The illegal excavation and trade of cultural objects from Syrian archaeological sites worsened Syria; looting; cultural markedly after the outbreak of civil disturbance and conflict in 2011. Since then, the damage to objects; coins; policy archaeological heritage has been well documented, and the issue of terrorist funding explored, but hardly any research has been conducted into the organization and operation of theft and trafficking of cultural objects inside Syria. As a first step in that direction, this paper presents texts of interviews with seven people resident in Syria who have first-hand knowledge of the trade, and uses information they provided to suggest a model of socioeconomic organization of the Syrian war economy regarding the trafficking of cultural objects. It highlights the importance of coins and other small objects for trade, and concludes by considering what lessons might be drawn from this model to improve presently established public policy. Introduction conflictantiquities.wordpress.com/). Nevertheless, most of what is known about illegal excavation and trade inside Like that of many countries in the Middle East and North Syria comes from some of the better media reporting, Africa (MENA) region, for the past few decades the archaeo- which has on occasion managed to access people with first- logical heritage of Syria has been robbed of cultural objects for hand knowledge or experience of the problem. -
UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations
UCLA UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Exile, Place and Politics: Syria's Transnational Civil War Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8b36058d Author Hamdan, Ali Nehme Publication Date 2019 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Exile, Place, and Politics: Syria’s Transnational Civil War A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Geography by Ali Nehme Hamdan 2019 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Exile, Place, and Politics: Syria’s Transnational Civil War by Ali Nehme Hamdan Doctor of Philosophy in Geography University of California, Los Angeles, 2019 Professor John A. Agnew, Co-Chair Professor Adam D. Moore, Co-Chair This dissertation explores the role of transnational dynamics in civil war. The conflict in Syria has been described as experiencing one of the most brutal civil wars in recent memory. At the same time, it bears the hallmarks of a deeply “internationalized” conflict, raising questions about the role of transnational forces in shaping its structural dynamics. Focusing on Syria’s conflict, I examine how different actors draw on transnational networks to shape the geographies of “wartime governance.” Wartime governance has been acknowledged by many scholars to be an important process of civil wars, and yet it is frequently conceptualized as a “subnational” or “local” process. For Syria’s opposition, I investigate how it both produces decidedly transnational spaces in Syria’s Northwest, while also illuminating the role of a particular network of actors in doing so. For the global jihadi network Daesh (known also as the Islamic State), I illustrate the contrast between its rhetoric of transnational jihad and its practices of governance, which is considerable. -
'Statebuilding Lite': Security Assistance and Lebanon's Hybrid Sovereignty
Border management in an era of ‘statebuilding lite’: security assistance and Lebanon’s hybrid sovereignty SIMONE THOLENS* Borders in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region have traditionally been simultaneously hard and soft. They are hard inasmuch as low levels of formal trade and integration, coupled with regional conflicts and centralized state systems, foster rigid and military control of external borders. They are also soft, however, since colonial border demarcation entailed arbitrary division of social groups, and created fluid borderlands where tribal links and cross-border exchanges have rendered non-state governance models resilient and durable. In the wake of the Arab upheavals in 2011, we have witnessed increased pressure on regional borders, and subsequent militarization of borders and borderlands. We have also observed increased cross-border activity, and in some cases a de jure or de facto challenging of formal borders,1 which further adds to the question of how changes at the border structure Middle East sovereignty processes. While, as Fawcett explains elsewhere in this special issue,2 the western state model and its borders may have proved durable, challenges ‘at the border’ are likely to have implications for gover- nance and sovereignty processes in composite political systems. In discussing the Middle East, as in debates elsewhere on hybrid political orders,3 some have advocated using the term ‘hybrid sovereignty’ to describe the coexis- tence of non-state and state forms of authority.4 In this view, governance modali- ties are expressed and felt differently from in the western state, and elements of both formal and non-formal governance structures interact and overlap within a social space. -
The London School of Economics and Political Science
The London School of Economics and Political Science The State as a Standard of Civilisation: Assembling the Modern State in Lebanon and Syria, 1800-1944 Andrew Delatolla A thesis submitted to the Department of International Relations of the London School of Economics for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, London, October 2017 1 Declaration I certify that the thesis I have presented for examination for the MPhil/PhD degree of the London School of Economics and Political Science is solely my own work other than where I have clearly indicated that it is the work of others (in which case the extent of any work carried out jointly by me and any other person is clearly identified in it). The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. Quotation from it is permitted, provided that full acknowledge is made. This thesis may not be reproduced without my prior written consent. I warrant that this authorisation does not, to the best of my belief, infringe on the rights of any third party. I declare that my thesis consists of 101,793 words. 2 Acknowledgements This PhD has been much more than an academic learning experience, it has been a life experience and period of self-discovery. None of it would have been possible without the help and support from an amazing network of family, colleagues, and friends. First and foremost, a big thank you to the most caring, attentive, and conscientious supervisor one could hope for, Dr. Katerina Dalacoura. Her help, guidance, and critiques from the first draft chapter to the final drafts of the thesis have always been a source of clarity when there was too much clouding my thoughts. -
The Syrian Civil War Student Text
The Syrian Civil War Student Text PREVIEW Not for Distribution Copyright and Permissions This document is licensed for single-teacher use. The purchase of this curriculum unit includes permission to make copies of the Student Text and appropriate student handouts from the Teacher Resource Book for use in your own classroom. Duplication of this document for the purpose of resale or other distribution is prohibited. Permission is not granted to post this document for use online. Our Digital Editions are designed for this purpose. See www.choices.edu/digital for information and pricing. The Choices Program curriculum units are protected by copyright. If you would like to use material from a Choices unit in your own work, please contact us for permission. PREVIEWDistribution for Not Faculty Advisors Faculty at Brown University provided advice and carefully reviewed this curriculum. We wish to thank the following scholars for their invaluable input to this curriculum: Faiz Ahmed Meltem Toksöz Associate Professor of History, Department of History, Visiting Associate Professor, Middle East Studies and Brown University Department of History, Brown University Contributors The curriculum developers at the Choices Program write, edit, and produce Choices curricula. We would also like to thank the following people for their essential contributions to this curriculum: Noam Bizan Joseph Leidy Research and Editing Assistant Content Advisor Talia Brenner Gustaf Michaelsen Lead Author Cartographer Julia Gettle Aidan Wang Content Advisor Curriculum Assistant Front cover graphic includes images by Craig Jenkins (CC BY 2.0), Georgios Giannopoulos (Ggia) (CC BY-SA 4.0), and George Westmoreland. © Imperial WarPREVIEW Museums (Q 12366). -
Iom Response from Within Syria, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon And
IOM RESPONSE FROM WITHIN SYRIA, JORDAN, TURKEY, IRAQ, LEBANON AND EGYPT 2018 SYRIA HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE PLAN AND REGIONAL REFUGEE AND RESILIENCE PLAN 2018 IOM RESPONSE WITHIN SYRIA - 2018 SYRIA HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE PLAN 2018 PRESENCE INTERNATIONAL NATIONAL 33 STAFF 151 STAFF REQUESTED 104,889,760 $ FUNDING RECEIVED 55,862,542 $ In 2018, over 13 million people remained in need of humanitarian assistance inside Syria, including over 6 million internally displaced. Despite the spontaneous returns of over 1.2 million people (mostly IDPs) from January to December, a larger number were newly displaced in 2018 (1.3 million). Over the course of the year, IOM provided direct and indirect assistance – in the form of non-food items (NFIs), Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM), Shelter, Logistics, Coordination, WASH, Protection and Early Recovery and Livelihoods assistance - to over 5 million individuals in Syria. The IOM-managed NFI pipeline in Turkey enabled IOM and NGO partners to distribute life-saving assistance to newly displaced IDPs in northern Syria in a rapid and cost-effective manner. IOM also provided logistics support to UN agencies, INGOs, and Syrian NGOs and their network of downstream partners in southern Syria. IOM continues to provide support to critical inter-agency initiatives inside Syria including Prevention from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) and information management services. ACHIEVEMENTS SHELTER AND NON FOOD ITEMS CAMP COORDINATION AND CAMP MANAGEMENT IOM 2018 winterization response reached more than 213,800 beneficiaries In 2018, IOM supported over 180,000 IDPs through camp coordination through the distribution of winter clothing, NFI kits and heaters in and camp management related activities. -
ALIENATION and VIOLENCE: Impact of Syria Crisis Report 2014 05
Syria Alienation and Violence Impact of Syria Crisis Report 2014 March 2015 Disclaimer: The analysis and policy recommendations of this report do not necessarily reflect the views of UNRWA or UNDP or UNDP Executive Board Members or UN member states. The report is the work of SCPR supported by UNRWA and UNDP Country Office in Syria Cover image: Code Poet Credits: UNDP, REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra Copyright © 2015 Syrian Centre for Policy Research (SCPR), Damascus – Syria For enquiries: SCPR: email:[email protected] ; web: scpr-syria.org March 2015 Contents ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THE CRISIS 14 Further Contraction in a Fragmented Economy 23 Dependency on External Support 28 Total Economic Losses Reach USD 202.6 Billion 29 Huge Subsidies, Unbearable Deficit 32 Vulnerable Exchange Rates 33 Cost of Living: a Surge after Quasi Stability 34 Evaporating Productive Work 35 Alienated Economy SOCIAL IMPACT OF THE CRISIS 40 Forced Dispersion 42 Vanishing Human Choices 45 Deprivation for All! 48 Learning and Disputed Identity 51 Health: Current and Future Disaster 53 Alienation and Violence CONCLUDING SUMMARY APPENDIX 04 SYRIAN CENTER FOR POLICY RESEARCH Acronyms and abbreviations CBS Central Bureau of Statistics OCHA United Nations Office for the in Syria Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs CPI Consumer Price Index PL Poverty Line EU European Union PICC Planning and International FX Foreign Exchange Cooperation Commission GDP Gross Domestic Product SCPR Syrian Centre for Policy Research -
Domestic and International Sources of the Syrian and Libyan Conflicts (2011-2020)
Peer-reviewed Article International Security After the Arab Spring: Domestic and International Sources of the Syrian and Libyan Conflicts (2011-2020) EFE CAN GÜRCAN Asst. Prof. Department of International Relations, İstinye University Efe Can Gürcan is Associate Dean of Research and Development for the Faculty of Economics, Administrative and Social Sciences at İstinye University. He is also Chair of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration and a faculty member in the Department of Inter- national Relations, İstinye University. He serves as Research Associate at the University of Mani- toba’s Geopolitical Economy Research Group. Gürcan completed his undergraduate education in International Relations at Koç University. He received his master’s degree in International Studies from the University of Montréal and earned his PhD in Sociology from Simon Fraser University. He speaks English, French, Spanish and Turkish. His publications include three books as well as more than 30 articles and book chapters on international development, international conflict and international institutions, with a geographical focus on Latin America and the Middle East. His latest book is Multipolarization, South-South Cooperation and the Rise of Post-Hegemonic Governance. BRIq • Volume 1 Issue 2 Spring 2020 ABSTRACT The so-called Arab “Spring” may be considered as the most significant geopolitical event and the largest social mobilization that have shaped Greater Middle Eastern politics in the post-Cold War era. The present article examines how this process turned into an Arab “Winter”, having led to the world’s largest humanitarian crises since World War II. Using a geopolitical-economy framework guided by narrative analysis and incorporated comparison, this article focuses on the countries where the Arab Spring process led to gravest consequences: Syria and Libya. -
Assembling the Iron Age Levant: the Archaeology of Communities, Polities, and Imperial Peripheries
J Archaeol Res (2016) 24:373–420 DOI 10.1007/s10814-016-9093-8 Assembling the Iron Age Levant: The Archaeology of Communities, Polities, and Imperial Peripheries Benjamin W. Porter1 Published online: 5 March 2016 © Springer Science+Business Media New York 2016 Abstract Archaeological research on the Iron Age (1200–500 BC) Levant, a narrow strip of land bounded by the Mediterranean Sea and the Arabian Desert, has been balkanized into smaller culture historical zones structured by modern national borders and disciplinary schools. One consequence of this division has been an inability to articulate broader research themes that span the wider region. This article reviews scholarly debates over the past two decades and identifies shared research interests in issues such as ethnogenesis, the development of territorial polities, economic intensification, and divergent responses to imperial interventions. The broader contributions that Iron Age Levantine archaeology offers global archaeological inquiry become apparent when the evidence from different corners of the region is assembled. Keywords Empire · Ethnicity · Middle East · State Introduction The Levantine Iron Age (c. 1200–500 BC) was a transformative historical period that began with the decline of Bronze Age societies throughout the Eastern Mediterranean and concluded with the collapse of Babylonian imperial rule at the end of the sixth century BC. Sandwiched between Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean Sea on the east and west, and Anatolia and Egypt on the north and south (Figs. 1 and 2), respectively, a patchwork of Levantine societies gradually established political polities, only to see them dismantled and reshaped in the wake & Benjamin W. Porter [email protected] 1 Phoebe A. -
Civilians in Syria Struggle to Find Safety Across Borders 13 November 2014
13 November 2014 NO ESCAPE Civilians in Syria Struggle to Find Safety Across Borders 13 November 2014 No Escape Civilians in Syria Struggle to Find Safety Across Borders. Published by the Norwegian Refugee Council and International Rescue Committee, November 2014. Cover Photo: People fleeing from Syria to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq in August 2013. The border has been intermittently closed for the past 18 months, with the notable exception of a period in the summer of 2013 and from January to April 2014. Photo: Chris tian Jepsen, NRC 13 November 2014 CONTENTS Executive Summary Legal Status of 04 13 Refugees 05 Introduction 15 Resettlement Refugee Flows Conclusion 08 and Restrictions 16 12 Returns 13 November 2014 Executive Summary Life for Syrians trying to escape vio- Recognizing the generous funds pro- lence has reached a new level of hope- vided to date, as part of a greater pack- lessness. Active conflict prevents aid age of sustained support, the interna- from reaching those stuck inside Syr- tional community should: ia, while border controls are tighten- ing, reducing civilians’ ability to flee. • Urgently increase its humanitarian and In neighboring countries, health care, development (including bilateral) sup- education and other basic services are port for Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and now beyond the reach of many Syrian Iraq. Development investments should refugees. And so the despair continues, prioritize improving public infrastruc- unabated. ture, alternative shelter solutions that increase the overall housing stock, The hospitality of countries bordering health and education services as well Syria is at a breaking point. The strain is as income-earning opportunities that most felt in communities hosting refu- can best benefit both host communi- gees, where growing poverty and un- ties and refugee populations. -
Bab Al-Hara, Televising Morality and Everyday Life in the Levant Nassif, H
WestminsterResearch http://www.westminster.ac.uk/westminsterresearch Home under siege: Bab al-Hara, televising morality and everyday life in the Levant Nassif, H. This is an electronic version of a PhD thesis awarded by the University of Westminster. © Ms Helena Nassif, 2015. The WestminsterResearch online digital archive at the University of Westminster aims to make the research output of the University available to a wider audience. Copyright and Moral Rights remain with the authors and/or copyright owners. Whilst further distribution of specific materials from within this archive is forbidden, you may freely distribute the URL of WestminsterResearch: ((http://westminsterresearch.wmin.ac.uk/). In case of abuse or copyright appearing without permission e-mail [email protected] Home Under Siege: Bab al-Hara, Televising Morality and Everyday Life in the Levant HELENA NASSIF A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment to the requirements of the University of Westminster for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy July 2015 The Arabic language evolved slowly across the millennia, leaving little undefined, no nuance shaded. Bayt translates literally as house, but its connotations resonate beyond rooms and walls, summoning longings gathered about family and home. In the Middle East, bayt is sacred. Empires fall. Nations topple. Borders may shift or be realigned. Old loyalties may dissolve or, without warning, be altered. Home, whether it be structure or familiar ground, is finally, the identity that does not fade. (Shadid, 2012: xiii) What disappointments await the naive traveller to the famous cities of the fabulous East! Were all those old story-tellers lying? Did they see things differently then? Can things and people have changed so much? The eagerly awaited wonders, the marvellous surprises, the ruins, the monuments, the stories from the Thousand and One Nights, the folksongs and dances - they are no longer enough to colour the spectacle and transform it for us. -
Organized Crime in the Levant Download
POLITICAL ECONOMY REPORT ORGANIZED CRIME IN THE LEVANT Conflict, transactional relationships and identity dynamics LAURA ADAL FEBRUARY 2021 ORGANIZED CRIME IN THE LEVANT Conflict, transactional relationships and identity dynamics ww Laura Adal February 2021 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report was prepared, researched and written by Laura Adal, under the guidance of Tuesday Reitano, Deputy Director of the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC). Phone Interviews were carried out by Ahmad Sakkal and related general research by Muhammad Abunnassr, Balquees Al-Bsharat, Hadeel Azeez Dhahir, Nazli Tarzi, Salem Osseiran, and Hakan Demirbuken. Editing was done by Mark Ronan and diagrams were created by Claudio Landi. The layout was prepared by Pete Bosman and maps devel- oped by Liezel Bohdanowicz. The research for this report was made possible with funding from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). ABOUT THE AUTHOR Laura Adal is a senior analyst at the GI-TOC, where she provides research for a number of projects, analyzing a diverse range of organized-crime flows across the world. Laura is part of the core team in the development of the Organised Crime Index, which evaluates the relationship between criminality and country responses. She is a trained lawyer and previously worked at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Terrorism Prevention Branch, where she engaged in research related to terrorism and violent extremism, and provided legal counter-terrorism technical assistance to member states. © 2021 Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the Global Initiative.