Erdogan is strengthened as Turkey's democracy weakens

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Balance Of Power ◽  
Civilian Population ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Junior Officers ◽  
The Face

Significance The authorities are following up the swift defeat of the amateurish attempt to seize power by a group of junior officers on July 15-16. The would-be coup was violent: at least 290 died, and there were ugly clashes nationwide before the uprising collapsed in the face of rejection by the civilian population and televised appeals by most of the senior military. Impacts The balance of power in Turkey has shifted radically in Erdogan's favour, which may deter Western investors. Turkey's alignment with Saudi Arabia will grow more explicit. Mass trials and possibly even executions will alienate it further from international opinion.

Divisions will hamper Saudi regional security alliance

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Regional Policy ◽  
Regional Cooperation ◽  
Gulf Cooperation Council ◽  
Regional Security ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Security Challenges ◽  
Traditional Leadership ◽  
Perceived Security ◽  
The Face

Subject Saudi Arabia's Sunni Arab alliance. Significance King Salman bin Abd-al-Aziz of Saudi Arabia held talks in Riyadh with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on March 1. It was the latest in a series of meetings the king has had with the leaders of the kingdom's main Arab allies -- the five other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), plus Jordan. Since coming to power in January King Salman has prioritised efforts to resolve differences among some of those allies and strengthen coordination in the face of perceived security challenges emanating from the conflicts in Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen, and from Iranian influence in the region. The new king appears to be seeking to put his stamp on the monarchy by restoring Saudi Arabia's traditional leadership of regional policy and security. Impacts The fragile truce between Cairo and Doha is likely to break down. Prospects have improved for greater regional cooperation to help the mainstream Syrian opposition. Saudi proxy intervention in Yemen is likely to escalate, complicating efforts to resolve the stand-off with the Huthis. The UAE and Egypt will step up intervention via proxies in Libya.

Gulf states' offensive cyber tools have regional focus

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Critical Infrastructure ◽  
Gulf Cooperation Council ◽  
Digital Networks ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Technological Tools ◽  
Cyber Espionage ◽  
The Face ◽  
Gulf States

Subject The Gulf 's cybersecurity agenda. Significance Offensive cyber capabilities are technological tools for intruding into external digital networks to delete, steal or manipulate data. All six states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar -- are developing these capabilities in the face of multiple threats. Impacts There is currently no indication that the GCC states are preparing cyberattacks against critical infrastructure. GCC states will continue relying on Western and Israel private firms for advanced surveillance tools. Efforts to nationalise the cybersecurity sector will advance slowly. Cyber espionage is almost certainly a fourth, covert GCC goal.

14. The International Politics of the Gulf

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matteo Legrenzi ◽  
F. Gregory Gause
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Iraq War ◽  
International Politics ◽  
Political Identity ◽  
Balance Of Power ◽  
Gulf Region ◽  
Power Politics ◽  
Security Challenges ◽  
The Face ◽  
Gulf States

This chapter examines the international politics of the Gulf region, with particular emphasis on the security challenges confronting the Gulf states. It begins with an analysis of the policies of Iraq and Saudi Arabia as well as the United States’s increased involvement, focusing on the issues of regime security, political identity, and balance-of-power politics as they emerged during the Iran–Iraq War of 1980–1988 and the Gulf War of 1990–1991, and also from the Saudis’ alliance decisions in the face of those wars and the Iraq War of 2003. It also discusses Iran’s role, its nuclear programme, and relations with the Arab Gulf states and concludes with some remarks on the significance of the negotiations between Iran and the so-called P5+1, along with the ramifications of the Saudi–Iran rivalry for the international politics of the Gulf and the balance of power in the entire region.

Lebanon protests risk destabilising fragile status quo

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Prime Minister ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
The State ◽  
Political Crisis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The North ◽  
War Effort ◽  
The Face

Significance Uncollected waste has been piling up in the capital since the country's largest landfill closed on July 17. Prime Minister Tammam Salam has threatened to resign over the crisis, which has also seen mass protests organised by civil society groups. The protests raise questions over Lebanon's resilience in the face of domestic political paralysis and regional turmoil. Impacts Protest escalation could force resignation of prime minister or individual ministers, and throw Lebanon into a constitutional crisis. Destabilisation of the state could encourage Sunni militants to seek to control areas in Tripoli, the north and the Beka'a Valley. Turmoil in Lebanon could distract Hezbollah from its war effort in Syria, thereby weakening Syrian regime's territorial control. A political crisis in Lebanon would heighten regional tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Iraq will use Middle East geopolitics for gain

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Middle East ◽  
Balance Of Power ◽  
Pivotal Role ◽  
Regional Politics ◽  
Loss Of Face ◽  
Content Type

Significance The border has been closed for 27 years, since the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990. The move has prompted speculation about whether it might alter the regional balance of power. It highlights Iraq’s pivotal role in the region: after the 2003 US invasion, Shia Muslims replaced Saddam Hussein’s mostly Sunni regime in Baghdad, altering the geopolitical balance between the two regional hegemons, Shia Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia, and bringing religion to the fore of regional politics. Impacts Although the Yemen conflict feeds regional Shia resentment, Riyadh would be unable to withdraw without loss of face. Saudi Arabia and Bahrain will maintain security crackdowns on domestic Shia communities. Sunni resentment of alleged demographic exclusion in Syria will focus on the ongoing Iranian role in the country.

Internal divisions cloud Sudan’s future

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Civil Disobedience ◽  
Balance Of Power ◽  
Political Transition ◽  
Security Forces ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Political Dialogue ◽  
Great Uncertainty ◽  
Personal Assets

Subject Outlook for a political transition in Sudan. Significance Following the April 11 ouster of President Omar al-Bashir, Sudan faces a period of great uncertainty. The Transitional Military Council (TMC) is negotiating with the main opposition Declaration of Freedom and Change (DFC) forces over a joint transition arrangement, but talks are deadlocked and reaching agreement on the balance of power may prove challenging. Impacts Protests will continue, both in the form of the growing sit-in in Khartoum, and new nationwide marches, strikes and civil disobedience. Tensions within the security forces may lead to changes in the TMC, or even armed clashes. If political dialogue falters, revenge or spoiler violence may break out. Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will likely intensify efforts to entrench TMC rule. Bashir-era figures may try to gain influence over the TMC, at least to protect their personal assets and minimise exposure to prosecution.

Power imbalance issues in athlete sponsorship versus endorsement in the context of a scandal

2014 ◽  
Vol 48 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 1070-1091 ◽  
Author(s):  
François Anthony Carrillat ◽  
Alain d’Astous
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Design ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Balance Of Power ◽  
Brand Attitude ◽  
Power Imbalance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Probabilistic Sample ◽  
A Company

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to contrast athlete endorsement vs athlete sponsorship from a power imbalance perspective when a scandal strikes the athlete. Design/methodology/approach – A first study was conducted with a probabilistic sample of 252 adult consumers where the type of brand–athlete relationship (endorsement or sponsorship) and the level of congruence between the two entities (low or high) were manipulated in a mixed experimental design. A second study with a probabilistic sample of 118 adult consumers was conducted to demonstrate that consumers perceive that the balance of power between the brand and the athlete is not the same in endorsement and sponsorship situations. Findings – The results of the first study showed that when an athlete is in the midst of a scandal, the negative impact on the associated brand is stronger in the case of an endorsement than in the case of a sponsorship. However, this occurs only when the brand–athlete relationship is congruent. The results of the second study showed that the athlete’s power relative to the brand is greater in an endorsement than in a sponsorship context. Research limitations/implications – The findings suggest that a company that worries about the possibility that the athlete with whom it wants to build a relationship be eventually associated with some negative event (e.g. a scandal) should consider sponsorship rather than endorsement as a strategy. Originality/value – This study is the first to compare the athlete endorsement and sponsorship strategies in general and the first to put forward the notion of power imbalance in brand–athlete partnerships, its impact on how the two entities are represented in consumers’ memory networks and the consequences on brand attitude when the athlete is associated with a negative event.

Associated change in plantar temperature and sweating after transthoracic endoscopic T2–3 sympathectomy for palmar hyperhidrosis

2001 ◽  
Vol 95 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Han-Jung Chen ◽  
Cheng-Loong Liang ◽  
Kang Lu
Keyword(s):  
Skin Temperature ◽  
Temperature Change ◽  
The Body ◽  
Palmar Hyperhidrosis ◽  
Compensatory Sweating ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Postoperative Changes ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Fine Print

Object. Transthoracic endoscopic T2–3 sympathectomy is currently the treatment of choice for palmar hyperhidrosis. Compensatory sweating of the face, trunk, thigh, and sole of the foot was found in more than 50% of patients who underwent this procedure. The authors conducted this study to investigate the associated intraoperative changes in plantar skin temperature and postoperative plantar sweating. Methods. One hundred patients with palmar hyperhidrosis underwent bilateral transthoracic endoscopic T2–3 sympathectomy. There were 60 female and 40 male patients who ranged in age from 13 to 40 years (mean age 21.6 years). Characteristics studied included changes in palmar and plantar skin temperature measured intraoperatively, as well as pre- and postoperative changes in plantar sweating and sympathetic skin responses (SSRs). In 59 patients (59%) elevation of plantar temperature was demonstrated at the end of the surgical procedure. In this group, plantar sweating was found to be exacerbated in three patients (5%); plantar sweating was improved in 52 patients (88.1%); and no change was demonstrated in four patients (6.8%). In the other group of patients in whom no temperature change occurred, increased plantar sweating was demonstrated in three patients (7.3%); plantar sweating was improved in 20 patients (48.8%); and no change was shown in 18 patients (43.9%). The difference between temperature and sweating change was significant (p = 0.001). Compared with the presympathectomy rate, the rate of absent SSR also significantly increased after sympathectomy: from 20 to 76% after electrical stimulation and 36 to 64% after deep inspiration stimulation, respectively (p < 0.05). Conclusions. In contrast to compensatory sweating in other parts of the body after T2–3 sympathetomy, improvement in plantar sweating was shown in 72% and worsened symptoms in 6% of patients. The intraoperative plantar skin temperature change and perioperative SSR demonstrated a correlation between these changes.

Controlling shareholders' stock pledges and strategic change: the moderating effects of corporate governance

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xi Zhong ◽  
He Wan ◽  
Qiuping Peng
Keyword(s):  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Family Firms ◽  
Strategic Change ◽  
Balance Of Power ◽  
Controlling Shareholder ◽  
Analyst Coverage ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Controlling Shareholders ◽  
Change Behavior ◽  
Negative Effect

PurposeThe authors analyze the effects of controlling shareholders' stock pledging on firms' strategic change behavior, and investigate how the balance of power between shareholders and analyst coverage moderates those effects.Design/methodology/approachEmploying fixed effects models, the authors test hypotheses based on Chinese listed company data from 2011 to 2017.FindingsControlling shareholders' stock pledges has a negative effect on strategic change. As the balance of power among shareholders and/or analyst coverage increases, it mitigates the effect of controlling shareholder stock pledges on strategic change. In particular, the balance of power between shareholders and analyst coverage weakened the relationship between controlling shareholder stock pledges and strategic change. Lastly, after distinguishing family from nonfamily firms, the authors discovered that these findings only held for family firms.Originality/valueThis study makes important contributions to strategic change, stock pledge and family firm literature, and also provides guidance on firms' strategic change practices.

Ethics and accounting education: does teaching stand-alone religious courses affect accounting students’ ethical decisions?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ibrahim El-Sayed Ebaid
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Business Ethics ◽  
Ethical Decision Making ◽  
Ethical Dilemmas ◽  
T Test ◽  
Accounting Education ◽  
Accounting Students ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Credit Hours ◽  
Ethical Decisions

Purpose Undergraduate accounting program at Umm Al-Qura University in Saudi Arabia is a unique case. The program includes 147 credit hours of which 28 credit hours are religious courses. This study aims to examine the effect of teaching these religious courses on students’ ethical perceptions and decisions. Design/methodology/approach A survey was conducted for a sample of accounting students at Umm Al-Qura University. The sample was divided into two groups; the first group includes students who did not study religious courses, while the second group includes students who study religious courses. The questionnaire contained three groups of questions that aimed to explore students’ perceptions of ethics in general, students’ perceptions of business ethics and explored their ethical attitudes regarding some accounting decisions that involve ethical dilemmas. Independent two-sample t-test and multiple regression analysis were used to determine whether the responses of the two groups were significantly different. Findings The findings of the study revealed that teaching religious courses led to an improvement in students’ perception of business ethics and an improvement in students’ ethical decision-making. However, the results of the independent sample t-test showed that this improvement was not significant. The results of the study also revealed that male students tend to make less ethical decisions than female students. Research limitations/implications The findings offer an indication for those responsible for managing the accounting program at Umm Al-Qura University to start developing the program so that some of the general religious courses are replaced with specialized courses in accounting ethics that focus directly on ethical dilemmas faced by the accountant when practicing the accounting profession. Originality/value This study contributes to the current literature related to examining the effect of teaching ethics courses on the ethical perception of accounting students by focusing on accounting students in Saudi Arabia as a context that has not been examined before.

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