Saudi Arabia 2006: New Riches, New Problems (UGI140)
For the second time in 35 years the price of oil has risen dramatically, bringing new wealth to the world’s biggest oil producer.
Last time, while much of the wealth went into improving the lives of the Saudi people, much was wasted, used to buy off critics of the regime and to consolidate the ruling family’s widely unpopular alliance with the West. Events in the region in recent years, culminating in 9/11 and the invasion of Iraq, have changed the political landscape for ever. How will the regime respond to the competing demands for reform from its critics at home and abroad?
Topics Covered;
• The Home of Islam
• The Making of Saudi Arabia
• Oil and Power
• Turbulence and Dissent
• Life in the Kingdom
• Women, Islam and Equality
• Between Terrorism and Reform
A4
Understanding Global Issues Ltd (140)
ISBN: 0-85233-508-3
Available as a Magazine only
Keeping the Peace: New Solutions for Turbulent Times (UGI155)
In the past 50 years the task of keeping the peace in the world has become immeasurably more complex, while the spread of nuclear weapons has made it more vital.
The Warming Arctic: Threat or Opportunity? (UGI154)
It has been recognised since the 19th century that the Arctic region is particularly sensitive to changes in its climate, and that what happens there directly affects the rest of the planet.
Zimbabwe 2008: A New Beginning? (UGI153)
Since the bitterly disputed elections of March 2008 the eyes of the world have been on Zimbabwe.
Afghanistan's Tragedy: A Problem for the West (UGI152)
When US led coalition forces invaded Afghanistan in 2001 in the wake of 9/11 most Western nations at least thought the invasion just.
Rubbish! The Worldwide Problem of Waste (UGI151)
In the past half century the population of the world doubled, but waste multiplied exponentially.
Globalisation 2008 (UGI150)
Globalisation is nothing new. It began with the Industrial Revolution, was boosted by the expansion of the British Empire, and only paused for the duration of the long European and World War which started in 1914 and ended in 1945.
The Struggle for Democracy in the Arab World (UGI149)
For years now the western powers, the US and Britain in particular, have touted democracy as the cure for the unending conflict in the Middle East.
The Rise of Political Islam (UGI148)
The violent activities of the past 25 years involving terrorists, mostly from the Middle East and professing Islamic ideals, as well as the ongoing carnage in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Middle East, dominate the headlines.
Israel and its Angry Neighbours: Hizbollah, Hamas and the Search for Peace (UGI147)
When this subject was last visited in 1998, the briefing was called Middle East Stalemate. Not only has there been no progress in the intervening eight years, but recent events have revealed the limits of the Israeli and American power.
Melting Ice, Rising Seas: The Front Line of Global Warming (UGI146)
Some political leaders are at last joining with scientists to say that climate change is the most important issue of our time.
Spain and Portugal: Hoping for Another Golden Age (UGI145)
Spain and Portugal once bestrode the world, then fell into a long decline which ended in dictatorship and economic stagnation.
The Democratic Republic of Congo: Poverty in the Midst of Plenty (UGI144)
In the four-year war in the Congo that lasted form 1998 to 2002 more people were killed than in any other conflict since the Second World War. Yet the crisis in the Congo was far from inevitable.
Tobacco and Tea: Simple Pleasures, Global Repercussions (UGI143)
Tobacco and tea are among the most commonly used products worldwide and have had important roles in the history of colonialism and international trade.
France 2006: On the Verge of Revolution? (UGI142)
In recent years, France has been overtaken by a growing sense of unease and frustration as globalisation, economic stagnation, diplomatic setbacks and social divisions have struck home.
Natural Disasters: Living with an Angry Planet (UGI141)
Recent years have seen an increase in the incidence of natural disasters, with the Asian tsunami, Hurricane Katrina and the Kashmir earthquake all causing death and destruction on a large scale - and reminding mankind of nature’s awesome power.
The War on Disease: A Never-ending Conflict (UGI139)
In the last 20 years, tuberculosis has returned as a major killer, drug-resistant forms of malaria have proliferated, AIDS has spread across the world, and terrifying new diseases, such as Ebola, variant CJD, and SARS, have appeared on the scene.
Globalising India: Goodbye Gandhi, Hello World (UGI138)
India is expected to become the world’s third largest economy within 20-30 years.
Christianity in the New Millennium: Different Times, Different Churches (UGI137)
In terms of believers, Christianity is the world's foremost religion. Its established authorities, from Catholic to Methodist, are struggling to adapt to the modern world without weakening the core of Christian faith.
Winds of Change in Latin America: Populism versus US Imperialism (UGI136)
Though most Latin American countries have been independent for nearly 200 years, democracy still has only shallow roots.
The Drugs Challenge: Winners & Losers in an Endless War (UGI135)
The use of drugs of all kinds has grown steadily in the last 50 years despite vigorous effects to suppress some of them.
Sudan: Old Conflicts, New Wealth in Africa’s Largest Country (UGI134)
In recent years, Sudan has endured the world’s worst humanitarian disaster, with atrocities in Darfur approaching genocidal proportions.
Farming to Survive: The Need for Agricultural Reform (UGI133)
Agriculture faces a global crisis which even major food companies now acknowledge.
Iraq after Saddam: What Chance for Democracy? (08-04M)
The consequences of the invasion of Iraq have been insurgency and terrorism on a new scale, and an appalling - but uncounted - Iraqi death toll, but also the first democratic elections since the country achieved independence.
Biodiversity: Nature’s Variety at Risk (07-04M)
An unknown, but very high, number of extinctions of animals and plants is taking place under the pressure of economic development, population growth and climate change.
China 2005: The Next Economic Superpower? (06-04M)
Already the world’s fourth largest trading nation, China seems likely to move into second place by 2008. The Beijing Olympics of that year will provide a showcase for the new China with its modern skyscrapers and technologies.
Nuclear Energy: Technology, Risk and Climate Change (05-04M)
Some industrialised countries have backed away from nuclear energy, while others, such as France, Japan and Russia, have given it a high priority.
Putin’s Russia: Becoming a ‘Normal Country’? (04-04M)
Since 2000, Russia has stabilised under the disciplined leadership of Vladimir Putin, who was recently re-elected for a second four-year term.
Slavery: Blight on the 21st Century (03-04M)
Slavery has been around since ancient times. While its traditional forms are now less common, modern slavery is still alive and well in the form of coerced labour, debt bondage and sex trafficking.
African Lands: Challenges from Angola to Zimbabwe (02-04M)
Optimists talk of an “African Renaissance” with good governance and economic development combining to make life better for the world’s poorest continent.
World Trade: For Richer - and Poorer (01-04M)
Though the WTO is much reviled by the anti-globalisation movement, it provides a powerful framework for beneficial changes to the global trading system and hence a real chance to defeat poverty in developing countries.
Australia in Focus: Tough Choices for the ‘Clever Country’ (10-03M)
Australia has undergone radical changes in the last 20 years, embracing both globalisation and multi-ethnic immigration.
The IMF & World Bank: Funding a Better Future? (09-03M)
The IMF and World Bank were founded after World War II, with the twin objectives of reconstructing a devastated Europe, and establishing a global financial framework to guard against the economic depression and social breakdown which many thought had led to the war in the first place.
World Population: Still the Biggest Problem? (08-03M)
World population is now 6.3 billion, compared with 2.5 billion in 1950 (and 1 billion in 1830). By 2050, total population seems likely to reach 9 billion.
Tension in Turkey: Democracy, Islam and Military Power (07-03M)
Terrorist bombs in Turkey have added to the stresses on this key NATO member struggling to reconcile its Asian-Islamic history with its potential EU membership.
International Law: Justice Between Nations? (06-03M)
As the debate over Iraq rages on, the limitations of current international law are being starkly revealed.
Spotlight on Italy: Culture, Commerce and Corruption (05-03M)
Italy is greatly admired by outsiders but its politics cause much concern.
Crying for Argentina: The Impoverishment of a Nation (04-03M)
As crime and poverty spread and children in rural provinces began to starve, polls in 2002 showed that a third of Argentines wanted to emigrate.
Beyond Petroleum: The Renewable Energy Revolution (03-03M)
The need to reduce dependence on fossil fuels is now widely accepted.
The State of Israel: Living with Danger and Division (02-03M)
Though Israel was born in conflict and has experienced a long succession of wars and terrorist attacks, it has managed to develop a prosperous democracy with a powerful cultural and scientific impact on the world.
The Battle for Oil: Diplomacy, Politics and Big Business (01-03M)
Oil is a key strategic resource for all industrialised countries, accounting for about 40% of primary energy use and 95% of all transport consumption.
Uniting Europe: Risks and Rewards of EU Enlargement (10-02M)
The enlargement of the EU to 25 countries is a hugely ambitious experiment in international cooperation.
Losing the Earth: Land Abuse and Soil Erosion (09-02M)
Most life ultimately depends upon the soil. Yet the Earth's fragile covering of soil is fast being degraded.
Democracy in America: Taking Power from the People (08-02M)
The United States likes to think of itself as the leader of the free world, fighting for liberty and democracy everywhere.
Air Travel: Mass Market, Growing Risks (07-02M)
Air traffic has grown rapidly for the last 50 years. Though sales dipped after 9/11, the general trend is strongly upwards, with both passenger and freight traffic expected to double by 2015.
Millions of Migrants: Seeking Asylum and a Better Life (06-02M)
In the mid-1970s, there were less than 5 million refugees and internally displaced people worldwide.
Iraq and the West: The Politics of Confrontation (05-02M)
The United States is determined to unseat Saddam Hussein, whom it sees as the key player in an 'axis of evil' which sponsors terrorism and threatens stability of the world.
The Age of Drugs: Sense, Substance and Society (04-02M)
Modern society is heavily engaged with drugs of various kinds. Almost everyone drinks alcohol and coffee; a quarter of adults smoke cigarettes; there is a growing dependence on prescription drugs.
Global Warming: Science, Politics and Nature (03-02M)
The evidence for global warming, perhaps triggered by human activity, seems to be accumulating against a background of changing weather patterns across the globe.
World Fishing: Beyond Sustainability (02-02M)
Global sea catches quadrupled between 1950 and 1990 but now appear to have reached a plateau. Indeed, for many important food species, catches are declining because of overfishing.
Pakistan: A State of Insecurity (01-02M)
Rivalry between India and Pakistan has sparked into war three times since 1947 and the risks of further conflict seemed high in early 2002.
Terrorism: Living With Fear (10-01M)
The 11 September attacks on the United States showed that even the world's mightiest military power is vulnerable to terrorism, especially when it is carefully planned and executed by people who are happy to die for their cause.
Good Business: Profits and Social Responsibility (09-01M)
Evidence of environmental and social stress has accumulated across the world, even as economic growth has continued.
The British: Who Do They Think They Are? (08-01M)
Britain was the birthplace of the industrial revolution, and through its empire can be said to have pioneered globalisation and multiculturalism.
The World of Islam: Tradition, Change and Conflict (07-01M)
Mutual understanding between Christians, Muslims and Jews is urgently needed as the world seeks to deal with the aftermath of one of the biggest terrorist outrages in history.
Superpower: American Military Dominance (06-01M)
The succession of George W Bush to the presidency and new proposals for ‘national missile defence’ have raised important questions about the role of the United States in maintaining international peace and security in the 21st century.
South Africa: From Mandela to Mbeki (05-01M)
Seven years have passed since Nelson Mandela oversaw a miraculously peaceful transition from white rule to black majority government in South Africa.
Flags of Europe: Their History and Symbolism (04-01M)
Flags were originally used to identify warring armies and they remain powerful symbols of group identity.
Ukraine: In Russia’s Shadow (03-01M)
Torn between Russia and the West, the territories which now form Ukraine and Belarus have long been a battleground for competing ideologies.
Caring for the Citizen (02/01M)
From simple beginnings in Germany and Britain at the end of the 19th century, the welfare state has grown to occupy a central place in the politics and finances of every nation.
The Water Crisis: A Matter of Life and Death (01/01M)
The world is facing a growing crisis of water scarcity, contamination and loss of aquatic biodiversity. Few rivers and lakes remain untouched by dams or pollution.
Divided Ireland: Between Hope and History (10/00M)
Partitioned in the 1920s, the Irish island comprises an independent Republic of 26 counties and, in the north, six of the nine counties of Ulster, run as part of the UK.
The Debt Burden: Crushing the World’s Poor (09/00M)
Whatever view is taken of the strategic intent which lay behind the Bretton Woods arrangements, there is no doubt that the US has benefited hugely from the international monetary system that was put in place.
Saudi Arabia: Desert Kingdom in Transition (08/00M)
In just three generations Saudi Arabia has been transformed from a rural, nomadic peasantry to a sophisticated hi-tech society.
Globalised Sport: Media, Money and Morals (07/00M)
Television and the internet have changed the climate for professional sports, bringing in vast new wealth, new competitive pressures and an ever-closer relationship with the media.
War and Peace in the Balkans (06/00M)
The world has changed profoundly since the assassination in Sarajevo which sparked the First World War. Yet the Balkans remain a dangerous tinderbox.
One Money: EMU’s First Year (05/00M)
Europe’s ‘great gamble’ is well and truly underway, and after a little over a year some of the benefits, but also some of the stresses and strains, are beginning to tell.
Europe 1945-2000: A Continent Transformed (04/00M)
As the 21st century begins, this briefing looks at how Europe has changed since 1945 from a war-ruined continent to a prosperous multinational trading entity, with former enemies such as France and Germany learning to share power - and a common currency.
A Planet Choking on Waste (03/00M)
Industrial society squanders natural resources and creates huge amounts of waste. This profligacy is in sharp contrast to the ‘closed loop’ economy of the natural world.
Egypt: Regional Leader on a Tightrope (02/00M)
Egypt is the largest country in the Arab world, its pivotal position in the Middle-East recognised by strong US financial support.
The Revolution in Genetics: Where Will Biotechnology Lead? (01/00M)
Scientists around the world have just completed a first draft sequence of the entire human genome - a three billion letter coded message written with the four bases which constitute the ‘alphabet’ of all life.
The New China: Joining the Wider World (10/99#)
After decades of semi-isolation, China has begun to link itself into the wider world. The need for energy, technology, capital and market access has pushed China into arrangements with foreign powers, which would have been unthinkable, 20 years ago.
Central America: Wrestling with US Power (09/99#)
Few regions have felt the impact of US power as much as central America. Its proximity to the US. Its strategic importance as a link between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.
The Disappearing Forests (08/99#)
Forests are essential for the health of the planet. They help to control the climate, recycle water and oxygen, prevent soil erosion and provide homes for most of the world’s species of plants and animals.
Advertising: The Attempt to Persuade (07/99#)
Advertising expenditures account for around 1% of world GDP - one cent for every dollar we spend - and have grown massively as capitalist economies have thrived.
Algeria: A Society Divided (06/99#)
In 1992, elections in Algeria which the Islamic Salvation Front had looked set to win were abruptly cancelled by the military authorities, sparking a prolonged period of virtual civil war in which as many as 100,000 people have died.
What Next for the UN? The Challenges of Global Disorder (05/99#)
The year 2000 has been designated as the “United Nations International Year for the Culture of Peace” and the “International Year of Thanksgivings”.
Russia on the Brink: Bandit Capitalism, Social Despair (04/99#)
Russia’s transition from rigid communist control to fledgling market democracy has been accompanied by remarkably little bloodshed, apart from Chechnya’s costly war of secession.
Money Across Frontiers: The Explosion of Global Finance (03/99#)
The Dow Jones industrial average rose from 2,000 in 1987 to 11,000 in May 1999, quintupling stock market prices during a period when GDP growth was less than 3% a year.
Nigeria’s New Dawn: Last Chance for the Patchwork State? (02/99#)
Nigeria’s scheduled return to civilian rule in May 1999 - under the highly-regarded Olusegun Obasanjo - is supposed to herald a new era for Africa’s most populous country.
Organised Crime: A Growing Threat to Democracy? (01/99#)
Organised transnational crime has become an important new concern of national security agencies.
Middle East Stalemate: What Hope for Progress Now? (12-98#)
After nearly 50 years of conflict and four wars between Israel and its neighbours, by 1994, when this subject was last looked at, it seemed that a turning point had been reached.
Asia’s Financial Crisis: Causes, Effects and Aftershocks (11-98#)
The financial crisis which overwhelmed East Asia in 1997 and 1998 sent shock waves around the world, raising fears of global economic meltdown.
Greece, Turkey, Cyprus: Triangle of Conflict (10-98#)
Exacerbated by macho politics, the long-running disputes between these three former members of the Ottoman Empire risk turning into military action in Cyprus or the Aegean.
Reinventing NATO: New Friends, New Enemies (09-98#)
NATO, created in 1949 to defend Western Europe from the Soviet Union, has never had to fight a war in its Treaty area.
Singapore Miracle: The City State on the Knife’s Edge (08-98#)
Singapore has become one of the world’s richest nations under the authoritarian paternalism of Lee Kuan Yew and the People’s Action Party.
Indonesia in Crisis: Meltdown of Suharto’s New Order?(01-98#)
After decades of steady economic growth and political stability, Indonesia has been hit by a wave of disasters, including forest fires, drought and financial collapse.
Iran and the West: A Failure to Communicate (12-97#)
Khomeini’s revolution of 1979 gave Iran an image of fanaticism which has been hard to dispel, even though a more moderate and democratic style has emerged in recent years.
The Plight of Afghanistan: Is Any End in Sight? (09-97#)
The virtually unbroken state of war and suffering in Afghanistan since the 1970s has been met mainly with apathy in the outside world.
France Today: Le Malade Imaginaire? (08-97#)
Modern France, like the hypochondriac in Molière’s 17th century play, is convinced of numerous maladies afflicting its condition.
Saving the Natural World: Who Cares About Biodiversity? (02-97#)
An unknown, but very high, number of extinctions of animals and plants is taking place under the pressure of economic development and population growth.
Modernising India: From Ox-plough to Satellite Dish (01-97#)
As the world’s largest democracy, now celebrating 50 years of independence, India has enormous importance for the future of global peace and prosperity.
The Remaking of Poland: From Command to Market Economy (08-96#)
Poland was the first Eastern Bloc country after World War II to put a non-communist government in power. Since the victory of Solidarity in 1989, Poland has been rapidly transforming itself into a western-oriented free market economy.
Germany United: Champions of the New Europe? (07-96#)
The collapse of communist regimes in Central and Eastern Europe and the reunification of Germany were major turning points in modern history.
Russia and Its Neighbours: Uneasy Relationships (05-96#)
Russia’s concern over security stems from its vast plains, its history of invasions and its 11 international borders.
The Troubled Balkans: History’s Dangerous Legacy (01-96#)
The world has changed profoundly since the assassination in Sarajevo which sparked the First World War.
Renewable Energy: Wind and Water Power (09-94#)
The world’s dependence on fossil fuels continues despite their finite nature and their association with pollution and global warming.
The Kurds: Caught Between Nations (03-94#)
With 20-30 million people divided between four rival countries in the Middle East, the Kurds have long been a destabilising factor in a mountainous region which is rich in water, oil and minerals.
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