The vast oil resources in Saudi Arabia have for decades encouraged a generous system of oil subsidies, making the Kingdom one of the leading countries in the world with the cheapest domestic price of oil. Such subsidies have, however, encouraged inefficient utilization of oil, which is largely consumed in the power, water and transportation sectors, contributing substantially to CO2 emission in the country. These problems are exacerbated by demographic dynamics, urbanization, changes in income and consumption patterns, and industrialization. On current trends of domestic consumption patterns, Saudi Arabia will consume the whole of the oil it will produce by 2030, which will reflect negatively on the financial capacity of the government to execute its development programs. It is this revenue constraining concern, rather than ecological challenges, that has started to attract policy attention in Saudi Arabia. This book gives a unique perspective on these challenges by looking at them as investment opportunities, not financial constraints on the government budget. It sets out to examine the nature and extent of the energy and environmental challenges facing Saudi Arabia, and to explore various options for turning these challenges into profitable investment opportunities that could create jobs, boost income, develop capability in clean energy technology and promote environmental sustainability.
This book offers a new perspective about the Gulf Arab states entering a post-oil era by looking at the political factors behind the green transformation. It discusses the recent ‘environmental enthusiasm’ in the oil- and gas-rich Gulf monarchies by asking how political power can be constituted through advocating environmental sustainability. While hydrocarbon-wealthy Gulf monarchies have been viewed as the globe’s ‘hydrocarbon powerhouse’ with an immense ecological footprint, efforts towards sustainability and environmental protection measures are increasingly monitored. Climate Change, environmental, degradation and the global pressure towards a low-carbon development are threatening the very basis of economic and political power of the oil- and gas-exporting Gulf monarchies. So far, discussions about this fundamental transformation have barely elaborated how it affects and reorganizes political power games in the region. This book attempts to overcome the dominant focus of techno economic drivers of change and uncovers how environmental sustainability impacts state-society and state-elite relationships as well as shaping regional and even global geopolitics.
This volume examines the range of Non-Trade Concerns (NTCs) that may conflict with international economic rules and proposes ways to protect them within international law and international economic law. Globalization without local concerns can endanger relevant issues such as good governance, human rights, right to water, right to food, social, economic, cultural and environmental rights, labor rights, access to knowledge, public health, social welfare, consumer interests and animal welfare, climate change, energy, environmental protection and sustainable development, product safety, food safety and security. Focusing on China, the book shows the current trends of Chinese law and policy towards international standards. The authors argue that China can play a leading role in this context: not only has China adopted several reforms and new regulations to address NTCs; but it has started to play a very relevant role in international negotiations on NTCs such as climate change, energy, and culture, among others. While China is still considered a developing country, in particular from the NTCs’ point of view, it promises to be a key actor in international law in general and, more specifically, in international economic law in this respect. This volume assesses, taking into consideration its special context, China’s behavior internally and externally to understand its role and influence in shaping NTCs in the context of international economic law.
For the last 60 years, Saudi Arabia has assumed a vital economic role and has been situated on the center stage of the global economic and political scene. While the market was once dominated by American and British firms, and later Japanese corporations, Korean and Chinese companies have now aggressively entered the market and have posed serious challenges to entrenched multinational corporations. The Saudi market has newly become an arena for unbridled competition. As companies must adapt and embark on creative means to sustain their positions in dynamic markets, multinational corporations must also find a comprehensive approach to dealing with cultural and political developments. Having a competitive edge demands familiarity with market nuances and peculiarities in addition to providing quality product and service. Business and Management Environment in Saudi Arabia is not primarily about how to conduct business in the region, but rather it provides insightful information to optimally guide western managers in conducting their operations in Saudi Arabia. The book offers essential information to engage effectively, manage business activities, resolve cultural understandings, and tackle appropriate issues of group dynamics, human resource management, managing change, and development and relations with the government and the general public. As such, it is required reading for both business leaders and academics alike.
Since the outbreak of the Arab Spring the Middle East is going through a turbulent phase as violence, internal conflicts and civil wars are ravaging a number of countries. Even relatively stable Gulf monarchies are not untouched by the impact of popular demand for change. For India, the Persian Gulf is an extended neighbourhood and the region of vital importance receives scant attention. In the light of the Arab Spring, Iranian nuclear deal and the rise of ISIS, it has become impossible for India to be indifferent to the changing internal dynamics. Please note: Taylor & Francis does not sell or distribute the Hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
This new fifth edition of Information Resources in Toxicology offers a consolidated entry portal for the study, research, and practice of toxicology. Both volumes represents a unique, wide-ranging, curated, international, annotated bibliography, and directory of major resources in toxicology and allied fields such as environmental and occupational health, chemical safety, and risk assessment. The editors and authors are among the leaders of the profession sharing their cumulative wisdom in toxicology's subdisciplines. This edition keeps pace with the digital world in directing and linking readers to relevant websites and other online tools.Due to the increasing size of the hardcopy publication, the current edition has been divided into two volumes to make it easier to handle and consult. Volume 1: Background, Resources, and Tools, arranged in 5 parts, begins with chapters on the science of toxicology, its history, and informatics framework in Part 1. Part 2 continues with chapters organized by more specific subject such as cancer, clinical toxicology, genetic toxicology, etc. The categorization of chapters by resource format, for example, journals and newsletters, technical reports, organizations constitutes Part 3. Part 4 further considers toxicology's presence via the Internet, databases, and software tools. Among the miscellaneous topics in the concluding Part 5 are laws and regulations, professional education, grants and funding, and patents. Volume 2: The Global Arena offers contributed chapters focusing on the toxicology contributions of over 40 countries, followed by a glossary of toxicological terms and an appendix of popular quotations related to the field.The book, offered in both print and electronic formats, is carefully structured, indexed, and cross-referenced to enable users to easily find answers to their questions or serendipitously locate useful knowledge they were not originally aware they needed. Among the many timely topics receiving increased emphasis are disaster preparedness, nanotechnology, -omics, risk assessment, societal implications such as ethics and the precautionary principle, climate change, and children's environmental health. - Opens with an overview of the international toxicology scene, organizations and activities involved with both the science and regulatory framework, and a specific look at the European Union's efforts - Offers an extensive collection of chapters covering over 40 countries and their toxicological infrastructure which includes listings of major books and journals, organizations, professional societies, universities, poison control centers, legislation, and online databases - Provides the Second Edition of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry's Glossary of Terms Used in Toxicology, a carefully constructed and peer reviewed collation of critical terms in the science - Concludes with a potpourri of quotes concerning toxicology and their use in the arts and popular culture - Paired with Volume One, which offers chapters on a host of toxicology sub-disciplines, this set offers the most comprehensive compendium of print, digital, and organizational resources in the toxicological sciences with over120 chapters contributions by experts and leaders in the field
The United States'' relationship with Saudi Arabia has been one of the cornerstones of U.S. policy in the Middle East for decades. Despite their substantial differences in history, culture, and governance, the two countries have generally agreed on important political and economic issues and have often relied on each other to secure mutual aims. The 1990-91 Gulf War is perhaps the most obvious example, but their ongoing cooperation on maintaining regional stability, moderating the global oil market, and pursuing terrorists should not be downplayed. Yet for all the relationship''s importance, it is increasingly imperiled by mistrust and misunderstanding. One major question is Saudi Arabia''s stability. In this Council Special Report, sponsored by the Center for Preventive Action, F. Gregory Gause III first explores the foundations of Riyadh''s present stability and potential sources of future unrest. It is difficult not to notice that Saudi Arabia avoided significant upheaval during the political uprisings that swept the Middle East in 2011, despite sharing many of the social and economic problems of Egypt, Yemen, and Libya. But unlike their counterparts in Cairo, Sanaa, and Tripoli, Riyadh''s leadership was able to maintain order in large part by increasing public spending on housing and salaries, relying on loyal and well-equipped security forces, and utilizing its extensive patronage networks. The divisions within the political opposition also helped the government''s cause. This is not to say that Gause believes that the stability of the House of Saud is assured. He points out that the top heirs to the throne are elderly and the potential for disorderly squabbling may increase as a new generation enters the line of succession. Moreover, the population is growing quickly, and there is little reason to believe that oil will forever be able to buy social tranquility. Perhaps most important, Gause argues, the leadership''s response to the 2011 uprisings did little to forestall future crises; an opportunity for manageable political reform was mostly lost. Turning to the regional situation, Gause finds it no less complex. Saudi Arabia has wielded considerable influence with its neighbors through its vast oil reserves, its quiet financial and political support for allies, and the ideological influence of salafism, the austere interpretation of Islam that is perhaps Riyadh''s most controversial export. For all its wealth and religious influence, however, Saudi Arabia''s recent record has been less than successful. It was unable to counter Iranian influence in post-Saddam Iraq, it could not prevent Hezbollah taking power in Lebanon, and its ongoing efforts to reconcile Hamas and the Palestinian Authority have come to naught. The U.S.-Saudi relationship has, unsurprisingly, been affected by these and other challenges, including Saudi unhappiness with Washington''s decision to distance itself from Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, the lack of progress on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, and Iran. For its part, the United States is unhappy with the Saudi intervention in Bahrain and Saudi support for radical Islamists around the region and the world. The two traditional anchors of the U.S.-Saudi relationship-the Cold War and U.S. operation of Riyadh''s oil fields-are, Gause notes, no longer factors. It is no wonder, he contends, that the relationship is strained when problems are myriad and the old foundations of the informal alliance are gone. It would be far better, Gause argues, to acknowledge that the two countries can no longer expect to act in close concert under such conditions. He recommends that the United States reimagine the relationship as simply transactional, based on cooperation when interests-rather than habit-dictate. Prioritizing those interests will therefore be critical. Rather than pressuring Riyadh for domestic political reform, or asking it to reduce global oil prices, Gause recommends that the United States spend its political capital where it really matters: on maintaining regional security, dismantling terrorist networks, and preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons. There have been few relationships more important to the United States than that with Saudi Arabia, and it is vital that, as it enters a new phase, the expectations and priorities of both countries are clear. In Saudi Arabia in the New Middle East, Gause effectively assesses the challenges and opportunities facing Saudi Arabia and makes a compelling argument for a more modest, businesslike relationship between Washington and Riyadh that better reflects modern realities. As the United States begins reassessing its commitments in the Greater Middle East, this report offers a clear vision for a more limited-but perhaps more appropriate and sustainable-future partnership.
