Author: James M. Dorsey
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 9780199394975
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
James M. Dorsey introduces the reader to the world of Middle Eastern and North African football - an arena where struggles for political control, protest and resistance, self-respect and gender rights are played out. Politics was the midwife of soccer in the region, with many clubs being formed as pro- or anti-colonial platforms and engines of national identity and social justice. This book uncovers the seldom-told story of a game that evokes deep-seated passions. Football fans are shown to be a major political force and one of the largest civic groups in Egypt after the Muslim Brotherhood: their demands for transparency, social justice, and an end to corruption sparked vicious street battles that left scores dead and thousands wounded. Discontent in Algeria erupts regularly at matches where fans demand the ouster of military leaders. A folk-song crooning national goalkeeper leads protests in Homs, Syria's third largest city and scene of some of the worst violence perpetrated by Bashar al-Assad's regime. In a country that bans physical education for girls, Saudi women have established clandestine football clubs and leagues. The book further tells the story of Somali child soldiers turned soccer stars and Iranian women who dress as men to smuggle themselves into stadiums to watch matches.

Author: James M. Dorsey
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 331964355X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 278

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Book Description
This book explores China’s significant economic and security interests in the Middle East and South Asia. To protect its economic and security interests, China is increasingly forced to compromise its long-held foreign policy and defence principles, which include insistence on non-interference in the domestic affairs of others, refusal to envision a foreign military presence, and focus on the development of mutually beneficial economic and commercial relations. The volume shows that China’s need to redefine requirements for the safeguarding of its national interests positioned the country as a regional player in competitive cooperation with the United States and the dominant external actor in the region. The project would be ideal for scholarly audiences interested in Regional Politics, China, South Asia, the Middle East, and economic and security studies.

Author: Danyel Reiche
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0197507158
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
Sport in the Middle East has become a major issue in global affairs. The contributors to this timely volume discuss the intersection of political and cultural processes related to sport in the region. Eleven chapters trace the historical institutionalization of sport and the role it has played in negotiating "Western" culture. Sport is found to be a contested terrain where struggles are being fought over the inclusion of women, over competing definitions of national identity, over preserving social memory, and over press freedom. Also discussed are the implications of mega-sporting events for host countries, and how both elite sport policies and sports industries in the region are being shaped. Sport, Politics and Society in the Middle East draws on academic disciplines from the humanities and social sciences to offer in-depth, theoretically grounded, and richly empirical case studies. It employs diverse research methodologies, from ethnography and in-depth interviews to archival research, to make a lasting contribution to this critical subject.

Author: Dorsey James Michael
Publisher: World Scientific
ISBN: 9814689785
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 424

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Book Description
The Middle East and North Africa are experiencing the most fundamental transition in their post-colonial history. It is a transition that is changing the borders of nation states as well as their political and social structures. Conflicting visions of what those structures should look like have ensured that transition will take years, and these deep-seated differences have ensured that the transition process is volatile, brutal and bloody. The balance of power shifts like quicksand. Shifting Sands: Essays on Sports and Politics in the Middle East and North Africa is a compilation of essays that constitute a first stab at exploring the importance of sports in general and soccer in particular in the political, social and cultural development of the Middle East and North Africa since the beginning of the 20th century. In doing so, the book provides a new, fresh and unique perspective that contributes to understanding the turbulence sweeping the region that is fundamentally changing its geopolitics and political and social structures. Contents: IntroductionStreet, Shrine, Square and Soccer Pitch, Comparative Protest Spaces in Asia and the Middle EastReflections on the Revolutions in the Arab World — A Response to Ali A AlawiFacing One's Demons: The Egyptian Military and the Brotherhood at a CrossroadsThe War on the Islamic State: A Purely Military Response to Societal ProblemsHitting Militants Where It Hurts, Development Is the Way to Fight Global TerrorismIsraeli-Palestinian Peacemaking: A Paradigm ShiftA Region in Turmoil: Threats to Gulf Energy and ShippingTurkey: Caught between A Rock and a Hard PlaceWahhabism versus Wahhabism: Qatar Challenges Saudi ArabiaA Decade of Defiance and Dissent, A Wake-up Call for SportsSoccer versus AutocracyThe 2022 World Cup: A Potential Monkey Wrench for ChangeHow Qatar Is Its Own Worst EnemyAsian Football: A Cesspool of Government Interference, Struggles for Power, Corruption and GreedFootball: A Sporting Barometer of European Integration Policies Readership: Scholars as well as related media covering the regions of Middle East and North Africa, social movement, sports, and political and religiously motivated violence. Keywords: Middle East;North Africa;Political Violence;Sports;Governance;Egypt;Qatar;IslamReview:0

Author: Alon Raab
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317605349
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
Soccer is a vital part of the Middle East’s cultural and political fabric, most recently demonstrated by the way the recent successes of the Iraqi national team suggested possibilities of unity and solidarity. This edited collection explores the multifaceted connections between soccer and society in the Middle East. It examines the broader social significance of soccer and its importance to individual lives, how the game acts as a source of both conflict and unity and how it relates to religious belief. The chapters in this volume include an analysis of the role of ‘African’ identity in the Egyptian and Moroccan bids to host the 2010 World Cup, the relationship between FIFA and Palestinian statehood and a case-study examination of the UltrAslan, an organisation of Galatasaray fans, that challenges Turkish fandom’s violent and nationalistic reputation. The themes of this book are also addressed through the perspective of individual accounts and literary selections. This collection offers a crucial insight into the hope that soccer can provide, how it captures the imagination and embodies the values and dreams of its followers in the complex, dynamic and politically fraught societies of the Middle East. This book was originally published as a special issue of Soccer & Society.

Author: Christopher Snedden
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 1849043426
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 396

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Book Description
Examines the strategic and historical circumstances surrounding the British creation and handing over of the Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir, the Maharaja's accession to India, and the unintended consequences of these actions.

Author: Transparency International
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317443756
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 399

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Book Description
Sport is a global phenomenon engaging billions of people and generating annual revenues of more than US$ 145 billion. Problems in the governance of sports organisations, fixing of matches and staging of major sporting events have spurred action on many fronts. Yet attempts to stop corruption in sport are still at an early stage. The Global Corruption Report (GCR) on sport is the most comprehensive analysis of sports corruption to date. It consists of more than 60 contributions from leading experts in the fields of corruption and sport, from sports organisations, governments, multilateral institutions, sponsors, athletes, supporters, academia and the wider anti-corruption movement. This GCR provides essential analysis for understanding the corruption risks in sport, focusing on sports governance, the business of sport, planning of major events, and match-fixing. It highlights the significant work that has already been done and presents new approaches to strengthening integrity in sport. In addition to measuring transparency and accountability, the GCR gives priority to participation, from sponsors to athletes to supporters an essential to restoring trust in sport.

Author: Nicholas Walton
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 1787381617
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
Modern Singapore is a miracle. Half a century ago it unwillingly became an independent nation, after it was thrown out of the Malay Federation. It was tiny, poor, almost devoid of resources, and in a hostile neighborhood. Now, this unlikely country is at the top of almost every global national index, from high wealth and low crime to superb education and much-envied stability. But have these achievements bred a dangerous sense of complacency among Singapore's people? Nicholas Walton walked across the entire country in one day, to grasp what it was that made Singapore tick, and to understand the challenges that it now faces. Singapore, Singapura teases out the island's story, from mercantilist Raffles and British colonial rule, through the war years, to independence and the building of the current miracle. There are challenges ahead, from public complacency and the constraints of authoritarian democracy to changing geographic realities and the difficulties of balancing migration in such a tiny state. Singapore's second half-century will be just as exacting as the one since independence--as Walton warns, talk of a "Singapore model" for our hyper-globalized world must face these realities.

Author: Danyel Reiche
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000567931
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 470

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Book Description
This Handbook provides a succinct overview of sport in the Middle East, drawing in scholars from a wide variety of geographical and disciplinary backgrounds (history, politics, sociology, economics and regional studies), with different methodological approaches, to create the ‘go-to’ text on the subject. After the introduction, 33 chapters from leading subject experts cover areas including history, politics, society, economy and nationhood. The authors help shed light on how certain Middle Eastern countries have become increasingly active in international sports, and the efforts made to positioning themselves as the new global ‘sports hubs’. Split into five sections, the book offers a multi-disciplinary analysis of a diverse range of sports across the geographic Middle East, including football, mixed martial arts, rugby, athletics and cycling. The authors highlight and respond to issues such as the naturalisation of athletes, female athleticism, sports media and supporter cultures. The Routledge Handbook of Sport in the Middle East stands apart from previous research through offering first-hand accounts of sport in the area from authors who live and work in the region or have a history of regularly visiting and conducting research in the region. It will be of interest to academics and students alike, in the fields of Middle East politics, sport, sport in the Middle East, international relations, governance and sociology.

Author: Rotem Kowner
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000968804
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 276

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Book Description
This book examines the changing relations between the Asian part of the Middle East and the rest of the continent during the 21st century. Written by leading experts, this ground-breaking volume utilizes a comprehensive and multi-dimensional perspective to offer a novel and unique outlook on the evolving shape of East-West Asia relations and their global impact. Critically, it demonstrates that the intensification and diversification of East-West Asia relations since the 1990s have altered them from a set of separated bilateral ties into complex interregional relations. The book presents a nuanced, comparative look at Asian countries’ responses to global developments, and China’s rise in particular, and offers a new perspective on the very concept of Asia itself. It will be of interest to scholars, students, and practitioners working in the fields of International Relations, Asian Studies, and Middle Eastern Studies.