Localisé sur l'île de Bahreïn, le tell de Qal'at al-Bahreïn fut un grand port occupant une position géographique stratégique, au milieu du Golfe persique, entre le Proche-Orient et le reste du continent asiatique. Grâce à cette position littorale, le site joua pendant plusieurs millénaires (du 3e millénaire avant J.-C., jusqu'au 17e siècle de notre ère), un important rôle commercial et maritime, entre la Mésopotamie, les côtes iraniennes et arabes, l'Oman, le sous-continent indien ou encore l'Extrême-Orient.Fouillé depuis près de soixante années, ce site d'habitat offre aux archéologues une stratigraphie exceptionnelle, unique dans la Péninsule arabique, qui s’étend du Dilmoun Ancien (c. 2200 av. J.-C.) jusqu’à la période islamique (c. 13e-16e siècle ap. J.-C.) et permet l’étude comparative des occupations successives du site. Au-delà de ce statut de référence régionale, Qal'at al-Bahreïn présente par ses monuments (résidentiels, administratifs, commerciaux, religieux et militaires) un véritable témoignage du développement historique de Dilmoun, culture la plus importante du Golfe antique.Les nombreux vestiges architecturaux sont associés à un matériel archéologique diversifié (céramique, métal, représentations figurées, inscriptions, sceaux, macrorestes végétaux et fauniques, incluant un grand nombre de restes de poissons). La présente étude porte sur les restes osseux de poissons exhumés lors des différentes campagnes de fouilles conduites par la mission archéologique française, de 1989 à 1996, puis de 2000 à 2004, complétés par les résultats obtenus lors des fouilles danoises, menées entre les années 50 à 70.Ce matériel osseux, abondant, et généralement bien conservé, est très bien stratifié, ce qui a permis une étude diachronique de cet échantillon.La détermination des os de poissons a permis de mettre en évidence un spectre constant de quatre familles tout au long de l’occupation du site : les Serranidae (mérous), les Carangidae (carangues), les Sparidae (sars) et les Lethrinidae (empereurs). Leur importance varie au sein de chaque occupation et il est alors intéressant de noter la corrélation entre les espèces consommées et les habitants du site.Si la période du Dilmoun Ancien montre un spectre assez varié, l’arrivée sur l’île des Kassites (c. 1450 av. J.-C.) met en avant une pêche très orientée, avec la capture des empereurs. Il semble qu’il y ait une préférence pour cette famille. Les périodes suivantes montrent un spectre à nouveau plus diversifié, qui s’étoffe d’avantage lors de la diffusion de l’Islam sur l’île. Les espèces consommées se rapprochent alors de celles commercialisées de nos jours. Cette grande variété s’accompagne d’une diminution des tailles des poissons, qui peut s’expliquer par un nouveau territoire de pêche et la capture de nouvelles espèces afin de diversifier la consommation de poisson.Malgré ces différences notables au cours des occupations qui peuvent être liées aux habitants et à leur préférence alimentaire, il apparait que les populations successives de Qal’at al-Bahreïn ont intensément exploité les ressources côtières et avaient une parfaite connaissance du milieu marin et des comportements des espèces capturées. / Located on the island of Bahrain, the tell of Qal’at al-Bahrain was a main port occupying a strategic geographical position, in the middle of the Persian Gulf, between the Middle East and the rest of the Asian continent. Thanks to its coastal position, the site played during several millenia (from the 3rd millenium BC, until the 17th century AD), an important commercial and maritime role, between Mesopotamia, the Iranian and Arab coasts, Oman, the Indian sub-continent or the Far East.Excavated since nearly sixty years, this coastal settlement offers to the archaeologists an exceptional, unique stratigraphy in the Arabian Peninsula, which extends from the Early Dilmun (c. 2200 BC) to the Middle Islamic period (c. 13-16th centuries AD), and provides the opportunity to study and compare the successive occupations at the site. Beyond this regional reference status, Qal’at al-Bahrain presents by its monuments (residential, administrative, commercial, religious and military) a true testimony of the historical development of Dilmun, the most important culture of the ancient Gulf.The numerous architectural vestiges are associated with a diversified archaeological equipment (ceramic, metal, figurative art, inscriptions, seals, vegetal and faunal macro-remains, including a large number of fish remains). The present study is devoted to the fish remains unearthed during the various excavation seasons led by the French archaeological mission, from 1989 to 1996, then from 2000 to 2004, and completed by the results gathered at the time of the Danish excavations, carried out since the 1950s. The bone material, which is abundant and quite well preserved, allows a diachronic study of this sample.The determination of the fish bones reveals a constant spectrum of four families throughout the occupation of the site: Serranidae (groupers), Carangidae (carangues), Sparidae (seabream) and Lethrinidae (emperors). Their importance varies within each occupation and it is then interesting to note the correlation between the consumed species and the inhabitants of the site.If the Early Dilmun period shows a rather diversified spectrum, the arrival of the Kassites on the island (c. 1450 BC) suggests a much more directed fishing activity, with the capture of the emperors. It seems that there is a preference for this family. The following periods show again a more diversified spectrum, which increased at the time of the spread of Islam on the island. The consumed species approach those marketed then nowadays. This large variety is linked with a reduction in the sizes of the fishes, which can be explained by a new fishing territory and the capture of new species to diversify the fish consumption.In spite of these notable differences during occupations which can rely on the inhabitants and their food preference, it appears that the successive populations of Qal’at al-Bahrain exploited intensely the coastal resources and had a perfect knowledge of the marine environment and behaviours of the captured species.

Harold Wilson, the British Prime Minister, announced in January 1968 that the British government would withdraw from the Persian Gulf by the end of 1971. For Britain, the decision indicated a re-prioritization of British global defense obligations. For the rulers of the Arab emirates of the Persian Gulf, Wilson‘s announcement signaled an end of British military protection, and the beginning of a process of negotiations that culminated in the establishment of the United Arab Emirates on December 3, 1971. An examination of the process by which the individual Persian Gulf states became a sovereign federation presents an opportunity to examine the roles of nationalism and anti-imperialism played in the establishment of the Union. This work demonstrates that Arab rulers in the Persian Gulf strove to establish their new state with close ties to Great Britain, which provided technical, military, and administrative assistance to the emirates, while also publicly embracing the popular ideologies of anti-imperialism and Arab socialism, which dominated the political discourse in the Arab world through most of the twentieth century. viii This dissertation draws on primary source materials from British and American government archives, speeches and government publications from the Arab Emirates, memoirs and a wide variety of secondary sources. These materials provide the basis for understanding the state-building process of the United Arab Emirates in the areas of pre-withdrawal development, the decision to withdraw, the problems of establishing a federal constitution, and the problems posed by the need for security in the post-withdrawal Persian Gulf. / text

Electronic Information Resources (EIR) can be seen as invaluable teaching and research tools, which complement print-based resources and enhance the learning and research processes in any academic institution. The aims of this research were to investigate, analyse and discuss the use of and needs for EIR and existing training in promoting and enhancing the quality of teaching and research activities amongst academic staff at the University of Bahrain. Extensive quantitative, qualitative and theoretical methods were used to identify and analyse academic staff EIR skills, knowledge and awareness. The population of the study is made up of all the full-time faculty members working at the University of Bahrain. A total of 593 questionnaires were distributed and 466 completed ones were returned, giving an overall response rate of 78.5%, and these were used for the purpose of the study. The result of the study revealed that printed resources are the sources of information most used for teaching and research. The colleges of Law, Art and Education had the lowest percentages of usage of EIR compared with other colleges. Work overload, lack of awareness, low skill levels, slow servers, ineffective communication systems, language barriers and a preference for print resources were among the primary constraints that affected academic staff uptake and use of electronic resources in teaching and research. One-to-one training was the preferred training method for those academics wishing to enhance their EIR skills. It was recommended that there is a need for greater promotion from the upper level decision-makers at the university if they wish to see greater use of electronic resources in teaching and research. Strategic conceptual models designed to provide solutions to the current problems and to help in setting policies and decisions for the effective use of EIR in teaching and research are given.

This diploma thesis deals with the relationship between two regional powers in the Middle East - Iran and Saudi Arabia. Middle East is a conflict-prone region with a delicate balance of power. We work with the assumption that a specific combination of internal and external factors caused the rise of Iran as a regional power. The balance of power in the Middle East has thus changed and Iran has started to pose a threat to Saudi Arabia that needs to be balanced. First, we analyze the theoretical concepts of power and region in international relations and subsequently we propose a definition of a regional power. The theory of balance of threat by Stephen M. Walt is used as a framework for the analysis of the Iranian threat. Last chapter of this thesis is devoted to three case studies. Here, we analytically describe particular examples of Iranian threat and its balancing by Saudi Arabia in Bahrain, Yemen and Lebanon.

The thesis presents rich empirical analysis of the role of public relations in facilitating participation in social change in the Arab Gulf. The focus is on what public communication approaches are used and how they are regarded from the perspectives of the key social actors. It presents an historical and sociological background of public communication and media in the Arab Gulf. Moreover, it provides in-depth analysis of two empirical case studies in the Arab Gulf: Ghiras, the national drugs prevention programme in Kuwait, and Be Free, the voluntary anti-child abuse programme in Bahrain. This thesis relates the practice of public communication in the Arab Gulf society to Arabic culture and ethics. The thesis uses a qualitative constructivist paradigm to “re-construct” the multiple realities initially constructed by social actors in the cases to provide original insights on the role of public communication and public relations in social change in the Arab Gulf. It presents a new perspective of 'social change' in the two cases that is tied to Islamic ethics. Besides, it re-constructs original Arabic-oriented understanding of 'relational' and 'persuasion' approaches, which differs from the Western paradigm. One of the key contributions of the thesis is its adaptation of relevant Western communication models to the empirical Arab Gulf cases to identify some of the crucial factors of the practice and role of public communication in the Arab Gulf. The unique contribution of this thesis is that it develops a greater understanding of alternative cultural context that might contribute to the adaptations of existing theory and therefore a first step towards new models. It introduces a theoretical framework for other scholars to develop an Arabic public communication ethics theory and to build up a cultural model of the practice of public communication and public relations in the Arab Gulf. The thesis generates key theoretical implications that contribute to the theoretical discussion on the value and role of media, public relations, social marketing, and public communication in the Arab Gulf society at the age of globalisation.

Ce travail de recherche en histoire de l'art a débuté par une enquête sur la série photographique Interface (2014) de l'artiste palestinien Taysir Batniji. Réalisée au Bahreïn, l'oeuvre présente une vision topographique et métaphorique des archipels axée sur la représentation d'infrastructures vernaculaires et de lieux interstitiels. Notre analyse de l'iconographie des images et de leur mode de production soutient qu'une vision critique subtile de la situation sociopolitique actuelle du Bahreïn imprègne le travail de Batniji. C'est dans cette perspective que ce mémoire s'intéresse plus généralement à la représentation photographique de l'espace limitrophe comme lieu de médiation où peuvent émerger des réflexions pertinentes sur la situation sociopolitique, économique et environnementale actuelle. Dans notre analyse de l'oeuvre d'art, la notion de médiation est centrale et intervient sous plusieurs formes. Nous l'abordons autant du point de vue de l'histoire sociale de l'art, en considérant les conditions matérielles et contextuelles de l'oeuvre, que d'un point de vue ancré dans une vision philosophique de l'objet d'art comme dispositif capable d'agir sur nos perceptions et nos attitudes. / This research in art history investigates the photographic series Interface (2014) by Palestinian artist Taysir Batniji. Photographed in Bahrain, the work presents a topographic and metaphorical vision of the archipelagos, focused on the representation of vernacular structures and interstitial sites. Our analysis of the iconographic motifs of the images and their mode of production suggests that Batniji's work presents a subtle critique of Bahrain's contemporary sociopolitical situation. The focus of this thesis is the photographic representation of bordering spaces as places of mediation through which relevant viewpoints on current sociopolitical, economic and environmental questions are set to emerge. The concept of mediation intervenes in many forms and is central to our analysis. We are borrowing from its use in social theories of art history, where material and contextual conditions are considered, as well as in various perspectives rooted in philosophy in which the artistic object functions as a device able to act upon our perceptions and our attitudes.

Cette thèse s’attache à déconstruire, à localiser et à inscrire dans des dynamiques politiques locales d’abord, régionales et internationales ensuite, la perception qui s’est faite jour à compter du milieu des années 2000, que « le Golfe », espace aux contours rarement définis, serait devenu le lieu d’un développement culturel de très grande ampleur. Cette nouvelle image internationale des principautés arabes du golfe Persique, éloignée de leur association traditionnelle aux hydrocarbures et à la guerre, repose sur deux phénomènes distincts, voire opposés : la formation d’un marché de l’art arabe et iranien basé à Dubai qui se fait le reflet de la formation de nouvelles bourgeoisies dans les grands pays voisins, et la multiplication des annonces de musées à forte visibilité internationale au Qatar et à Abou Dabi qui ont pour cible prioritaire un public européen. Les musées sont l’objet principal de cette étude, le marché son objet secondaire. En croisant l’histoire et la science politique, une typologie binaire des musées golfiens et l’évolution du rapport de force entre les trois grandes composantes sociales des populations nationales des principautés depuis les années 1960, il apparaît que le musée, cette institution d’origine européenne qui sous sa forme moderne est apparue au XVIIIe siècle et qui compte au nombre des premières formes d’espaces publics, est dans les principautés arabes du golfe Persique un outil de renforcement de l’autoritarisme. Ce rôle qui est le sien depuis le temps de sa genèse dans les années 1960, s’est accentué au Qatar et à Abou Dabi depuis la Guerre du Golfe de 1990-1991. / This doctoral thesis aims at deconstructing, spatializing and inscribing in local and then international political dynamics the new perception emerging in the West that presents « the Gulf », a region whose boundaries are rarely defined, as the place for a large scale cultural development. This new international image of the Arab principalities of the Persian Gulf, that no longer reduces them to oil and war, but associates their names to culture, relies on two different phenomenons : the birth of an Arab and Iranian art market based in Dubai that reflects the formation of new elites in the neighbouring regional powers on the one hand, and the rise of a new type of museums targeting a European audience first, characterized by their international visibility, in Qatar and in Abu Dhabi on the other. The museums are the main object of this research, the art market its secondary one. By mixing political science and history, a binary typology of the museums and the evolution of the balance of power between the three main social components of the national communities in the Arab principalities since the 1960, the museum, this institution of European origin born in its modern form in the 18th century as one of the earliest forms of public spaces, appears as a tool for the consolidation of authoritarianism. This role that the museums has been playing since the 1960s, when the regional importation of this cultural model started, has even increased in Qatar and in Abu Dhabi since the end of the 1990-1991 Gulf War. Since that period, the new museums are actively taking part to the political marginalization of the national bureaucracy.

L’arbitrage dans les pays arabes connaît aujourd’hui une nouvelle dynamique se traduisant pas la promulgation de nouvelles lois d’arbitrage et l’implantation de nouveaux centres d’arbitrage. Cette dynamique est d’autant plus particulière qu’elle se caractérise par la mise en place de zones franches juridiques conduisant à la division du pouvoir judiciaire et à la coexistence de deux systèmes juridiques, on-shore et off-shore. Cette nouvelle dynamique est-elle pour autant le reflet d’une approche désormais favorable à l’arbitrage ? Quelle est la place faite à l’arbitrage dans les pays arabes? La réponse à ces problématiques majeures ne peut s’effectuer qu’à travers l’étude du recours en annulation des sentences arbitrales. En effet, l’approche de l’arbitrage dans les pays arabes ne peut être évaluée qu’à la lumière de la position des tribunaux étatiques lors du contrôle judiciaire de la sentence arbitrale. Il s’agira d’examiner la nature du recours en annulation, sa coexistence avec les voies de recours ordinaires, son exercice et les différents motifs d’annulation. Il s’agira également d’analyser les règlements d’arbitrage qui prennent position sur les voies de recours et in fine sur le sort de la sentence arbitrale à travers l’étude de la demande de reconnaissance et d’exécution des sentences arbitrales, aussi bien dans les zones on-shore que dans les zones off-shore. Cette étude permettra ainsi de déterminer la perception de l’arbitrage dans les pays arabes et les réformes qui doivent être entreprises en vue de sa promotion comme mode normal de résolution des litiges du commerce international. / Today, within Arab states, a new dynamic in arbitration is taking shape. This is reflected in the proliferation of new arbitration legislation and the establishment of emergent arbitration centres across the region. What makes this new dynamic even more remarkable is the contemporaneous establishment of legal free-zones where judicial power is divided and co-exists between two systems best described as on-shore and off-shore. This thesis seeks to explore the possible implications of this new dynamic with a view to determining whether or not it can be considered a reflection of a developing, more favourable approach to arbitration in Arab countries. In order to address this issue effectively, this thesis will examine the present and immediate approaches to arbitration of judiciaries in 10 Arab states. This will be achieved through the study and analysis of the action for setting aside arbitral awards in these Arab states. This thesis will look at the nature, exercise and application of the action for setting aside arbitral awards. In addition, it will explore the grounds for this action and how, as a recourse, the action for setting aside exists alongside and interacts with other avenues of recourse. In order to assess the current approaches of judiciaries, within Arab countries, this thesis will also analyze current arbitration legislation and institutional regulations. This is in addition to the emerging trends and common practice, that is, in the context of the recognition and execution of arbitral awards, in both on-shore and off-shore legal systems.

The diploma thesis named British reaction to the Arab Spring events in the context of United Kingdom's relations with Persian Gulf countries is concerned with an impact of the revolutionary events of 2011, known as the Arab Spring, on bilateral cooperation between United Kingdom on one side and Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Oman on the other. While using quantitative analysis approach, it depicts how the Persian Gulf developments were reflected by prominent British representatives and members of the Cameron coalition government. Since the government promised to approach foreign policy matters through a liberal-conservative lens and also planned to further deepen its relations with Persian Gulf countries, the Arab Spring events can be interpreted as a clear dilemma for British policymakers. This thesis aims to answer whether such dilemma forced the government officials to re-asses the traditionally warm attitudes towards Persian Gulf and additionally, it demonstrates which spheres of their cooperation were threatened the most. Firstly, the bilateral relations between United Kingdom and Persian Gulf countries between 1971 and 2010 are described. Then, the focus moves towards the Cameron coalition government and its foreign- policy aims. In its final part, the thesis focuses on British...

Les six pays qui forment le Conseil de Coopération du Golfe (CCG) disposent encore collectivement de vastes réserves de pétrole et de gaz. Mais pour combien de temps ? Arabie Saoudite, Bahreïn, Émirats Arabes Unis, Koweït, Oman et Qatar n’ont pendant longtemps imposé que les sociétés pétrolières étrangères. Conscients de la limite de la manne pétrolière, ils cherchent depuis plusieurs années à diversifier leur assise économique en attirant toujours plus d'investissements directs étrangers, autres que pétroliers. Un droit fiscal commun, applicable aux activités commerciales et industrielles des entreprises étrangères, a ainsi vu le jour en Arabie Saoudite, au Koweït, en Oman et au Qatar. Ce régime fiscal se distingue à la fois par de faibles taux d’imposition et par le renforcement permanent des moyens de recouvrement et de contrôle des opérations internationales des entreprises étrangères. Les entreprises françaises qui opèrent dans cette région bénéficient toujours, en application des conventions contre la double imposition, d’une suppression des retenues à la source sur leurs revenus issus des pays du CCG. C’est un avantage fiscal considérable par rapport à leurs homologues domiciliées dans d'autres pays occidentaux. Mais aujourd’hui, les sociétés françaises doivent faire face à une politique fiscale plus « agressive ». Elles sont confrontées à des systèmes fiscaux attractifs mais évolutifs, très diversifiés et de plus en plus coercitifs. / The six Arab states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) still hold collectively vast reserves of oil and gas. But for how much longer? Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar have for a long time taxed only foreign oil companies. Aware of the limits of the oil godsend, these countries are currently seeking to diversify their economic basis by drawing in ever more foreign direct investment outside of the fossil fuel sector. New taxation laws applicable to foreign commercial and industrial activities have therefore been enacted in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar. These laws share two main characteristics: low tax rates and strengthened measures to collect taxes and control the international operations of foreign companies. Under double taxation treaties, French companies operating in that region still enjoy exemption from withholding tax on their GCC revenue. That is a considerable advantage compared to their counterparts based in other Western countries. Yet French companies must now encounter an "aggressive" fiscal policy. They are confronted with attractive fiscal systems but constantly changing, diverse and coercive.