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The archaeological evidence for the Neolithic of the Levant, considered to have lasted from c. 8500 to 3750 B.C., is presented and an attempt made to explain its origins and development. The discussion is concerned with four principal themes: (1) the transition from a hunter-gatherer to a farming economy, (2) the social evolution that accompanied this economic development, (3) population growth immediately before and during the Neolithic and (4) the modifications in settlement patterns which followed these other changes. The environmental changes which occurred at the end of the Pleistocene and early in the Holocene are believed to be of fundamental importance. The degree of their influence on the four main themes is examined. The effects of man's own changing activities upon his environment are also considered. The Neolithic of the Levant is divided into four stages, designated Neolithic 1 to 4, on the evidence of changes in economy, population, settlement patterns and cultural remains. Regional groups of sites, defined by their cultural material, may be discerned and their evolution followed from one stage to the next. The detailed archaeological evidence is examined principally for the light it throws upon the development of the four main themes of the thesis and the contemporary changes in environment. It is argued that the amelioration of the environment in the late Pleistocene created a greater supply of wild foods for man which stimulated population growth. This was accompanied by increased sedentism and the development of agricultural techniques. In Neolithic 2 agriculture was intensified and the population grew further. After 6000 B.C. the population of the Levant lived in permanent settlements supported by agriculture but these were concentrated only in the more fertile and well-watered areas of the Levant. This new way of life permitted another increase in population in Neolithic 4 despite a deterioration in the environment.

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This thesis follows four main objectives. First, it explores Iran's First Development Plan directives from the economic, marketing, cultural, and financial perspectives by comparing data available from both local and international organisations. Second, it sets out to evaluate and determine the categories in which Iran has a comparative advantage. Third, it purports to analyse Iran's classification of competitors, and her exports potential to EU by considering similar and comparable economies. Fourth, it predicts Iran's marketing with EU during her Second Development Plan by forecasting both economic and non-economic factors. In this thesis, we first review and explore many factors that have been considered to be essential for Iran's export during her First Development Plan by using statistical methods such as the trend and time series analyses. Furthermore, the results of Iran's Reveal Comparative Advantage (RCA) for Non-Oil exports to EU indicate that it has a good potential for developing its exports in agriculture and labour-intensive products. Moreover, by reviewing and analysing the trade performance of Iran and its competitors, we can determine the marketing and economic status of these countries in terms of export trends and Non-Oil Export Similarity Index(ESa) in selected categories. Considering our classification of Iran's competitors, we can predict its marketing of Non-Oil products to EU in accordance with its Second Development Plan (1995-99) and with respect to three categories: political and cultural backgrounds, economic and marketing analyses, and interviews with experts. Finally, we can conclude that the model which we have proposed for the export marketing of Iran's Non-Oil products, and which is based on the theories of International Product Life Cycle and Experience Curve, fits in with the implications of the results obtained throughout this research.

The last decade has witnessed a dramatic resurgence in the United States capabilities of deploying her military forces around the world, particularly, in the Persian Gulf region. The region's security and stability, due to its extensive oil reserves, is crucial for the well being of the global economy. This thesis is a study of the interaction between the United States' policies and Persian Gulf regional developments in the new system of power relations in the region. No bilateral interaction can be understood properly without a reference to the multilateral context in which it occurs. Therefore, in this study the Persian Gulf region is used as the unit of analysis and the interaction is studied in the context of regional security and stability as methods of assessing the effects of the two interacting factors. The study traces both regional developments and US policies towards the region in a period of approximately three decades since the British withdrawal in the early 70s and it attempts to construct an analytical framework for the study of the effect of regional developments upon US policies in the region. The most salient features of the present work and its original contribution to the literature of the Persian Gulf studies are as follows: 1. Using a systemic approach, it defines the Persian Gulf as a geopolitical region and rejects the concept that it has sub-systemic relations to the Middle East. 2. It shows instead that the region is a subsystem of the international system. The interaction between US policies and regional developments is directly assessed without reference to intermediate levels. 3. Three systems of power relation have been proposed as the main framework for the study of the United States' role in the region from the time of the British withdrawal from the region. 4. A distinction has been made between "security of the Persian Gulf region" and "security of the foreign power interests in this region" in order to assess the interaction between US policies and the regional developments. 5. It presents for the first time the idea of "dual functional effects of regional developments" and shows that the role of the United States in this region is a function of two complementary variables of "threats" and "opportunities". This study applies different methods in dealing with its different procedures of analysis namely: "analysing historical background"; "conceptual clarifications"; "explaining the problematic"; "hypothetical illustrations"; "reasoning" and "theory building and prescription. " However, it mostly uses a normative analysis of rational (not actual) choices.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.