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This dissertation assesses the historical engagement of Canadian state and society with the Palestine problem. Canada’s contemporary position on the pro-Israel edge of the spectrum of world politics raises questions about long-term patterns of change and continuity in Canadian politics concerning the Middle East. Liberal patriotic historical narration of Canadian foreign policy conventionally invokes what Lester B. Pearson referred to as ‘the broad and active internationalism’ with which Canadian officials approached the world in the years after World War II. Moderate voices within the contemporary Canadian mainstream typically counterpose this history to a narrow support for Israel that pits Canada against a majority of the world community. This dissertation argues that contemporary political opposition in Canada needs to find other historical precedents to build upon. The established liberal internationalist framing obscures the formative influence upon Canadian foreign policy of a racialized politics of empire. The development of Canadian politics within the framework of the British Empire, and the domestic structures of racial power that formally endured into the twentieth century, need to be taken into account if the historical evolution of Canadian external affairs policy on Palestine – as more generally – is to be understood. Historical and political analysis structured around the assertion of national innocence undercuts the kind of understanding of the past that can inform constructive engagement with the problems of the present. As against the pervasive theme of fair-minded Canadian innocence, this dissertation finds that the implication of both the Canadian government and Canadian civil society in the denial of Palestinian rights has deep historical roots. It is critical to look not only at the scope of internationalist tendencies within Canadian political history, but also at their exclusionist boundaries. In so doing, this study positions Canada within wider Western structures of support for Israel against Palestinian and neighbouring Arab societies.

This thesis examines variation within the microlith industries of the Later Stone Age (LSA) of Northwest Africa, around the time of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) until the onset of the Holocene, between ∼25 - 11.5 ka. The traditionally held view is that whilst there is variation amongst the lithic assemblages, this can all be accommodated by a single definable industry, known as the Iberomaurusian. This thesis indicates an alternative scenario. Based on the typo-technological analysis of 16,689 lithic artefacts recovered from recent excavations at the site of Grotte des Pigeons (Taforalt, Morocco) and the re-analysis of published data using the multivariate statistical approach of correspondence analysis (CA), this thesis shows that there was much greater variation than previously proposed within the Pleistocene LSA. This thesis indicates that the LSA industries can be sub-divided into four chronologically distinct variants, an Initial LSA time-coincident with the first appearance of microlithic technology from ∼25 ka and lasting up until Heinrich event 2, a succeeding Early LSA at ∼22 ka that continued until Heinrich event 1, a Middle LSA marking a shift in technologies around this event at ∼16 ka, and an Upper LSA occurring with the climatic amelioration of the Bølling-Allørod at ∼14.5 ka. The proposed chronological model provides a new framework for categorising variation within the LSA, which is a necessary pre-requisite for potential future research addressing wider anthropological and archaeological issues, such as reasons for shifts in subsistence and settlement.

Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), defined by international law as constituting the Gaza Strip and the West Bank (the latter includes East Jerusalem), are among the highest recipients of international humanitarian aid per capita in the world. In Prolonged Humanitarianism: The Social Life of Aid in the Palestinian Territories, I examine the impact of primarily Western aid on Palestinian society in the present phase of de-development in the OPT (2010-2013). I examine four domains in particular: medical relief, psychosocial humanitarianism, gender-based interventions, and security-sector support. My research reveals the interlinked nature of these domains as well as the blurring of development and humanitarian assistance in the OPT. A central purpose of this research is to provide an ethnographic account of contemporary Palestinian subjectivity under prolonged humanitarian governance, thereby contributing to scholarship on conflict and violence, modern Middle Eastern studies, the anthropology of policy and humanitarianism, and critical development studies. / Anthropology

Cette thèse, qui consiste en une étude analytique et descriptive, porte sur une série d’auteurs français, principalement des voyageurs, ayant écrit sur l’Orient méditerranéen - Turquie, Syrie, Terre sainte et Égypte - durant les XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles. Afin de disposer d’une vision englobant tous les aspects de la vie humaine dans cette région durant ces deux siècles, nous avons sélectionné un échantillon de 24 auteurs, représentant divers domaines de connaissances: diplomates, marchands, religieux, aventuriers. Les ouvrages de ces auteurs contiennent des informations relatives à un large éventail de thèmes de l’Orient méditerranéen: l’organisation des différentes nations, les religions, la vie sociale, les villes, les aspects économique, administratif, politique et scientifique. L’étude de ces ouvrages nous permet de mettre en lumière deux éléments majeurs. D’une part nous découvrons comment les lecteurs français des XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles ont acquis des connaissances sur cette zone géographique. D’autre part nous disposons d’une vision de cet espace à travers le regard des auteurs français modernes. Trois points sont traités dans le cadre de cette thèse à partir de l’analyse de ces ouvrages: les méthodes suivies par les auteurs dans la rédaction de leurs écrits, les conditions dans lesquelles ont été produits ces ouvrages et enfin le contenu même de ces derniers avec l’étude de chacun des thèmes évoqués. Pour chacun de ces points, l’accent est mis sur les différences existant entre les auteurs du XVIIe et ceux du XVIIIe siècle, ce qui permet de dégager les évolutions qu’ont connues leurs écrits d’un siècle à l’autre dans la façon de traiter l’Orient méditerranéen. / This thesis, which is a descriptive study, covers several French writers, mainly travelers, who write on different themes about the Eastern Mediterranean - Turkey, Syria, Egypt and the Holy Land - during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. In order to have a vision encompassing all aspects of human life in this region during these two centuries, we have selected a sample of 24 authors, representing various areas of knowledge: diplomats, merchants, religious adventurers. The works of these authors provide information on various topics of the eastern Mediterranean: the organization of different nations, religions, social life, and cities, economic, administrative, political and scientific fields. The study of these works allows us to highlight two major elements. On the one hand we discover how French readers of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries have learned about this geographical area. On the other hand we have a vision of this space through the eyes of contemporary French authors. Three points are discussed in this thesis starting from the analysis of these works: the methods used by the authors in writing their accounts, the conditions in which these works were produced, and finally the content of these last with the study of the various topics covered by these authors. For each of these three points, the focus is on the differences between the authors of the seventeenth and eighteenth century ones, allowing the detection of changes experienced by their writings a century the other in how to deal with the themes of the Eastern Mediterranean.

Security and political instability may affect development of country's tourism negatively. Moreover, tourism is one of the basic development conditions of tourism. Country affected by a bad security situation, e.g. because of terrorist attacks or war, is considered as an unsafe destination by potentional visitors which may result in decline in tourist arrivals to the country. Israel has image of dangerous destination in respect of a long Arab-Israeli, or Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The aim of this study is to evaluate impact of security on inbound tourist flows to Israel based on characterization of security situation in Israel from the end of the 60's to the present and reaction of inbound tourism to this development.

The thesis focuses on the progress of the oil economies in MENA since 90's. Due to the outbreak of unrest in the Arab world, the thesis deals with the political area and causes leading to the Arab Spring. The importance of oil in the world economy and it's discovery in the Middle East and North Africa increased strategic importance of this region. Arab countries have for the past three decades undergone significant social, economic and political transformation and their oil wealth played a major role in this transformation. The first chapter focuses on economic theory dealing with raw materials and their impact on economic growth of countries. The next chapter focuses on presentation of the MENA region. The third chapter deals with the development of four selected countries - Algeria, Egypt, Syria and Libya since 90's, the impact of the global financial crisis on Arab countries and the Arab Spring.

Main aim of this master's thesis is to answer the following research question: How to deal with nuclear Iran? Author explores this vast topic through lens of a neorealist paradigm in order to analyze the impact of Russia's and US influence over Israeli-Iranian rivalry in the Middle East. Discourse analysis has been chosen as a methodological blueprint to examine strategic dimension of Israeli-Iranian relations with a special emphasis on its nuclear dimension. In addition, a comparison of both possible military and peaceful solutions of Iranian nuclear program is stressed. Main empirical data used are infamous Israeli air-strikes on nuclear reactors of its neighbors; Osirak and Al-Kibar. Deterrence theory, especially its conventional realm, provides a basis for an assessment of strategic balance between State of Israel an Islamic Republic of Iran, in case Iran emerges as a nuclear power.

This thesis deals with the energy security of Israel in contemporary context of regional tension. The paper further examines the factors, which influence the energy security, possible threats and perspectives, which could lead to increased energy independence of the country. The thesis also elaborates on the new trends in the field of natural gas exploitation in Israel.

This thesis deals with the business environment in Iran and opportunities for trade cooperation. The first chapter describes the status of Iran in the Middle East, the second one describes the cultural environment. The third chapter deals with business environment using the PESTL analysis. This thesis also examines the foreign trade of the country and Czech-Iranian cooperation, stating a few specific examples.