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The Middle East's political structure has recently undergone a transformation where diplomatic ties and normalization have characterized the regional context. The ongoing normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel is the latest in developing bilateral relations, where a realized agreement would have a significant impact on the security and political structure of the region, but also have consequences internationally. The purpose of the paper is to further examine Saudi Arabia's role in the normalization process with Israel through a case study, where the potential agreement is analyzed by using the theoretical frameworks of realism and liberalism. The study’s theoretical framework is being operationalized where security and elements of power contextualize the essence of realism, while the nature of liberalism is being put into context by interdependence, peace theory and individual rights. The normalization can be explained through driving forces within security- and economic policies, which are being promoted with the help of a bilateral treaty with Israel. Additionally, the potential diplomatic relation correlates with the national reshaping of Saudi Arabia. This transformation demands regional stability and diversification of the state’s economic sector, in order to proceed with Vision 2030.

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Five professionals who have been working as journalist in their home countries come to Scandinavia after different kinds of terrible experiences and difficulties and there their status is refugee. They all attend to a course of radio making, radio is a new media for all of them and during the course they learn more about the media and have all by the end of the course made a radio documentary about themselves. Their documentaries were short stories about the events of their lives. More and more immigrants and refugees are coming to Scandinavia and have to build a new life in a new society. This paper explores life stories of people when integrating and seeks answers to questions why it is important to share your life story with other and could sharing your story help with integration. The interest is also in radio as a media and as a media for storytelling, what are its strengths and weaknesses and what does future hold for radio in rapidly changing media environment. The research combines two qualitative methods which are supposed to complement each other: qualitative interviews and narrative analysis for analysing radio documentaries.

This thesis examines the embodiment and disembodiment of Middle Eastern women in Suheir Hammad’s Breaking Poems (2008) and Solmaz Sharif’s Look (2016) to better understand how war, diasporicity, violence, and intimacy affect the socio-political subjection of Middle Eastern women in the United States. Through analyzing poetry, this thesis posits that Middle Eastern women’s subjection to racism and sexism as diasporic subjects in the United States leads to their disembodiment, resulting in feelings of displacement, loss, and uncertainty regarding their identities, which parallels the disembodiment they experience in the Middle East as a result of war. The Introduction Chapter answers why this thesis focuses on diasporic Middle Eastern women and the poetry of Suheir Hammad and Solmaz Sharif. Chapter One provides a theoretical framework of the major themes discussed throughout the thesis, such as embodiment, disembodiment, precarity, and double consciousness. Chapter Two discusses Suheir Hammad’s Breaking Poems with an emphasis on a hyper-individualized account of disembodiment. Chapter Three addresses Solmaz Sharif’s Look, focusing on poetry’s movement between different geographical spaces and time frames to present a wide range of disembodiment(s) experienced by not only Solmaz Sharif, but also by other Middle Eastern subjects. The Conclusion Chapter demonstrates that the theme of embodiment and disembodiment supports Hammad and Sharif’s efforts to give voice to the silenced experiences of diasporic Middle Eastern women. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

Yes / The remarkable evolution in the twentieth century has been a result of a new perspective in understanding the importance of investing in individuals and organizational human resources, and the implementation of capacity building strategies in various organizations and in societies. This paper explores the case of ICO, an international consultancy organization, based in the Middle East, specialized in architecture, engineering, planning, environment and economics. This qualitative study, using thirteen selected semi-structured interviews, observations, and secondary data, has been conducted in the Beirut design office of the organization. The paper aims to examine major human resource related capacity building themes in ICO which include employee involvement and motivation, recruitment and selection, in addition to performance appraisal and reward management.

yes / This paper sets out to provide a deeper understanding of the regulatory framework to drive energy transformation processes in the MENA region and the barriers for change. The recent developments in a global scale have encouraged States to look towards alternative sources of energy to power their nation, with nuclear energy and renewable technologies. Technologies such as wind power and solar energy appear to be attracting interest in many countries and regions, and in the MENA region this is primarily solar energy. However, all States are at different stages of development and therefore, it poses a challenge for taking into consideration definitively the costs and efficiency of renewable energy technologies. This paper investigates the state of preparedness of the legal framework in the region in order to deploy renewable sources of energy to power these countries in years to come.

This research investigates the strategic intentions behind the Iranian state's programs for acquiring nuclear weapons. Using Graham Allison's Rational Actor Model of national decision-making, this thesis investigates three questions: 1) Iran's motivations for obtaining nuclear weapons; 2) Iran's strategies for actual use of nuclear weapons; and, 3) alternative political frameworks for the U.S. to use with Iran to minimize the negative effects of a nuclearized Iran. This study asserts that Iran would most likely acquire nuclear weapons for the purposes of self-reliance, a greater international voice, to make up for deficiencies in conventional weapons, and for deterrence. Some scholars argue that since Iran should be designated a "rogue" state, it may become aggressive or hostile once obtaining nuclear weapons. Yet, Iran's political actions actually seem to have become increasingly pragmatic. Hence, it appears that Iran would use this arsenal to induce caution among its rivals to avoid major wars, as well as a tool for deterrence. While current political differences between Iran and America are considerable, this research recommends pursuing greater political engagement with Tehran, focusing on mutual benefits. American policymakers should implement policies which rely on positive inducements for change as well as sanctions for non-compliance. If no rapprochement takes place prior to Iran's nuclearization, however, the U.S. will need to employ tactics for minimizing the significance of Iran having nuclear weapons. This research suggests that Washington could begin by implementing economic, technical and material sanctions, establishing a Middle East missile defense system, and beefing-up U.S. coastal defenses. / Master of Arts

Yes / This article provides an overview of the current stage of development as well as the outlook for future cooperation in the field of renewable energy between the European Union and the countries of Middle East and North Africa (MENA). To continue with the progress achieved in the context of the Mediterranean Solar Plan the MENA region should adopt a regionally coordinated approach due to the absence of an established institutional and regulatory framework for trans-regional cooperation. While several studies have highlighted the competitiveness of electricity produced from renewable energy sources in MENA, governments and policy makers in the region should carefully assess their ability to ensure a sustainable policy framework for the renewables sector and opportunities for trans-regional exchanges of electricity. This article proposes that in order to address governance issues and facilitate the creation of a regional energy market, MENA countries may need to adopt an intergovernmental instrument such as the Energy Charter Treaty or the International Energy Charter.