THE STEEL INDUSTRY IN ARAB COUNTRIES

A brief introduction to Arab countries, in respect of their locations, populations, areas and mineral resources, was given. The development of steel industry in Am6 countries in last two decades was staled as a whole. And the steel industries in Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arch Emirates (UAE), Morocco, Libya, Joanal, Tunisia, Syria, Iraq, Algeria and Bahrain were analyzed separately. Some development problems faced by Arab steel industry, such as steel market, natural resources, manpower and finance, were pointed out.

Arab Countries' Reform and Development of China-Arab Relations

For a nation state, social, political, and economic reform is a common phenomenon as it helps promote development of a country and progress of a nation. In today’s world, where the international situation is undergoing profound changes and economic globalization is forging fast ahead, it has become a trend of the times and natural tendency of history for a

State-building Process from the View of ationalism:A Case Study on Postcolonial Arab Countries

The method of state-building is based on particular ideologies and political philosophies,which means that different countries have different concepts of state-building.Among these concepts,nationalism is most closely related to state-building and plays an important part in the shaping of political frameworks especially in the Third World,including Arab countries.This article contends that nationalism in the postcolonial Arab countries demands in state-building strong populism,radical deinstitutionalization,direct democracy and charismatic leadership,but finally is converted to authoritarianism because of the unsustainability of these demands,which are both the logical result of self evolvement of nationalism and the inner quest of social development of Arab countries.As time goes by,whether Arab countries tend to accept totalitarian or democracy in state-building depends on the combination of nationalism with certain ideologies in the future.Among them,only civic nationalism can keep the political process in the right direction.

Support or Hostility:the Relationship between Arab Countries and Hamas

Many Arab countries maintain some kind of relations with Hamas,offering financial,moral,or rhetorical support to it,out of consideration of protection and promotion over Arabic national interests.Their support has become important exogenous aid that Hamas could resort to.Among all the Arab countries,Jordan and Syria draw special attention from the outside world for their especially intimate relations with Hamas.However,many Arab countries do not like Hamas,or even have some hostilities to it.There are three reasons that can explain such a paradox:1)They are afraid that Hamas might stir up Islamic extremism inside their own countries;2)The extremist attitudes of Hamas have become a tremendous barrier obstructing the permanent resolution to the Israel-Arab problem;3)They are worrying about the strengthening of Iran.In the final analysis,no matter whether giving support or having hostility towards Hamas,Arab countries formulate their policies on the basis of an overall evaluation and contemplation over their own national interests.

The Reasons and Consequences of Political and Social Unrest in Arab Countries

There are many complex internal causes and external reasons for the intense political and social unrest in the Arab world.The United States and other Western powers are actively involved.The unrest will initiate a new historical chapter seeking a fresh path of development for citizens of the Arab world.The current unrest will last for some time and will undoubtedly have comprehensive impact on the entire configuration of the Middle East.The US dominance of Middle Eastern affairs has diminished,but its overall status has not been shaken.

The Economic and Trade Factors in China’s National Image in the Arab Countries

In the context of globalization,although governments maintain the leading role in shaping the image of states,the increasing bilateral economic and trade exchanges are gradually becoming an equally important,if not more important,element.The recent years have witnessed a continuous growth of trade between China and Arab countries—a newly established crucial trading partner and platform for practicing the“going-out”strategy.Thanks to both sides complimenting each other,a positive win-win situation has been achieved.However,as more and more Chinese merchandises and enterprises have entered the Arab world,certain problems have emerged,such as poor quality of merchandises,illegal operation of enterprises,and difficulties of certain Chinese employees integrating into local life.These economic and trade elements have become key factors in shaping China’s image in the Arab countries,and hence should not be left unattended.

Palestinian Refugees in Arab Countries and Their Impacts

Apart from West Bank and Gaza Strip,it is the Arab countries that most Palestinian refugees seek shelter in.These Palestinian refugees not only live a hard life,but also are put into an awkward situation.The denial of Palestinian refugees’right of return from the Israeli government,the economic weakness of Palestine and interest consideration of Arab countries contributed to the suspense of the solution to the Palestinian refugee problem.The presence and continuation of the problem have great impacts on the nation and state-building of Palestine and those Arab countries sheltering the Palestinian refugees.The final solution depends on the support from Arab countries.

Prevalence of Depression among Arab Women with Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objective: To systematically review and meta-analyze the literature estimating the cross-sectional prevalence of depression in Arab women with Type 2 diabetes in Arab countries. Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis of quantitative studies. Data Sources: The data were collected from scientific databases which included CINAHL, PubMed, Medic, ISI Web of Science, Cochrane library and ERIC published from January 2000 to May 2015. Sources used in all of the included studies were also reviewed. Results: Nine studies were included in the analysis. The criteria included studies that reported on Type 2 diabetes and depression co-morbidity in adult women from the following countries: Iraq, Jordan, Palestine, Qatar, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Yemen. Conclusions: Prevalence rate of depression as comorbidity of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus among Arab Women in the Arab countries is significant. Despite dearth of studies focusing on the association between depression and diabetes mellitus among Arab women, the prevalence rate revealed from the review merits attention for more gender specific exploratory studies on prevalence and management of these diseases.

Building an“Outer Space Silk Road”:China’s Beidou Navigation Satellite System in the Arab World

Navigation satellite systems are the symbols of states’hard power,and so are the assets of science and technology diplomacy.In the new era,the structure of great powers’navigation satellite systems is characterized by“one superpower”(the US GPS),“multi-pillars”(EU’s Galileo,Russian GLONASS and Chinese Beidou),and“multi-centers”(Indian regional navigation satellite system and Japanese quasi zenith navigation satellite system).Beidou is of great significance to promoting“One Belt and One Road”Initiative in the Arab world,and the essential measures to deepen the strategic partnership between China and the Arab League in inter-connectivity;it will also be an essential step for Beidou’s“going global”strategy in the long run.The implementation of Beidou’s projects in the Arab world is confronted with four dimensions of challenges of political,security,judicial and socio-cultural risks.Its implementation follows an incremental principle,choose pivotal states,create a radiation effect,which will lay a foundation for Beidou to open the West Asian and African market in the years to come.

Middle East Upheavals and Democratic Transition of Arab Countri

Prior to the Middle East upheavals,democratic transitions in Arab countries could be roughly divided into three stages,namely,the early constitutional reform,the third wave of democratization and democratic reforms under the impact of the end of the Cold War,and during the democratization process under pressure from the US“Greater Middle East”initiative in the new century.The Middle East upheavals are part of political and social movements that involve the whole Arab world.They have not only some common features,but also huge differences;the long-standing problems in Arab countries in the political,economic and social areas are the fundamental causes of Middle East upheavals.However,in addition to this,they are also affected by the US“Greater Middle East”initiative and other external factors.Democratic reforms and transitions undoubtedly constitute an important part of the Middle East upheavals.Arab countries are currently carrying out democratic reforms,but meanwhile they are also facing many challenges.The core elements that affect the progress of democratic transitions include three factors:Islam,military intervention and geopolitical factors.With respect to the relationship between Islam and democratic transition,the conflicts between religious and secular forces will continue to have an impact on the democratic transition of the Arab countries.0n the other hand,moderate Islamic forces will explore democratization with Islamic characteristics.The relationship between Islam and democracy will be developing in diversified ways,and consecutively adjusting and remodeling.In terms of relationship between military intervention and the democratic transition,there will be a long way to eliminate the impact of military intervention in Arab countries,and a long process from the starting of democracy to democratic consolidation,and eventually to democratic functioning.This also depends on the normalization of relations between religious and secular forces after a long period of interaction and accommodation.On the relationship between geopolitics and democratic transition,complicated internal religious,sectarian and ethnic conflicts,contradictions among Arab countries,ideological competition and regional leadership competition,as well as the military intervention and exports of democracy from Western powers,have exacerbated the turbulence in the Arab democratic transition.

Vestiges of the Cold War in Libya’s“Arab Spring”:Revisiting Libya’s Relations with the Soviet Union

Although Muammar al-Qaddafi was known to fanatically adhere to a broad set of zealous principles,when threats and challenges to his political survival mounted,sporadic breaches in the country’s rigid wall of ideology in regard to Libya’s international relations appeared,evincing Qaddafi’s ability to demonstrate pragmatism when required in order to maintain his grip on power.This article will explore Libya’s strategic-military alignment with the USSR and offer a retrospective analysis of one of the lesser-discussed chapters in Tripoli’s tempestuous and belligerent foreign policy during the height of the Cold war era,spanning the period of 1974-1989.

Revelations of Muhammad Ali’s Reform for Egyptian National Governance

This paper conducts an in-depth study on Muhammad Ali’s reform which plays an important role in the history of Egypt or even the whole Middle East,and holds that the reform may reveal the following features:1)Only by opening up and keeping up with the times can ancient civilizations thrive;2)Without the unity of the state and the centralization of power,reforms can never be implemented,nor can development be achieved;3)Economic revitalization is the cornerstone of reforms and development;4)Development of culture and education lays the foundations for the sustainable political,economic and other development,even the national rejuvenation;5)Personal dictatorship and external expansion always hamper the positive trend of reform.

Economic Analysis on the Motives of China’s FDI in Africa:A Case Study on North Africa

Taking the Arab countries of North Africa as specific case studies,the author first describes the general situation of China’s Foreign Direct Investment(FDI)in that region,and then makes a detailed analysis over the motives of such investment by an employment of methodology derived from fundamental principles of international economics.Finally,the author comes up with a proposal on the strategic options on the types of FDI that should be adopted by Chinese enterprises and the target sectors&industries that deserve more attention from Chinese investors.The author argues that China’s FDI into Africa has been promoted mainly by a series of domestic factors,including adjustment of China’s domestic industrial structure,a trend of pluralizing sources of procurement in its national strategies on energy and resources,and intent to avoid external trade frictions and barriers by domestic entrepreneurs and merchants.The Arab countries in North Africa now become the major targets of China’s FDI in Africa,which can be mainly attributed to their relatively steady economic growth,good business environment,and strong national competitiveness.From the author’s point of view,China’s FDI in North Africa should focus on three types:resource-oriented investment,export-oriented investment,and industry-oriented investment.China’s FDI in this region should be mainly streamed into such sectors and industries as energy,agriculture,machinery,and telecommunication.