Since the end of the Gulf War in 1991,the US military bases in the GCC states have evolved functionally from the dual containment of Iran and Iraq to the consolidation of its predominance in the Gulf region.Since the ...Since the end of the Gulf War in 1991,the US military bases in the GCC states have evolved functionally from the dual containment of Iran and Iraq to the consolidation of its predominance in the Gulf region.Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks,the US readjustment of its military bases in the GCC states features two attributes.First,the task of the bases has transformed from fighting the Iraq War to the more complex and enduring tasks of maintaining the Gulf security,countering terrorists and containing Iran.Second,the major military base deployment has shifted from Saudi Arabia to Qatar,Bahrain and other GCC states,so a multi-faceted security mechanism under the US leadership has taken shape,which has overshadowed the Iranian-proposed collective security appeal.In Obama’s presidency,the deployment of the US military bases in the GCC states has revealed five new and distinct features,i.e.the bases are extending geographically,diminishing in size,increasingly approaching the potential enemies,strong in mobility and being gradually interlinked with other bases in Central Asia,Turkey and Djibouti.展开更多
Once abandoned for more than three decades,vernacular settlements in Oman are now being progressively reinvested in to foster the country’s heritage tourism sector.The present research focuses on the emerging phenome...Once abandoned for more than three decades,vernacular settlements in Oman are now being progressively reinvested in to foster the country’s heritage tourism sector.The present research focuses on the emerging phenomenon of community-led initiatives for vernacular heritage rehabilitation and adaptive reuse in Oman.Through an examination of three case studies,its aim is to describe this process and its modes of action and discuss its efects on vernacular settlement transformations.A mixed research methodology was designed to include(A)analyses of relevant primary and secondary data,(B)documented onsite observations,(C)interviews with local community representatives and key players in the operations of rehabilitation,and(D)extractions and analyses of quantitative data from a hotel booking website.The research sheds light on unsuspected interrelations within and between the projects being implemented in these settlements and their operating modes.It reveals the focal role of a local community in a kind of‘bottom-up’management of its built heritage,coupled with a‘horizontal cooperation’between the three initiatives studied in this research.Moreover,it shows that a heavily centralised and top-down policy for the feld of heritage conservation and management is among the main obstacles that hinder such initiatives.Furthermore,community-led operations of vernacular heritage rehabilitation are being undertaken under insufcient regulations in terms of land use,building restoration and adaptive reuse.In this context,the paper discusses some of the serious threats and concerns faced by such initiatives and proposes actionable solutions to mitigate these hindrances.展开更多
基金the product of Chinese Educational Ministry program“Western Powers’Military Bases in the Middle East after the End of the Cold War”(10JJDGJW022)It is also funded by the Shanghai International Studies University“211”program(StageⅢ)the Key Discipline of Shanghai(B702).The author would like to thank Mr.DENG Haipeng for his great assistance on the paper。
文摘Since the end of the Gulf War in 1991,the US military bases in the GCC states have evolved functionally from the dual containment of Iran and Iraq to the consolidation of its predominance in the Gulf region.Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks,the US readjustment of its military bases in the GCC states features two attributes.First,the task of the bases has transformed from fighting the Iraq War to the more complex and enduring tasks of maintaining the Gulf security,countering terrorists and containing Iran.Second,the major military base deployment has shifted from Saudi Arabia to Qatar,Bahrain and other GCC states,so a multi-faceted security mechanism under the US leadership has taken shape,which has overshadowed the Iranian-proposed collective security appeal.In Obama’s presidency,the deployment of the US military bases in the GCC states has revealed five new and distinct features,i.e.the bases are extending geographically,diminishing in size,increasingly approaching the potential enemies,strong in mobility and being gradually interlinked with other bases in Central Asia,Turkey and Djibouti.
基金This study is part of a research project:CR/ENG/CAED/18/04 Sultan Qaboos University.
文摘Once abandoned for more than three decades,vernacular settlements in Oman are now being progressively reinvested in to foster the country’s heritage tourism sector.The present research focuses on the emerging phenomenon of community-led initiatives for vernacular heritage rehabilitation and adaptive reuse in Oman.Through an examination of three case studies,its aim is to describe this process and its modes of action and discuss its efects on vernacular settlement transformations.A mixed research methodology was designed to include(A)analyses of relevant primary and secondary data,(B)documented onsite observations,(C)interviews with local community representatives and key players in the operations of rehabilitation,and(D)extractions and analyses of quantitative data from a hotel booking website.The research sheds light on unsuspected interrelations within and between the projects being implemented in these settlements and their operating modes.It reveals the focal role of a local community in a kind of‘bottom-up’management of its built heritage,coupled with a‘horizontal cooperation’between the three initiatives studied in this research.Moreover,it shows that a heavily centralised and top-down policy for the feld of heritage conservation and management is among the main obstacles that hinder such initiatives.Furthermore,community-led operations of vernacular heritage rehabilitation are being undertaken under insufcient regulations in terms of land use,building restoration and adaptive reuse.In this context,the paper discusses some of the serious threats and concerns faced by such initiatives and proposes actionable solutions to mitigate these hindrances.
