Browsing by Subject "Saudi Arabia"
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Item Analysis of the size, accessibility, and profitability of international defense sales in times of U.S. budget uncertainty(2015-05) Massey, Daniel Lee; Gholz, Eugene, 1971-; Gilbert, StephenImmediately prior to and following cuts to the U.S. defense budget in 2013, executives and board members from Lockheed Martin, Boeing, BAE Systems, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, and General Dynamics specifically cited the need to increase international sales to make up for lost U.S. revenue. Some statements predict aggressive international growth in the immediate future, while others take a more moderate or long-term approach. The purpose of this paper is to assess whether the international defense market is sufficiently large, accessible, and profitable for U.S. defense companies to maintain or grow overall revenue and profitability in the face of static or shrinking defense budgets in the United States.Item A feasibility study on utility-scale solar integration in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia(2010-05) Krishnamoorthy, Barthram; Spence, David B.; Howari, Fares M.Due to the vast fossil fuel wealth, the country of Saudi Arabia is experiencing a dramatic growth in both population and GDP. Therefore there is a growing demand for water and energy to meet these needs. All of the electricity that is generated is sourced from crude oil and natural gas. All natural gas production is used domestically and there are no net imports or exports. Due to many constrains on the natural gas supply, there is a slow shift in the generation mix going towards crude oil based power generation. This study assessed the viability of utility scale solar integration into the Saudi Arabian electric mix to potentially relieve some demand pressure for natural gas consumption as well as reduce green house gas emissions. Parabolic trough concentrated solar power technology was chosen as the primary technology for utility scale integration. A total of five scenarios were calculated. The scenarios include the following, base case, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% solar integration in terms of installed capacity. Two sets of net present values were calculated. The net present values of each scenario were calculated. A second set of net present values was calculated with a projected increase in electricity prices. The natural gas and crude oil offset from the four solar integration scenarios were calculated using the base case forecasted natural gas and crude oil consumption from power generation. As expected, natural gas and crude oil consumption decreased when there was an increase in solar integration. The expected carbon dioxide offsets were calculated for each scenario. There was a decrease in carbon dioxide emission as solar integration was increased. Finally, all of these analyses were used as criteria for a decision analysis using the analytical hierarchy process. Depending on the decision maker’s importance on the determined criteria, solar integration in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is achievable.Item Heads in The Sand(2020-03-30) Oswal, ArchitItem Investigating Saudi Arabian high school science teachers perceived challenges and concerns related to the integration of science content, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) into science teaching(2018-08-15) Aljuwayr, Yousef Farraj M.; Riegle-Crumb, Catherine; Barufaldi, James P.; Marshall, Jill A; Borrego, Maura; Sampson, VictorSince the establishment of Saudi Arabia, the educational system has gone through numerous reform efforts to improve teachers’ practice and students’ learning. One of the key challenges facing the educational system in Saudi Arabia is the question of how to prepare teachers to use innovative approaches in science education. Several studies have examined science teachers’ concerns related to teaching and learning in general; however, few studies have directed specific attention to science teachers’ concerns about curriculum integration. Therefore, this study investigated Saudi Arabian high school science teachers’ perceived challenges concerning the integration of separate domains within STEM, including science content and pedagogy, technology, engineering, mathematics, and STEM as a whole. This study also explored potential differences in teachers’ perceived challenges based on their gender and geographical region. The researcher collected data from six geographic regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Makkah, Tabuk, Aseer, Hail, Kahrj, and Zulfi. These regions were purposefully selected to reflect the geographic and diverse views of teachers across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. An explanatory sequential mixed methods design – including quantitative and qualitative methods— was conducted to investigate Saudi Arabian high school science teachers’ perceived challenges regarding integrated STEM instruction. The quantitative data were collected from 1,207 participants using four scales: science content and pedagogy integration, technology integration, engineering integration, and mathematics integration. The qualitative data were collected from twenty participants through face-to-face interviews. Descriptive statistics and grounded theory methodology were conducted to analyze data obtained from the participants. Results revealed that science teachers rated themselves as 1) fairly competent in the areas of science content and pedagogy integration and mathematics integration; 2) having fairly low competence in the area of technology integration; 3) “undecided” in the area of engineering integration; 4) slightly incompetent with regard to the integration of other science disciplines (physics, chemistry, biology, and geology) into science teaching practices; and 5) generally unfamiliar with the integration of STEM in science teaching. The findings of the study revealed no significant difference among participants that can be attributed to gender or geographic region. Other challenges from the qualitative study are presented, such as teachers’ negative misconceptions and attitudes toward integrative approaches, students’ lack of skills and knowledge that are required for successful STEM integration, curricula incompatibility with STEM approaches, and the lack of resources required for integrative activities. The results of the study suggest an implementation of a systemic reform that focuses on STEM education in Saudi Arabia. The findings of this study may have significant implications for policymakers and educators who are considering implementing integrative approaches in science educationItem A Lesson from our Northern Neighbor(2018-11-28) Lebus, SamuelItem Muna Hussaini Interview(2022-10-27) Institute for Diversity & Civic Life; Department of Religious StudiesThis interview is with Muna Hussaini, an Indian-American Muslim and tech professional in Austin, TX. Muna describes her childhood in an expat community in Saudi Arabia and the transition to moving back to the US. She discusses the impact of gender roles on her and how her relationship with hijab changed over time. Muna shares her experiences of hate crimes and harassment as a hijabi woman post-9/11. She talks about how the kindness of others helped her through those times, and how she strives for kindness in her daily life and work with Muslim Space.Item Nasriya Witt Interview(2021-06-15) Institute for Diversity & Civic Life; Department of Religious StudiesThis interview is with Nasriya Witt, an Indian immigrant, and refugee youth mentor. Nasriya talks about her experiences of living in India, Oman, and Saudia Arabia as a child before moving to the United States. She discusses her acclimation to the US as well as her schooling and fascination with research psychology. Nasriya also describes her current job as a mentor for refugee youth in San Antonio.Item New evidence of regressing and transgressing Jurassic siliciclastic coastlines : Dhruma Formation, northern central Arabia(2018-06-26) Alhussaini, Abdulkarim M.; Steel, R. J.; Olariu, CornelThe Middle Jurassic Dhruma carbonates are long known as a major hydrocarbon reservoir with massive proven reserves in Saudi Arabia and other Arabian-Gulf countries. Regional studies indicate that these hydrocarbon-rich carbonates are replaced laterally by siliciclastic deposits in northern and southern central Arabia. However, none of those studies provided knowledge on how these siliciclastic deposits were formed or can be correlated with their carbonate counterparts. Recently drilled shallow stratigraphic wells on and near the outcrops of the Dhruma Formation (about 250 km NW of Riyadh) provide an extraordinary opportunity to analyze the sedimentological and stratigraphic characteristics of these siliciclastic sediments. Around 1500 meters of cores from six shallow stratigraphic wells are described, providing an understanding of the transgressive and regressive siliciclastic Dhruma shorelines, and how these fit with their better-known carbonate counterparts. Thirteen facies associations were identified from the analyzed Dhruma cores, and they were classified into transgressive and regressive (or both) associations. In addition, five transgressive-regressive sequences were identified, each with an estimated age duration of 1.2-1.6 My, and an average thickness of 32- 78 meters. This study is the first to document the sedimentology and stratigraphy of the Dhruma siliciclastic succession in northern central Arabia, and highlights a complex mixed system of deltaic, estuarine and shelf-ridge deposits that interfinger with carbonate deposits. Also, it contributes to the reconstruction of the existing Middle Jurassic paleogeographic map in Saudi Arabia, and to a correlation with the recently discovered age-equivalent siliciclastic reservoir in the Rub Al-Khali basin.Item The non-commercial objectives of national oil companies(2015-12) McGroary, Lin; Dzienkowski, John S., 1959-; Spence, David B; Taylor, Melinda ENational oil companies (NOCs) play an important role in the international oil and gas industry; collectively NOCs control approximately 90% of worldwide oil reserves. NOC are either wholly or partially owned by their country’s government, and as such can be used as a tool to meet the government’s aims. An NOC can maximize profits, which maximizes revenues to the government, or the government can use the NOC to fulfill its non-commercial goals. This paper focuses on how non-commercial goals affect profitability and make a national oil company more susceptible to corruption. I argue that NOCs that follow non-commercial goals are less likely to be successful commercially; however there are different non-commercial goals that affect commerciality differently. NOCs that follow specific non-commercial goals, such as economic development, are also more susceptible to corruption, this is because these goals lend themselves to governments that are trying to establish political legitimacy. I look at case studies of six different countries (Saudi Arabia, China, Norway, Venezuela, Nigeria and Russia), and their associated NOCs, to establish how non-commercial goals affect the NOCs. Other factors also affect the commerciality of NOCs; factors such as the legal framework of the country, and whether regulations are well established. I conclude by comparing the national oil companies and their non-commercial objectives and exploring the differences between the companies.Item Religious rhetoric from the center to the periphery of public discourse in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain since 2011(2020-05-05) Alrafaei, Dabya N.; Barany, Zoltan D.Because religious rhetoric is so central to social and political commentary in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, no one expected to witness Ayedh al-Qarni, a central figure in the Saudi religious establishment, renounce and apologize for the Sahwa movement, which shaped the lived experience of Saudi and Bahraini society for decades. His apology in 2019 may have embodied the mainstream Saudi religious elites’ choice to accept co-optation and complacency in Mohammed bin Salman’s kingdom, but it also sprang from a broader shift in religion’s place within public discourse that began in the 2010s. This thesis traces and analyzes recent transformations in the religio-social sphere by mapping the shifting position of religious rhetoric from the center to the periphery of Saudi and Bahraini public discourse, and by situating this shift within the broader political and social transformations of the 2010s.Item Rock-Fabric Petrophysical Analysis of Core and Wireline-Log Data Haradh 101 and Haradh 106 Ghawar Field, Saudi Arabia(1998) Lucia, F. Jerry; Rahnis, Michael A.Analysis of thin sections and core data demonstrates that rock fabrics can be grouped into petrophysical fields defined by porosity and permeability. Grainstones and large crystal dolostones fall within the petrophysical class 1 field of Lucia (1995). Permeability increases with increasing dolomite crystal size. The class 1 field is enlarged slightly to include large crystal dolostones with crystal sizes ranging up to 300 microns. Grain-dominated and dolomitic mud-dominated fabrics containing more than 25 percent dolomite fall into the petrophysical class 2 field. The dolomitic mud-dominated fabrics plot in the class 2 field because progressive dolomitization increases pore size by increasing porosity in the intercrystal mud and by creating intercrystal pore space. Mud-dominated fabrics having less than 25 percent dolomite are mostly dense but, when permeable, plot in the petrophysical class 3 field. A global relationship between rock-fabric petrophysical class, interparticle porosity, and permeability that does not require fabrics being divided into specific petrophysical classes has been developed and is used in this analysis. Permeability can be estimated from wireline logs according to the rock-fabric method. Interparticle porosity is estimated by subtracting total porosity from separate-vug porosity, which, in turn, is estimated from transit-time-porosity cross plots. Petrophysical classes can be identified from a cross plot of water saturation and porosity. The wells are far enough above the free-water level that reservoir height is not an important consideration. We identified boundaries between rock-fabric classes and multiple-regression analysis, using equations of the boundary lines, resulted in a relationship between petrophysical class, saturation, and porosity. Permeability is calculated by substituting log-calculated interparticle porosity and log-calculated petrophysical class into the global transform equation. These calculations compare well with core data and retain high and low permeability values.Item Saudi official religion : bringing new meaning to old ideas(2020-08-13) Boville, Bruce Bintliff; Azam, Hina, 1970-; Aghaie, Kamran; Moin, A. Azfar; Barany, Zoltan; Brownlee, JasonThe official religion of the Saudi state—the interpretation of Islam publicly enunciated by Saudi officials—contains novel understandings of the key concepts of the umma, the king, and jihad that are distinct from understandings in other forms of Islam. This evolving Saudi official religion redefines concepts in ways that are not in accord with Classical Sunni Islam or modern movements such as Salafism. As such, this official religion must be examined as a novel phenomenon that cannot be understood using existing labels. By examining the umma, the king, and jihad, a window can be opened into this newly evolved sect of Islam as it informs arguably the most important contemporary exponent of Islam. The umma, for example, traditionally accepted as the entire community of believers, is redefined in the new Saudi official religion as having three tiers, each consisting of Muslim-majority nation-states arranged by their geographic and religious proximity to Saudi Arabia. The Saudi king is the leader of Saudi Arabia and of the entire umma; obedience to the king and acknowledgement of his sovereignty are requirements for salvation in the Saudi official religion. A focus of discussion draws upon theoretical insights into the anthropology of sacred kingship to discuss the Saudi king as performing his sovereignty simultaneously in his own right as an immanent king and as deriving sovereignty from the transcendent God and from the Popular Sovereign. This dissertation argues that in addition to promoting a new conception of the umma, the Saudi state has reconceptualized jihad in a new way. This Saudi jihad is of two kinds, one violent and one educational. All acts of either form of jihad must adhere to pronouncements of Saudi Arabia and its leader, the king, in the official Saudi religion. Jihad in the Saudi official religion, I suggest, is the primary act through which the king performs his sovereignty and is the act that allows salvation for the umma. As a final component of the new Saudi official religion, the following discussion shows that the Saudi ʿulemā’, the most influential Muslim scholars, must be examined as part of the state, rather than as a separate entity, as is typical in the literature. The joining of the ʿulemā’ to the state means that the ʿulemā’ no longer have competing interests with those of the Saudi state; the interests of the state are those of the ʿulemā’. The new Saudi official religion includes a new form of sovereignty—popular sovereignty—without which no one, not even the Saudi king, can perform sovereignty.Item Strange Bedfellows: Understanding the Motives Behind the U.S.-Saudi Relationship from 1961-2016(2021-05) Lee, Katie C.After Jamal Khashoggi’s murder, many Americans questioned why the United States, a proud democracy, continued to work alongside the repressive Saudi monarchy. This thesis addresses this question and explains how this partnership evolved between 1961 and 2016. Throughout this work, I explore the principal interests that drove and maintained the U.S.-Saudi relationship over time. Although the United States claimed to champion human rights in its foreign policy decision-making, I argue that mutual oil and security interests, rather than liberal reform, directed the two countries’ relations.Item Stratigraphy and depositional environments of the Late Jurassic Hanifa Formation along the Tuwaiq Escarpment, Saudi Arabia(2017-06-26) Fallatah, Mohammed Ibrahim; Kerans, C. (Charles)A sequence stratigraphic framework of the Late Jurassic (Oxfordian) Hanifa Formation at its exposure in Central Arabia is presented for the first time. This study offers the first high-resolution stratigraphic framework of the Hanifa along the Tuwaiq Escarpment by measuring 15 sections (~770 m total thickness) over an oblique-to-dip distance of 260 km and collecting 295 samples for petrographic analysis. On the basis of these data, the Hanifa Formation can be subdivided into eight facies; 1) tabular cross-bedded quartz-peloidal-skeletal grainstone, 2) cross-bedded skeletal-peloidal grainstone, 3) bioturbated foraminiferal wackestone/mud-dominated packstone, 4) oncolitic rudstone, 5) stromatoporoid-coral biostrome/bioherm, 6) peloidal/composite-grain grain-dominated packstone/grainstone, 7) bioturbated spiculitic wackestone/mud-dominated packstone, and 8) thinly-bedded argillaceous mudstone/wackestone. The vertical and lateral distributions of these facies along the exposure define their sequence setting using the principals of sequence stratigraphy. By recognizing erosional surfaces, facies offset, and changes in facies proportions, five composite sequences, with an average duration of 1.1 my, are interpreted for the Hanifa Formation. The correlation of the sequences across the study area shows that only four sequences are preserved in the north where shallow-water deposits are well-developed. Facies trends within these sequences are further illustrated in a depositional model, which depicts the presence of an offshore structurally controlled skeletal-peloidal shoal body described here for the first time at the Hanifa exposure in the Hozwa area. A ramp depositional model is proposed having normal open-marine conditions and characterized by a high-energy inner-ramp shoreline, which is documented herein for the first time. This work provides a predictive framework and outcrop analog for applications in hydrocarbon exploration and development. Furthermore, a basinal setting predicted to the south of the study area is a potential site for unconventional plays.Item Syria and Saudi Arabia in post-Ta'if Lebanon(2011-05) Stedem, Kelly Alicia; Henry, Clement M., 1937-; Ali, KamranThe tiny nation-state of Lebanon has been marred by political instability and violence over the past 35 years. Most scholars blame the consociational structure of the bureaucratic system as the main culprit for the precarious state of the republic. It is an understatement to say that the delicate power-sharing balance divided between the Christian and Muslim sects has been one of the most detrimental elements to government stability and socioeconomic development. Underneath these sectarian affiliations, however, lie numerous patronage systems all vying for power and control over the Lebanese system. These systems not only act to support their Lebanese sectarian leader, but many have reached across the border and found the open hands of foreign powers. The actions of these foreign entities have also constituted a divisive role in undermining the unification of the nation into a cohesive and functioning state, particularly during the post-civil war time period. The end of the 15 year civil war through the passage of the National Reconciliation Accord heralded in a sense of promise for a future free of war and political mismanagement through the abolition of the consociational system. This promise, however, has yet to be fulfilled. This thesis is an examination into the role and impact of Syrian and Saudi Arabian patronage ties in the Lebanese system. By looking at the states through the actions of their clients we can come to a better understanding of both why and how the goals of Ta'if have yet to be achieved and potentially come to understand the needs facing Lebanon's future.Item The Cretaceous stratigraphy and geochemistry of the mixed siliciclastic-carbonate system of Saudi Arabia : implications for global correlation and paleoclimate(2023-08-04) Fallatah, Mohammed Ibrahim; Kerans, C. (Charles), 1954-; Mohrig, David; Steel, Ronald; Olariu, Cornel; Alnazghah, MahmoudThe Cretaceous was a unique time period characterized by greenhouse conditions with multiple climatic perturbations. The interplay between the tumultuous Cretaceous climate and the depositional systems generated complex stratigraphic architectures. Such a complex stratigraphy is manifested in the interior of the Arabian Plate. Excellent outcrops of the Cretaceous succession in central Saudi Arabia offers an opportunity to document the response of the depositional system to the Cretaceous climatic changes. This study aims to investigate the evolution of the depositional system throughout the Cretaceous Period, including the interaction between siliciclastic and carbonate sedimentation in a greenhouse system, and the effect of any autogenic forces dominating over the Cretaceous extrinsic parameters on the resultant stratigraphy. These objectives will be achieved by adopting a multi-disciplinary integration of sedimentology, sequence stratigraphy, biostratigraphy, and high-resolution geochemistry (chemostratigraphy and trace elements). During the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous (late Tithonian–Valanginian), a shift from an arid to humid climate is recognized based on an influx of organic matter attributed to accelerated hydrological cycle, coinciding with the formation of a diachronous drowning unconformity in the early Valanginian. Following the shift to a humid climate, terrigenous sediment influx intensified and tidal siliciclastic sedimentation became prevalent during the Early to Late Cretaceous (Hauterivian–Turonian). The siliciclastic succession closely resembles modern tide-dominated depositional systems, which allowed to document the development of double clinoform deltas in an epeiric sea. It also allowed to conclude that lithological boundaries in greenhouse systems do not represent unconformities. From the Turonian to Maastrichtian, the climate shifted back to arid and evaporitic conditions marking the cessation of siliciclastic influx. Due to these conditions, seawater composition was altered such that it inhibited coccolith proliferation. This provides an explanation for the lack of chalk deposits over the Arabian Plate during the Campanian– Maastrichtian. The novelty of the study is also highlighted by recognizing a positive carbon isotope excursion at the J-K boundary. This signal is vastly identified in the Boreal Realm and is absent in the Tethys. Moreover, the study records the deposition of mud-mounds at K-Pg boundary, which could have an implication for the Cretaceous mass extinctionItem The murder of Jamal Khashoggi : a case study of the strategic communication response of Saudi Arabia and the United States(2020-06-29) Bennett, Meagan Brooke; Louis, William Roger, 1936-The report examines the strategic communications of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States in the aftermath of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. Khashoggi, a Saudi citizen and U.S. permanent resident, worked as a journalist for The Washington Post. He was killed and his body dismembered on October 2, 2018 at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. This case study analyzes the series of public statements, press releases and digital diplomacy efforts from the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to control the narrative and influence reactions to the killing. Harold Laswell’s communication model is the basis for a strategic communication analysis of the response of the two governments in October and November of 2018. Ultimately, the United States sanctioned 17 individuals thought to be associated with the murder but pledged solidarity with the Kingdom, absolving the Crown Prince of any culpability. Saudi Arabia indicted eleven individuals and sentenced five to the death penalty in a secret trial. Top Saudi officials were exonerated due to insufficient evidence and three individuals were sentenced to prison terms. Saudi Arabia implemented a strategic communications strategy that denied any knowledge of the murder and adjusted to react to evidence revealed to the contrary. The initial narrative, in which Khashoggi left the consulate, shifted to their acknowledgement of the murder. They communicated a necessity to seek justice while distancing top-level officials from any responsibility. The United States pursued a narrative strategy of investigation, delay, and ambiguity. The administration emphasized the value of the U.S.–Saudi partnership in strategic communications and cast doubt on evidence of high-level Saudi involvement. The American administration’s worldview of America first framed the strategic communication campaignItem The role of religion, the Ikhwan and Ibn Saud in the creation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia(2018-06-26) Ryan, Paul Owen Lutz; Suri, JeremiOver the course of a single lifetime Saudi Arabia went from being a minor kingdom in Arabia to one of the largest geopolitical actors on the globe. But how did this happen? What made it happen so quickly? What are the repercussions of such a fast rise to prominence? This thesis argues that the success of Saudi Arabia was largely due to Ibn Saud’s ability to rally the Ikhwan, a group of religiously motivated warriors, as his personal army in the early days of his reign. By using these warriors, Ibn Saud also inadvertently created the largest threat that Saudi Arabia faces today: militarized Wahhabism. This paper looks at the life of Ibn Saud, the rise of the Ikhwan, and details how the Ikhwan eventually turned against their creator. Finally this paper explores how the Ikhwan continued to exist after their failed rebellion against the Saudi Kingdom and how that defeat led to the Siege of the Great Mosque of Mecca in 1979.Item Themes and concerns of the Saudi Board of Senior Scholars(2016-05) Boville, Bruce Bintliff; Azam, Hina, 1970-; Di-Capua, YoavReligion in Saudi Arabia is undoubtedly a powerful force, but it is unclear to what extent the Saudi religious establishment controls the expression of religion in Saudi Arabia. In many publications, scholars make assumptions about the nature of the relationship between the religious establishment and the state. Some scholars have assumed that the religious scholars (ᶜulemā’) are the true power in Saudi Arabia and it is they who control government policy. Others have claimed that they scholars intentionally stay out of the state’s way and attempt only to affect Saudi civil society or that the scholars simply function as yes-men, legitimizing the state’s actions but lacking any autonomy. Clearly these positions are incommensurable. What, then, is the reality of the relationship between the scholars and the state in the Kingdom? Do the religious scholars control the government or do they limit themselves to simply controlling Saudi civil society? This paper examines the fatwas published by the Saudi Permanent Council for the Issuing of Fatwas (al-lajna al-dā’ima li’l-iftā’) between 2000-2013 in order to determine the primary concerns of the Council and their ability to affect both Saudi society and government. It argues against both positions; this paper will demonstrate that the Council does not attempt to control government policy, it does not simply serve to affirm and legitimize that policy, and it shows little interest in affecting Saudi society in general. In reality, the Council is a religious institution and their concerns are overwhelmingly religious and ritual, rather than political or social. This paper will also use newspaper articles from a variety of sources in Saudi Arabia and the surrounding nations to examine the first stages of an ongoing project known as the “High Values Program” (barnāmaj al-qiyam al-ᶜuliyā’). The stated purpose of the program is to combat the religious rhetoric of groups like ISIS in the region. This paper will use the articles to demonstrate who, even when assisting the government in attempting to control society, the Council’s concerns remain ritual-oriented.