Browsing by Subject "Yemen"

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Islamic foundations for effective water management : four case studies
(2010-12) Walz, Jonathan David; Eaton, David J.; Sharp, John M.
This thesis project addresses Islamic water management by presenting case studies on regional water issues and analyzing the extent to which Muslim-majority states behave in a way consistent with Islamic shariah law. The case studies presented in this thesis address both international cooperation related to the management of trans-boundary water basins (the Nile and Tigris-Euphrates River Basins) and domestic water management strategies employed by Muslim-majority states in the MENA region (Jordan and Yemen). In each case, it is not clear that there is consistency between the Islamic ideals discussed by academics and the actual techniques employed by various states. In international attempts at managing the shared waters of the Nile and Tigris-Euphrates Basins, the fact that many riparian states have Muslim-majority populations does not appear to make the management of trans-boundary resources any easier or more successful. The implications for Islamic water management at the domestic level is also unclear – with shariah playing a positive role in Jordanian attempts at water conservation but promoting the over-exploitation of resources in Yemen. Although shariah appears to play a limited role in the management of trans-boundary water resources, it seems to be better suited for informing how states internally manage their endowments of freshwater resources.
Monotheism, kingship, and religious transformation in late antique Yemen : the rise and fall of Joseph dhu Nuwas
(2019-05) Kjær, Sigrid Krogh; Huehnergard, John; Moin, A. Azfar; Kaplan, Jonathan; Zellentin, Holger
In 517 CE, a man called Yūsuf ’As’ar Yath’ar, but whom we know under the name Joseph dhu Nuwas, rose to take power over the Jewish Ḥimyarite kingdom. This kingdom was situated in the highlands of modern-day Yemen and had existed since 110 BCE, and had professed to some form of Judaism since roughly 390 CE. After less than a decade of strife and war, this Jewish kingdom succumbed to the Ethiopian Christians of Axum led by the king Kaleb. Ḥimyar then continued as a vassal state first of Axum and then of the Sassanians until the coming of Islam a century later. A few contemporaneous epigraphs describe these events, and a number of later Syriac, Arabic, and Greek texts preserve the memory of the fall of the Ḥimyarite kingdom and the victory of Axum. This dissertation examines the context in which the events of Ḥimyar took place, and situates them within the broader context of Late Antiquity. Further, it discusses the changes that occur when monotheism takes the place of polytheism, in terms of religious expression. To accomplish this task, I primarily examine the contemporaneous epigraphic evidence from both Ḥimyar and Axum (in both Sabaic and Ge’ez). I argue that the texts perform differently and that they reflect contemporaneous kingdoms with remarkably different vocabulary when they express how they perceive themselves and others. Thus, the main questions that the dissertation seeks to answer is what the accounts concerning Joseph dhu Nuwas’s rise to power in circa 517 CE might tell us of the religious transformation taking place in ancient Ḥimyar, and how this might fit into the general cultural milieu of the time. In extension to this question, I discuss later Islamic and Christian traditions and how they portrayed dhu Nuwas and his conqueror, Kaleb of Axum. The result is a cultural history of Joseph dhu Nuwas’s Jewish rule in Ḥimyar and his demise at the hands of the Christian king of Axum with an extended discussion of how monotheism arose in ancient Yemen before Islam
Restrained Insurgents: Why Competition Between Armed Groups Doesn’t Always Produce Outbidding (Fall 2023)
(Texas National Security Review, 2023) Berlin, Mark; Rangazas, Stephen
Rising Conflicts: An Analysis Of Cold War Proxy Wars And Their Modern Application
(2019-05-01) Venkatraj, Karna; MacMillan, Dougland
Since the end of World War II, regional and super powers alike have increasingly engaged in proxy conflicts. The Cold War represented a period of conflict characterized by a bipolar world and stark ideological differences. This environment resulted in ubiquitous proxy conflicts across the world. With the costs of direct warfare increasing because of economic interdependence and the rise of regional powers, the United States, once again, faces an environment conducive to the spread of proxy conflicts. This thesis aims to case study the Greek Civil War and The Congo Crisis to understand the strategic objectives of proxy wars and derive historical strategic lessons. Then, with those strategic considerations in mind, the thesis will propose a prescriptive matrix based on how the United States has engaged in previous proxy wars and future strategic objectives. Finally, the thesis will apply this matrix to current proxy war in Yemen to assess the utility of a catch-all strategic matrix. The aim of the thesis lies in whether or not proxy conflicts can have a normalized, streamlined response from the United States.
The GCC joint regional security effort : utopia or possibility?
(2018-05-03) Krylov, Aleksandr, M.A.; Barany, Zoltan D.
Today, the Gulf Cooperation Council (the GCC) is often praised to be the most successfully integrated economic/political union after the European Union. A considerable number of scholars devoted their works to this union. However, a large part of the analysis overlooks or does not pay enough attention to the fact that historically the GCC’s main purpose was not economic integration but maintaining regional security by means of a joint effort. Since its establishment in the year 1981 the GCC has faced several issues those became “litmus tests” for these efforts’ success. Before studying these issues closely, the thesis quickly analyzes the background of the union, examining the threats which brought it into being and the first patterns of maintaining regional security. Further on, it discusses the main conflicts and contradictions within the GCC, including the recent Qatari conflict. It continues by analyzing the condition of each country’s army (arms, doctrine, and competency) and evaluating the success of the GCC’s joint effort in Yemen. In this thesis, I argue that that due to the contradictions between the states, lack of flexibility in the mechanisms of coordination and relatively low effectiveness of very expensive armies, the purpose of maintaining regional security solely by means of the GCC has not been reached yet.