"Hydrocarbon Citizens tells the story of how the discovery of oil has transformed politics and societies in the Middle East. It argues that the creation of oil-dependent economies gave birth to a new type of citizen in the region: the "hydrocarbon citizen." These citizens hold attitudes, values, and beliefs about their governments and national politics that are very different from what is observed among citizens in the countries that do not produce oil. Hydrocarbon citizens are more likely to view their governments as highly effective, generous, helpful, and responsive to the needs of society. They also tend to be more sceptical about the merits of democracy and more likely to believe that democratic governments are ineffective, unstable, and full of problems. These arguments and findings are explored through rich histories of Middle Eastern countries, in-depth analysis of public opinion data, and original surveys from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Hydrocarbon Citizens challenges our understanding of the puzzling "resource curse" observation that paradoxically links oil wealth to negative outcomes for nations. It provides a new way of thinking about contemporary politics and society in the Middle East, a region currently defined by upheaval and reinvigorated authoritarianism"--

Covering the intricate facets of America's most important democratic tradition, this book serves as an important resource to understand how citizens' views are translated into governmental action. Public Opinion and Polling around the World presents a thorough review of public opinion from its roots in colonial America to its role in today's emerging democracies. More than 100 entries prepared by top scholars examine the 200-year history of public opinion, measurement methodologies with an emphasis on telephone interviews and Internet polls, and key figures like George Gallup and Elmo Roper, who created their own polling systems. An analysis of theories compares schools of thought from the fields of psychology, sociology, and economics and explores how people form opinions. A fascinating snapshot of the public's current views on economic issues, foreign policy, gender, gay rights, and other hot-button topics observes patterns across genders, race, ethnic origins, class, and religion in regions all over the world. Students, academicians, and political observers will discover answers to such questions as, "does public opinion shape the behavior of government?"

The orchestrator of an annual opinion poll in the Arab world describes the profound changes taking place, including recent protests and the toppling of autocrats, and discusses how the people of the region feel about these drastic shifts. 15,000 first printing.

Public Opinion and the Palestine Question (1987) analyses public opinion on the Palestinian–Israeli conflict. It studies attitudes in various Western democratic countries and Israel, and examines whether the governments of those countries reflect the general positions on the issue of their people. It shows important changes taking place in the orientations of Western public opinion on the Palestinian question.

This book, first published in 1976 and in this second edition in 1988, combines an examination of the political, cultural and economic geography of the Middle East with a detailed study of the region’s landscape features, natural resources, environmental conditions and ecological evolution. The Middle East, with its extremes of climate and terrain, has long fascinated those interested in the fine balance between man and his environment, and now its economic and political importance in world affairs has brought the region to the attention of everybody.

Examines how the Middle East oil industry has influenced the course of events in the Middle East and how it has provided a substantial basis for the process of economic and social growth. The author concludes by assessing the current situation and making recommendations for effective socio-economic policies for the future. Contents: The Problems in Context: Process of Control; Process of Claims; Process of Decision; Clarification of World Community Policies: Introductory Perspective; Inclusive Interests; Exclusive Interests; Concluding Remarks; Trends in Decision: The System of Concessions and the Maintenance of the Status Quo; The System of Concessions and the Principle of State Participation in Oil Exploitation Processes; The System of Concessions and the Doctrine of Rebus Sic Stantibus; The System of Concessions and the Principle of State Ownership of Oil Resources; General Appraisal and Recommendations.