An examination of the forces affecting the attitudes, motivation and aspirations of the new generation in Saudi Arabia, structured around the themes of identity and change. It explores the tension between perceptions of tradition and modernity.

Is Saudi Arabia really a homogeneous Wahhabi dominated state? In 1932 the Al Saud family incorporated the kingdom of Hijaz, once the cultural hub of the Arabian world, in to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The urban, cosmopolitan Hijazis were absorbed in to a new state whose codes of behavior and rules were determined by the Najdis, an ascetic desert people, from whom the Al Saud family came. But the Saudi rulers failed to fully integrate the Hijaz, which retains a distinctive identity to this day. In "Cradle of Islam", the product of years spent in Mecca, Medina, Jeddah and Taif, Mai Yamani traces the fortunes of the distinctive and resilient culture of the Hijazis, from the golden age of Hashemite Mecca to Saudi domination to its current resurgence. The Hijazis today emphasise their regional heritage in religious ritual, food, dress and language as a response to the 'Najdification' of everyday life. The Hijazi experience shows the vitality of cultural diversity in the face of political repression in the Arab world.

Oil is an unusual commodity in that individual decisions can have an outsized effect on the market. OPEC+’s choice to increase production, for instance, might send prices falling, affecting both oil producers and consumers worldwide. What do the leading oil market players consider before making a fateful move? Oil Leaders offers an unprecedented glimpse into the strategic thinking of top figures in the energy world from the 1980s through the recent past. Ibrahim AlMuhanna—a close adviser to four different Saudi oil ministers during that period—examines the role of individual and collective decision making in shaping market movements. He analyzes how powerful individuals made critical choices, tracking how they responded to the flow of information on pivotal market and political events and predicted reactions from allies and adversaries. AlMuhanna highlights how the media has played an increasingly important role as a conduit of information among multiple players in the oil market. Energy leaders have learned to manage the signals they send to the market and to other relevant players in order to avoid sending oil prices into a spiral. AlMuhanna draws on personal familiarity with many of these individual decision makers as well as his participation in decades of closed-door sessions where crucial choices were made. Featuring revelatory behind-the-scenes perspective on pivotal oil market events and dynamics, this book is a must-read for practitioners and policy makers engaged with the global energy world.

"In an age when Western feminism is continuously undergoing redefinition, the struggles of women in Muslim countries are often overlooked. This volume illustrates how women in Islamic societies have become more actively involved not only in learning their rights under the shari'a (Islamic law) but in rereading this law to improve their status and gain increased equality and freedom. Surveying Iran, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Egypt, and Arab societies in general, Feminism and Islam brings together renowned women researchers and academics -- historians, political scientists, lawyers, sociologists, social anthropologists, and literary critics -- to examine the examine the phenomenon of feminism within the Islamic cultural framework. Introducing a feminism which is "Islamic" in its form and context, the essays focus on such subjects as crimes of honor and the construction of gender in Arab societies; law and the desire for social control; women and entrepreneurship; family legislation; and the political strategies of feminists in the Islamic world." -- Back cover

[Complete Play-Along tracks sold separately at the author's website - see below]Internalizing 2 against 3 is every musician's wish. As much as there are books extensively covering scale permutations, there are none that clearly illustrate all the possibilities that occur within the subdivisions of 2 and 3, in all their downbeats and upbeats, while also taking melodic motion into consideration.Training melodic motion awareness in rhythmic exercises is underrated while it is highly essential for any musician, especially the improvising jazz musician since being able to hear complex 2's and 3's patterns with changing pitches is integral to utmost freedom in phrasing. In this book, you will find 56 exercises in both, scalar and rhythmic notation, that will take you from the simple pattern of - half note triplet against whole notes - into the complex -syncopated 16th note triplets against syncopated 16th notes, hoping that along the way, this will help you achieve effortless sensitivity to swing and groove. Included with the eBook (sold separately) are play-along tracks of all 56 patterns with stereo separation so you can "hear" each pattern and practice against any line you wish.* Play-along tracks are available for download at www.tarekyamani.com/dupletriple* eBook (pdf version) + play-along tracks can also be purchased as a bundle from the author's website at www.tarekyamani.com/dupletriple

In the decades that followed World War II, cheap and plentiful oil helped to fuel rapid economic growth, ensure political stability, and reinforce the legitimacy of liberal democracies. Yet waves of price increases and the use of the so-called “oil weapon” by a group of Arab oil-producing countries in the early 1970s demonstrated the West’s dependence on this vital resource and its vulnerability to economic volatility and political conflicts. Oil and Sovereignty analyzes the national and international strategies that American and European governments formulated to restructure the world of oil and deal with the era’s disruptions. It shows how a variety of different actors combined diplomacy, knowledge creation, economic restructuring, and public relations in their attempts to impose stability and reassert national sovereignty.