This symposium will present and discuss the various issues and developments concerning the current reality and the future of relations between Yemen and the GCC countries with special focus on the strategic, security political and economic prerequisites for the incorporation of Yemen into the GCC. Also it will discuss the importance of economic adaptation of Yemen, its mechanisms and requirements, the potential gains and mutual interests of both Yemen and the GCC states at the political, economic, and security levels.
Research centers as well as those involved in political and strategic studies play a critical role in enriching academic research in their respective fields. By contributing to the formation of research cadres specialized in these fields and raising and discussing new concepts and theories as well as various relevant issues, they facilitate the formation of academic groups, thereby deepening the theoretical and cognitive frameworks of these sciences. Moreover, they assume a role in issuing journals, serial academic publications, and specialized books together with convening conferences, symposia and seminars.
Similarly, such centers conduct the study and analysis of issues and problems facing countries and societies for the sake of pinpointing the underlying causes of existing problems; by elaborating visions and feasible suggestions, they aim to rectify any shortcomings in this regard. To this end, research centers capitalize on academic research to serve social issues by offering consultancy and working out substitutes in a manner that would ameliorate the decision- and policy-making processes.
In light of the above, the status of strategic and political research centers reflect in some aspects the dominant conditions of academic research in such fields in any given country, just as they embody governmental and societal views on the importance and role of such centers. Even though the Arab world has quite a good number of government- and private-sponsored centers of this nature, the majority are regarded as having limited influence and effectiveness due to a number of considerations and reasons.
Out of its staunch conviction of the importance of the role research centers could assume, particularly in view of the current problems and sweeping challenges confronting the Arab World, the Dubai-based Gulf Research Center (GRC) and the Arab Association for Political Science have decided to hold a joint symposium entitled ‘The Role of Centers for Research, Political and Strategic Studies in the Arab World: Challenges and Prospects.’ The objective of the symposium will be to discuss this crucial topic, pose and address a number of diverse and relevant issues and identify academic experts available at various centers for research and studies in this regard.
Both the GRC and the Arab Association for Political Science aspire to ensure that this symposium induces an increased role for political and strategic research centers across the Arab world and facilitates cooperation and coordination among the various institutions in a way that would enhance future communication and interaction. It is hoped that such endeavors will help enrich academic research efforts in the field of political science.
Objectives of the Symposium:
• Discussing the dimensions of the role played by centers for research,
political and strategic studies in the Arab world.
• Raising and addressing the different problems and obstacles that affect the
work of such centers.
• Discussing the dimensions of the linkage between such research centers
and both the state and society.
• Positing feasible suggestions likely to contribute to ameliorating the role of
such centers.
• Designing and elaborating visions and contributing suggestions likely to help
boost and deepen relations of cooperation and coordination among
research centers throughout the Arab world.
Participants in the Symposium:
• Directors of research centers for political and strategic studies, both
government-owned and private, based across the various Arab countries.
• Scholars and specialized experts.
• Representatives of academic ministries for scientific research and other
concerned official authorities from the various Arab countries.
Realizing the importance of energy production, consumption, and trade in the Gulf and the significant role of the policies that govern them, the Gulf Research Center established the Gulf Energy Program (GEP) in March, 2005.
In recognition of the necessity of disseminating information on the international energy markets to the Arab world and the importance of cooperation between oil-producing and oil consuming countries in data and information exchange, the Gulf Research Center (GRC), with the assistance of the Energy Information Administration (EIA), at the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE), will release the Arabic version of the US Energy Information Administration"s (EIA) flagship publication, the International Energy Outlook 2005 (IEO2005) on November 13, 2005.
By translating the International Energy Outlook into Arabic for the first time in this region, GRC aims to make an important contribution to the understanding of the world trends in energy demand and the major macroeconomic assumptions to the Arab world.
The key speakers at this book release are the Honourable Samuel Bodman, US Secretary of Energy, the Honourable Guy F. Caruso, Administrator, EIA, Mr. Aloulou Fawzi, an energy economist at the International, Economic, and Greenhouse Gases Division of the Office of Integrated Analysis and Forecasting (OIAF) at EIA and also Dr A. F. Alhajji, George Patton Chair of Business and Economics, College of Business Administration, Ohio Northern University and Gulf Energy Program Moderator at GRC.
The IEO 2005 covers international energy projections through 2025, prepared by the EIA, including outlooks for major energy fuels and associated carbon dioxide emissions. It also aims at helping energy managers and analysts, both in government and in the private sector, by providing them state-of-the-art projections and the most recent available data. Journalists and media outlets can get a better understanding of energy trends and the factors that impact energy markets.
Through the Arabic version of the IEO 2005, the Arab world can also gain access to information on regional projections of end-use energy consumption in the residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation sectors and the projections for world electricity markets.
