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The term 'People of Determination' (PODs), coined by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government, refers to women and men with disabilities and is articulated and inspired by the country's history, culture, and traditions. This study aims to examine the constitutional and policy-oriented framework of PODs in terms of rights, services, and their integration process in UAE society. In so doing, it explores the UAE's perspective on PODs in terms of conceptualization, services, framework of empowerment, institutions, rehabilitation efforts, employment, and societal integration. Although the UAE is a federal state composed of seven emirates with federal institutions, each emirate has established a set of governmental and nongovernmental institutions that provide an integrated system of care, rehabilitation, skills-building, employment, and inclusionary and societal integration for PODs. The country is a pioneer in this area such that prominent international institutions have recognized its accomplishments and organized major world events such as the 2019 Special Olympics in Abu Dhabi. The first section of this study examines issues surrounding conceptualization and some relevant theoretical contributions to PODs. The second investigates the constitutional and legal framework of the UAE's POD paradigm. The third explains the UAE's narrative about PODs as well as the policy-oriented instruments, institutions, and mechanisms that have translated such narrative, values, and laws into practical policies and institutions. Finally, the paper discusses accomplishments, outcomes, and recommendations. The article as a whole demonstrates how future researchers and policymakers can contribute to a deeper engagement with issues of gender and disability to achieve intersectional gender and disability justices. Keywords: UAE, People of Determination, Gender, Disability, Services, Rehabilitation, Education, Protection mechanisms, Integration, Emiratis with Disability Act, UAE Constitution, National Plan for PODs, November 2024 Introduction The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that a staggering 1.3 billion people experience a significant level of disability, stating that every person will likely experience some disability [...]

November 2024 This special issue of the Journal of International Women's Studies takes a broad look at issues of disability within the Arab world. Half of the papers address issues [...]

The war in Ukraine has led to a surge in commodity prices. Energy and food prices have skyrocketed after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The acceleration in worldwide fuel prices delivered positive fiscal balances to major oil-rich countries, particularly the Gulf states. Nevertheless, the positive current account balances did not leave these countries immune to inflation. This study uses up-to-date inflation numbers to determine the drivers of inflation in the Gulf region by examining the case of Dubai, as one of the most popular cities in the region. The study uses monthly inflation numbers that cover the year 2022 and applies an element-by-element analysis to identify the drivers of the accelerated inflation. Our findings suggest that Dubai's inflation is mainly driven by the transport component in the consumer basket, while food items had a modest impact on Dubai's inflation. Keywords: Inflation, UAE, Dubai, Ukraine, Russia, Russia-Ukraine War, Introduction Russia and Ukraine are both major food and energy producers. Many countries are heavily dependent on them to satisfy their food and energy needs, and the conflict threatens their [...]

The Greater Middle Eastern Region is composed of the Levant, the Arab Gulf Region, North Africa, and Central Asia. It represents a geopolitical region and cultural civilization that is at the heart of global affairs. Its geostrategic location made it vulnerable throughout history to political, security, economic, and cultural developments. The region is heavily influenced by the current war in Ukraine, and the aim of this article is to explore its consequences in terms of political implications, security, economic and energy considerations, and socio-cultural impact, with a special attention to the gendered impacts of the war on the region. Keywords: Ukraine War, Greater Middle East, Economic impact, Energy, Political consequences, Socio-Cultural impact, the Levant, Food security, Women, Women's medical education, Masculinity in International Relations., Introduction: Theoretical Framework of the Ukraine War The War in Ukraine is described by the majority of scholars in the international relations (IR) field as a clear return of 'realpolitik.' [...]

Introduction The goal of this special issue is to explore the root causes of the Russia-Ukraine War and its socio-economic and political impact on Ukraine, the Russian Federation, and the [...]

The sudden outbreak of the Coronavirus in January 2020 took the world by surprise. Initial state-response was mired by confusion, uncertainty, apprehension, and near demoralization. However, several countries around the world, including some Middle Eastern and North Africa countries (MENA) took the challenge seriously in the early stages and set an example to be emulated globally. The objective of this article is to examine the response of the North African countries to the pandemic, examine the opportunities and the challenges facing the region, and add up the lessons learned in order to be better prepared for impending crises facing the nation-state, the region at large, and the international community. This survey article seeks to highlight the common denominators whenever possible and examine country-specific conditions that determine the success or the failure in dealing with the Corona Crisis in Middle East and North Africa. Keywords: Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Geopolitics, Coronavirus, Pandemic, Regional Rivalry, International rivalry, The war in Libya, Western Sahara, Economic contraction, Growth, Introduction January 30, 2020 was unlike any other day at the World Health Organization (WHO). Fears of the spread of a catastrophic pandemic were confirmed. The WHO declared Covid19, a [...]

The outbreak of the coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis in early 2020 took the whole world by surprise. The world witnessed its horrific spread in Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Brazil in utter disbelief and helplessness. The Greater Middle East (GME) region too faced the pandemic-induced misfortune in no small measure. Governments and non-governmental organizations scrambled to articulate a response equivalent to the challenges. While the crisis clearly posed an unprecedented set of challenges in human history, it did provide some opportunities as well. If nothing else, the crisis brought home the importance of pandemic-preparedness, biosecurity, health security, food security, social cohesion, public compliance, and regional and international cooperation as succinctly as possible. While a few countries in the GME region did succeed in stepping up to the challenge in the early six months of the crisis well into the end of 2021, a few others fell considerably short in their response and are still struggling to provide even basic anti-virus measures. This article provides a general overview of the GME's response to the Covid-19 pandemic and highlights some of the major challenges faced by the states and society in the region and the opportunities thereof. The article also touches upon the policies, efforts, opportunities, struggles, and challenges in the sub-regions of the GME: the Levant, the Gulf, North Africa, and Central Asia. Keywords: Greater Middle East, Coronavirus pandemic, Crisis management, Preparedness, Health security, Economic growth, China, Wuhan, Response to the corona pandemic, The Greater Middle East: An Overview The GME region extends from Western Sahara in North Africa to Tajikistan in Central Asia at the Western borders of China. This region shares [...]

The Greater Middle Eastern region is at the heart of global affairs and strategically positioned at the crossroads of world continents. Similar to other parts of the world, the region [...]

Abstract The Arab Spring, a revolutionary wave of protests and rebellions, and a process of regime change and democratization is sweeping the Arab world, but marginally touching women's issues in [...]

Abstract Kuwaiti women's long struggle for a seat in the National Assembly culminated with remarkable success on May 16, 2009. For the very first time in Kuwait's political history, the [...]

This Special Issue on Arab women, the first of two issues, is timely in that it comes amid a wave of radical changes sweeping the Arab world. Arab women have [...]

Abstract On May 17, 2008, Kuwait conducted its Twelfth election of its National Assembly. The most remarkable aspect of the election was the active participation of women, who gained their [...]

The eruption of Arab Spring toward the end of 2010 came as a surprise to some observers and policy circles. However, area specialists warned of the upcoming rebellions decades ago. [...]

I would like to acknowledge the valuable efforts of the co-editors for this Special Issue, Dr. Nadine Sika, Dr. Sangeeta Sinha, and Professor Hmoud Olimat. I would also like to [...]