Rabil, Robert

The Arabian Peninsula was under the influence of the Ottoman Empire from 1517 until its collapse in 1918. During this time, three attempts were made to establish a Saudi state, the last of which began in 1902 and ended with the unification of the third Saudi State in 1932. During this period, three Saudi States were formed. The first Saudi State was established in 1745 when the al-Diriyah Agreement was introduced. This landmark agreement was achieved when Imam Mohammed Ibn Saud formed an alliance with Sheikh Mohammed Ibn Abdul Wahhab, a religious and rebellious man who advocated for the pure interpretation of Islamic principles. This alliance enabled Ibn Saud to govern the state, but he left the religious and cultural aspects of the society under the authority of Ibn Abdul Wahhab. As a result, throughout centuries, the religious establishment has greatly influenced the affairs of all three Saudi States. However, following the seizure of the Grand Mosque by religious zealots in 1979, Saudi Arabia underwent changes that radicalized the religious establishment, causing myriad detrimental effects for Saudi women. Oppressed by the weight of unfair laws and obstacles, Saudi women challenged the status quo and fought for equal rights through various methods. While King Abdullah al-Saud introduced some reforms, more significant change was still to come. After King Abdullah’s death, King Salman and his son Mohammed Bin Salman—the Crown Prince and Prime Minster—initiated a series of sweeping reforms under the Vision 2030 initiative to empower women, diversify the economy, and modernize the Kingdom of Saudi. Some key aspects of these reforms were abolishing the Male Guardianship System and removing the ban on women’s driving.

This study examines Pakistan's modem history, focusing on the role the military has
played in the country's politics and its impact on the prospects for democracy. It attempts
to understand the motives behind the military 's frequent coup d 'etats and its rationale for
keeping and yielding power. More specifically, this study investigates President Pervez
Musharrars policies and initiatives, including electoral and constitutional changes, with
the objective of identifying obstacles to a peaceful transition to democracy. In this
respect, it probes and assesses the role played by the United States in Pakistan's domestic
and foreign policies in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks. Finally, this
study seeks to investigate the interplay of roles played by Islamic extremists, secular
groups and the military in hopes of assessing the prospects of a sustainable democracy in
Pakistan.

In this thesis, I examine the politics of European Union (EU) and Russian
energy relations. The main analysis is focused on the Russian energy policy towards the
European Union and whether or not Moscow’s attempts at deepening reliance on
Russian’s natural gas are a part of a Russian broad strategy or to gain political leverage
vis-à-vis European countries. More specifically, this thesis focuses on the state-owned
natural gas company Gazprom as a tool of Russia’s energy policy and the extent to which
Russian authorities use this company to shape the politics of EU – Russian energy
relations. This study investigates whether Gazprom has become an extension of the
Russian government, and whether the company has been used as leverage tool to affect
relations between the EU and Russia. Finally, this study also traces the tremendous
growth of the EU – Russia energy partnership by examining several ongoing projects.