Oman funding its private sector

I just read this article on the Times of Oman website and it reminded me of the attempts of "Arabization" that GCC governments have repeatedly attempted. The article explains how Oman Liquid Natural Gas is funding Nizwa College of Technology to establish a science lab for oil and  gas. There would also be funding for new equipment and a fishing vessel at the Fisherman's Training Institute in Salalah. Both industries have been dominated by expatriate workers and foreign companies. Hopefully the training of Omani youth will not only "Arabize" these industries, but provide jobs in the private sector for the large youth population.

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Busy!

Looks like another new post about the Middle East/North Africa will have to wait a little bit. However I do have some new topics to talk about such as the British Mesopotamia Campaign from 1914-1918. I love it when my WWI history course collides with my major.

I had to place the next Moro War post on the back burner thanks to this extra busy semester. I need to read All Quiet on the Western Front again for one course and a book about the 1973 Arab-Israeli war (woohoo the Arab-Israeli conflict, my favorite topic, not). All I got to say is that I wish I was having as much fun as these guys: 

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http://www.emirates247.com/news/emirates/how-dare-you-crazy-stunt-drivers-back-on-uae-roads-2010-10-06-1.300153

Getting back into the swing of things

Wow its been a while since I last posted! I've spent much of break doing non-school related stuff and catching up with friends and family. Right before break I checked out a lot of books related to Oman, the UAE, the Arab Legion and British military involvement in the Middle East. I'll be honest, I haven't researched or read as much as I wanted. In fact I'm reading about book right now about the Moro war in the Philippines in an attempt to see how the US handled a Muslim insurgency over a hundred of years ago. I've also been doing some reading about the British in Sudan. Usually my interest in certain conflicts comes from seeing or shooting certain firearms. I have a great interest in the British Martini Henry rifles and early Enfield SMLE's since they have been used by a majority of Arab armies since the 19th century. The proliferation of those weapons aided fighters in many conflicts since the British left their old domains in the region. 

Anyway, the book about the Moro war is interesting. It's really the first foreign conflict with a large drawn out insurgency. The conflict is what I call an intermediate conflict because it took place between two other conflicts that had doctrine bleed over. What I mean by this is that the US military doctrine first used in the Moro conflict was left over from the Indian Wars. However the military leaders soon found out that killing everyone really didn't work like it did in the Western US.  Many famous US Army officers,such as General Pershing, cut their teeth in the Philippines and would use their experience to change Army doctrine in time for World War One. The Moro conflict also took place during a time when the US military was developing its technology. Obsolete rifles like the 1898 Krag would be replaced by the much more reliable and powerful 1903 Springfield while machine guns started to be more reliable and faster firing. Artillery increased in power and range while the US Navy grew as well. Although those two changes might seem small they can make a huge difference in battlefield tactics, especially in a place like the Philippines where the Navy, Army, and Marines worked hand in hand. 

Pershing talking to tribal elders

http://www.morolandhistory.com/09.PG-Camp%20Vicars/camp_vicars_p4.htm

high casualties resulted in battles between sword wielding fighters and their rifle and machine gun armed enemies

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moro_Rebellion

Pershing and other US army officers meet with Moro Elders

http://www.morolandhistory.com/09.PG-Camp%20Vicars/camp_vicars_p4.htm

I decided to read this book because situations where a colonial power dealt with an insurgency after asserting control over a territory happened previously with the British in Egypt and Sudan, not to mention the other conflicts in Africa like Boer War and the Zulu wars preceding it. I also wanted to gain some knowledge of how the US handled this insurgency and then look at how we have handled Iraq and Afghanistan. I know no two conflicts are alike and that the people, culture, and history of the places fought in is different but I want to focus on the attitudes of the military leaders and how it affected decision making. I believe the approach of leaders and their doctrines in these conflicts and use of the resources at hand are the major differences. 

Im going to keep on blogging and you can't stop me!

 I decided to keep the blog going since I'll be doing some reading about the Gulf, military involvement and continuing studying Arabic. I'll write a final post for my class after finals are over.

For all of you who studied Arabic and somehow ended up in Jordan you will understand:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fZjhmEzonc

Ship building in the Gulf

In addition to my Middle East politics course I undertook my first independent study class for Arabic this semester. One of the things I worked on during the second half of the semester was a translation of a Bahrani text on ship building. Although these historical ships have mostly been replaced by the huge tankers and freighters they are still used locally by fishermen and for taking tourists on rides. This was my first attempt at doing any formal translating.

Here are some pieces of the project:

The island of Bahrain continued to play an outstanding role in navigation in the Persian Gulf during the era of the Islamic state. Bahrain has had a long experience ship and boat manufacturing and the skill at riding the sea and knowledge of astronomical information spread with Muslims departing from the coast of Bahrain toward India, Persia, and elsewhere during Islamic conquest. 

In the middle ages, Bahrain played a distinctive role in the Gulf by trading with the Middle and Far East. The main staples of trade they specialized in were silks, spices, perfumes, incense and precious goods sent to ports in the vast parts of the Islamic world. 

Bahrain was famous in the middle ages for exporting dates, Arabian horses, and natural pearls to India and China. Bahrain was also the center of pearl and oyster diving in the Gulf. The inhabitants have traditionally been known throughout history as artisans for ship manufacturing and transoceanic sailing to the south but also as makers of ropes and sails and the dried fish and pearl trade. 

Types of ships:

Al Ghanjah: A large type of ship that is very similar to what al danqah and al bateel is like in the bow and has a stern like al danqah. It has inscriptions on it and it was used to transport goods on long distance voyages. 

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Shwayee: The Shwayee is a small boat used for pearl diving and for fishing in the regional ports as well as transporting goods at port. It is still used in the southern Gulf. The Shwayee is like the Sanbouk where it wings out in the rear and has oars but it is smaller than Sanbouk. 

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Al Bateel: The Bateel is characterized by its enormous size and top speed. It is mostly used for long distance voyages to Indian ports and for transporting goods and passengers, as well as things associated with diving because of its high speeds. It is distinguished by a bow that is bent and a sloped stern that has oars. 

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Al Boom: This is one type of the larger traditional vessels and is distinguished by a bow and stern that is similar in shape. Its size depends on a large straight plank that acts like a keel. Its size can reach to be more than 90 meters. It is usually used for long distant voyages across the ocean and transporting passengers and goods. Al boom have a low main deck and a short raised deck at the rear. The front of the keel beam is curved and protrudes out front of the ship while the tip is painted black with a white stripe. 

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Wait, we have to work?

http://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21567128-recent-government-efforts-create-jobs-may-store-up-trouble-future-where

This past summer I read Sean Foley's The Arab Gulf States: Beyond Oil and Islam,which I recommend to anyone pursuing work/study/vacation in the Gulf region. He dedicates a chapter to the role of women in his book and talks about the expat workforce throughout his historical narrative of the Gulf. One he makes clear: a majority of native Gulf Arab men don't want to work in the private sector and women don't have the opportunity to have professional jobs Instead a large portion of private sector work is filled up by expatriate laborers from India, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Indonesia.  Walk down the streets of Dubai and I bet you will be able to count the number of Arab Emiraties with one hand. I believe Foley even said the amount of expats in the Gulf numbers over 3 million, which is larger than the native Arab populations of the UAE and Oman.

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According to Foley most Gulf Arabs would rather work for the government while women are not socially expected to work outside the home. He writes about the problem that Gulf Arab youth aren't qualified enough, take their education seriously enough, nor want to work to start a career in the private sector. The high managerial positions along with the lower paying positions in the private sectors are left for expats. This proves to be a huge problem for the governments of the Gulf States. The reliance on foreigners to build infrastructure means large populations of expats. These populations have already shown their influence in the UAE in the past decade when expatriate workers protested low wages and mistreatment. Protests like this left stores and businesses closed. Their actions also sent a message to the government that maybe native citizens need to take up more jobs. As a result of their protests expat labor is more expensive and now host governments have to acknowledge more expat rights and provide more benefits to them than in previous decades.

The article I posted from foreign policy talks about problem with employing Emiratie youth. The reason I focus on the UAE is because the expat population is so large. This Link from 2011 reported that expats were close to 90% of the population in the UAE. Finding employment for Emiratie youth is exceedingly difficult with such a large expat population. However another problem is that most youth don't need to work. The rentier state is to blame. In the Foreign Policy article it stated that per capita GDP was near $90,000, right behind Qatar's $94,000. Government handouts and subsidies are so great that Emiratie youth don't have any incentive to work a low paying job in the private sector.

Since the 1970's the Gulf States have attempted to "Arabize" the private sector with pressuring businesses to hire local Arab nationals instead of expatriates. So far those efforts have failed and become worse. Dubai again is a prime example being that it's huge skyscrapers and downright amazing building feats were built by expat labor and continues to be. Government's haven't been able to attract their Arab citizens to do the low paying jobs and qualified professionals are hard to come by. So what is the solution if male Arab youth aren't qualified or don't want to work? Foley and I share the same opinion: let women who are qualified and want to work have the opportunity to do so. Him and I aren't talking about construction work, we are talking about the professions requiring higher education.

He wrote in his book about how Gulf Arab women are more educated and qualified than there male peers. The only problem is that society puts such harsh sanctions against them getting full time professional jobs. I have heard from multiple Arabs in the Gulf how women have better grades in high school, attend college and out perform the males peers. The problem is that once they graduate from college they go on to get married, have kids, and stay at home raising them. I'm not against parenthood or marriage but in the case of the Gulf any aspirations for a  women to get professional career after graduation are severely looked down upon. I really think the employment of women could be a huge boon to the "Arabization" of the private sector.


This problem of employment is only going to get worse as oil runs out and Gulf States can't provide the same amount of subsidies as they have done in the past. Men are going to have to work the hard jobs and earn their money. The other problem is what jobs are going to be available as the youth populations grow? Although the Foreign Policy article explained the UAE had quickly made jobs for their citizens it will only be more difficult to do in the coming years.

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Its all about who you know

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2012/al-monitor/reversebraindrain.html

One of my long term goals after college is to do some sort of business in the Persian Gulf region. I recently read the article above from al-monitor on reversing brain drain in the Middle East. What really interested me was the last section about public policy. This part of the article quickly goes over the problems that small business owners face when starting up. Lack of clear regulations and the necessary resources for a successful business hinder entrepreneurs and business owners. I find it particularly disheartening as an American because as a student looking to do some sort of business in the region the challenges make me consider whether attempting my goal is worth it or not.

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However, the one thing this article made me think of is the unofficial system of knowing people who can give you favors works in the Middle East. I really don't know what to call it but the system of "wasta" in Oman is what I am thinking of. "Wasta" from my own experience was more than just knowing the right people, having it meant you could use the power of knowing someone to get things done and skip the standard procedures. I personally saw this system play out multiple times during my travels and have also read about it in books on the bureaucracy of the Saudi regime.

Say for example you have a document that needs an important signature from a judge but there is a long wait and process the document has to go through before it is signed. If you know someone who works with the judge you can call this person and they can skip the regular procedures and process the document within the same day. Stories similar to this have been told to me from friends who needed documents from their home country to travel or study abroad.

Going back to the section in the article on public policy I can easily see how this corruption of the system is a drawback to people looking to work in the Middle East or return to their home countries to work. Plus the horribly unclear regulations and standards that are required for business owners doesn't make finding work in the region appealing. This poses a significant problem if the article is right about the Arab world needing 100 million more jobs in order to employ the newer generations.

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