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The
Jordanian Students' Movement (1948-1998)
Its History and Development in Jordan and abroad
Samer
Khreino
Sindbad Publishing House, Amman, 2000
Pp. 288, Arabic
This
book is made up of five chapters and an annex which
contains several important documents issued over the
past five years regarding the subject.
The first chapter focuses on the position of the Jordanian
students' movements and where they are found in Jordan
and abroad; the second chapter discusses the history
of students' unions and boards; the third is about
the history of the students' movements that are affiliated
with political powers and parties, while the fourth
discusses the Jordanian students' movement in general.
The fifth and final chapters comprise a number of
major national events and turning points in the students'
movement.
The book, the first of its kind in the Kingdom, also
discusses the history of student movement in Jordan
and abroad. It focuses on the overall characteristics,
as well as on national and politically affiliated
movements, which has rendered the history of students'
movements part of Jordan's modern history, worthy
of research in order to understand the general national
mood and the trends of society and of political powers
during the various periods of its history.
The book, which is a very important addition to the
Jordanian library, brings out the history of the Jordanian
students' movement from the shadows of the history
of political and social movements and puts it into
perspective as a major element of Jordan's modern
history. It also reveals the importance of its own
history, which so far has remained uncovered. The
book discusses the various stages of students' movements
that were previously unstudied in a comprehensive
and unbiased manner.
In his introduction to the book, journalist and writer
Jamil Nimri says: "Thousands of people will be
happy to read this book which tells a story which
they were all a part of at some time or another. ...
the first time this history and the events that occurred
during that time have been recorded. Luckily, the
researcher is a young man with perseverance and determination,
who has taken on the task of gathering historical
events covering a long period of time and many places,
events that are only in the memories of elderly or
middle-aged people who either witnessed them or were
a part of them.
"When I met the researcher two years ago, I was
not so sure he could achieve what he set out to do
in such a comprehensive manner and with such excellence,
but when I received a copy of this book a few days
ago, I was pleasantly surprised, and impressed with
all the effort that was exerted to publish it.
"When you hear tens of testimonies, and you go
back to hundreds of references, documents statistics,
you realize the author followed a very diligent methodology
and a dependable manner to present the subject in
an objective manner, which indicates the author is
intellectually qualified and deserves gratitude for
the work that he has done with loyalty and precision
in his book, which cover 50 years of the life of the
Jordanian students' movement."
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The
Age of Questions (The Road to Exile 3)
Feisal
Hourani
Sindbad Publishing House, Amman,
Pp. 430, Arabic
This
book is an excellent novel by the renowned political
critic Feisal Hourani and it is the third of his 5-part
book series "The Roads to Exile", following
the publication of the second part "Ascending
to Zero", in which he records, in the form of
a novel, his own experience as a refugee from his
homeland to a new country.
In "The Age of Questions", Feisal Hourani,
continues his novel, which is a collection of 17 small
stories that begin in "Al Batiha", in the
Quneitrah region, where he stopped on his way to work
from Damascus, following his appointment as a teacher
there. In the book the author describes the nature
of the location and the surrounding areas, his experience
with the students' movements, and the diversity of
that period.
The book highlights the social environment in Syria,
the revival of political conflicts and the return
of political pluralism, following the separation between
Syria and Egypt. It also describes the 1950s and 1960s
and the struggle of the people as a result of the
political circumstances prevalent at the time, particularly
the struggle for power and its impact locally and
in the Arab world in general.
Many have praised this book, including Dr. Abdel Rahman
Yaghi who said: "Feisal has astounded us all...
he has blended reality with surprise... surprise with
reality, and came up with a very strange and unique
mixture. But the honesty of this mixture has made
it very special, and Feisal presents it to the critics
to make up their minds about it. He has extended the
element of surprise to the point of reality, and has
reflected the light of reality on the element of surprise
in order to discover the depth of this lake that attracts
people to swim in it, and ultimately his readers are
confused where the limits of their astonishment are,
and where reality does begin..."
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The
Body... A Comparison Between Illusion, Imagination
and the Dream to Understand Body Language
Talal
Mua'ala
Sindbad Publishing House, Amman,
Pp. 140, Arabic
This
book covers an extensive and fertile area of poetic
readings of "modern Arab creativity" ranging
from daring to objective, discussing in a liberated
and unprecedented manner thesis, concepts and quotations.
The book, which is a human story, also discusses these
concepts in an attempt to introduce to the reader
new keys to this subject, which for some is restricted
to "bedrooms and twilights".
The book is made up of three chapters. The first is
titled "Imagination and Creating Illusion"
and focuses on the issue of the human body, which
has always been presented as "the first mother",
the source of all beings, and the proponent of life.
The author has developed the former abstract picture
through time, although this was by no means contradictory
in the minds of ancient man, until he reached the
"Greek age" which ended with the emergence
of the first cities in the Rafidain Valley, all the
way to the industrial revolution in the 19th century,
backed-up by the ideologies of such intellectuals
as Maurice Nadou in "The History of Surrealism",
Jabra Ibrahim Jabra in "Art, Dreams and the Brain",
and David Leburton in "The Anthropology of the
Body", among others.
The second chapter focuses on "the progressive
body", the political abuse of the body, and the
outlook on this symbol as a victim, linking the body
to the historical events as a monument that is enlarged
beyond the human cultured needs. This chapter also
discusses the desire for knowledge, from Freud to
Michael Bernardeau, to Maro Conti on body symbolism,
and sheds light on the body's scientific and cosmetic
superiority.
The third chapter comprises pictures of plastic arts
relevant to the contents of the book, and a comment
on each picture, all based on "the body",
this secret which is moulded into dreams, quality,
victim, imagination, ideology, nightmares, forbiddance
and desire; it also discusses the body and society,
its image and its magic. As the author himself says:
"... and other bodies who try to create shadows
of your actions and visions... even if it is in the
future..."
On the whole, this book has explored the different
facets of the same body, and the female obsession,
which was a major focal point of the book, in a very
smooth and concise manner.
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The
Strategy of Jordanian Tourism at the Turn of the 21st
Century
Group
Effort
Sindbad Publishing House, Amman, 2000
Pp. 88, Arabic
This
book was published by the Jordanian Forum for Economic
Development, the economic arm of the Al-Urdun Al-Jadid
Research Center, and comprises the proceedings of
a discussion session organized by the forum, which
was attended by a number of representatives from the
tourism sector, the hotel industry, the air transport
sector, academics and experts in the field of tourism,
in addition to researchers and businessmen.
The book contains a working paper by Aqel Biltaji,
Jordanian minister of tourism, and comments by Nisreen
Barakat, from the Ministry of Planning. This session
was headed by Hamdi Taba'a', head of the Jordanian
Businessmen Association who also conducted the debate.
The book sheds light on the importance of tourism
as part of the global economy, and the promising prospective
growth of international tourism, including the countries
in the region, and Jordan. It also shows the importance
Jordan gives this sector in order to revive its national
economy, and describes the discussions on developing
tourism in the Arab world.
The book contains many tables depicting the work force
in the sector, income from tourism and the percentage
of income from tourism of the GNP, in addition to
tables that show the projects for tourist hotels currently
under construction and the rate of growth of this
sector, among others.
The book also contains a 22-page summary in English.
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Jordanian
Banks and the Requirements of the 21st Century
Group Effort
Sindbad Publishing House, Amman, 2000
Pp. 92, Arabic
This
book was published by the Jordanian Forum for Economic
Development and contains the proceedings of a discussion
group during which Mufleh Aqel, regional manager of
the Arab Bank, presented a working paper which was
commented on by Wasif Azar, general manager of the
Jordanian National Bank, and discussed by a select
group of bankers.
The book is very important for those working in the
banking and financial sector, and for those facing
the challenges of the third millennium which witnessed
the emergence of investment organizations that are
competing with the banks and assuming roles that were
traditionally limited to banks, in addition to the
communications and information revolution, all of
which are obliging bankers to revise the way banking
services are provided.
The book portrays the history of banking in Jordan
since the 1950s, and the factors that have affected
the banking sector since the 1970s. It also includes
various interventions by a number of specialists in
this sector.
The book also comprises a summary in English.
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The
Constraints of Economic Growth in Jordan
Group Efforts
Sindbad Publishing House, Amman, 2000
Pp. 82, Arabic
This
book was issued by the Jordanian Forum for Economic
Development and contains the proceedings of a workshop
organized by the forum. It includes a working paper
by Dr. Fahed Fanek, renowned economist and economic
researcher, two interventions by Dr. Bassam Saket,
the head of the Monetary Portfolios Council, which
was commented on by Dr. Fanek, and several renowned
economists like Dr. Jawad Al Anani, ex-chief of the
Royal Court, Dr. Mohammad Saeed Nabulsi, ex-governor
of the Central Bank of Jordan, Dr. Mohammad Smadi,
ex-secretary general of the Ministry of Industry and
Trade, Jawad Al Hadid, director general of the Arab
Banking Corporation, Adeeb Hadad, dean of the Jordanian
Banking Institute, and Dr. Khalid Wazani, a professor
of economics at the Hashemite University.
The book aims to identify the internal and external
constraints of economic growth in Jordan, during the
past few years, and attempts to attain a consensus
on the policies and solutions that will serve to revive
the economy and propel it forward.
The book is issued as part of a series of books comprising
the proceedings of discussions organized by the Jordanian
Forum for Economic Development in an attempt to bridge
the gap between the government and the private sector,
and which aim to motivate and enrich economic policies.
The book also comprises a 22-page summary of the proceedings
of the seminar in English, in addition to several
tables that show the development of the GNP during
the period 1992-1998.
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The Status of the Jordanian Industry...
its Problems and the Prospects for Developing it
Discussion Session
Sindbad Publishing House, Amman, 2000
Pp. 98, Arabic
This
book contains the proceedings of a discussion session
held by the Jordanian Forum for Economic Development
at the Institute for the Development of Exports and
Trade Centers.
The book is a report that comprises three major working
papers presented by Dr. Mazen Saket, director general
of the Jordanian International Company for Textile
Manufacturing, titled "The Jordanian Industry:
Reality and Challenges", in which he discussed
the impact of the international state of affairs on
the Jordanian economy, in addition to identifying
and analyzing the problems facing this economy. The
second paper, "Towards a Better Understanding
of the Potential for Investment in Industrial Projects",
was presented by Dr. Samir Omeish, consultant at the
Ministry of Industry and Trade; it describes the links
to the manufacturing process, the relationships that
must be established and the facilities that must be
available in order to ensure the success of an industrial
project.
The third paper, presented by Nisreen Barakat, head
of the National Task Force for the Study of Competitiveness
at the Ministry of Planning and titled "Competitiveness
in the Jordanian Industry", describes the behavioral
trends in the Jordanian Industries.
This report also contains a summary of the proceedings
of the discussion session in English.
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The
Jordanian Agricultural Sector and the Challenges of
Reviving Agricultural exports
A
Workshop
Sindbad Publishing House, Amman, 2001
Pp. 100, Arabic
This
book was issued by the Jordanian Forum for Economic
Development and comprises the proceedings of a workshop
organized by JFED on March 27, 2001 at the Institute
for the Development of Exports, which was attended
by a select group of Jordanian economists.
The book describes the role of the agricultural sector
and the extent of its contribution to the development
of the economy in Jordan. The main working paper was
presented by Dr. Salem Al Louzi, head of the Bureau
of the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development,
which was commented on by Hasan Nabulsi, head of the
General Union of Agriculturists, Samir Habab, professor
of Agricultural Marketing at the Jordan University,
and Eng. Akef Zoubi, head of the Studies and Information
Department at the Agricultural Marketing Organization.
This book contains a summary in English.
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The
Transparency of Statistical Data in Serving the Private
Sector and Economic Decision makers
Workshop
Sindbad Publishing House, Amman, 10 October 2001
Pp. 65, Arabic
This
book was issued by the Jordanian Forum for Economic
Development and comprises the proceedings of a workshop
organized by the forum at the Amman Chamber of Industry
on July 25, 2000. The book contains the major working
papers presented by Dr. Hussein Shakhatreh, general
manager of the Public Statistics Department, which
was commented upon by Jameel Jubran, from the Amman
Chamber of Industry, Samir Ghawi from the Jordan Times
daily, Yasar Abu Hamour, from the Center for the Advancement
of research, Mohammad Bawarseh from the Prime Ministry,
Ahmad Sa'ade from the Amman Chamber of Industry, and
a number of researchers and specialists.
The book is an attempt to identify the major elements
that contribute to the transparency of statistical
data, and describes their characteristics and feasibility,
in addition to identifying the requirements of the
success of the Department of Public Statistics in
conducting surveys and collecting data.
The book contains a summary in English.
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Industrial
Exports and the Role of the Free Trade Agreement in
Activating Them
A
Workshop
Sindbad Publishing House, Amman, 2001
Pp. 102, Arabic
This
book was issued by the Jordanian Forum for Economic
Development and comprises the proceedings of a workshop
organized by the forum at the Amman Chamber of Industry
on July 13, 2000, during which several working papers
which discussed industrial investments in Al-Hasan
Industrial City and the extent of benefit from the
Qualified Industrial Zones (QIZ) Agreements, were
presented. Papers that focused on the role of the
Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in boosting industrial
exports and the impact of international and regional
agreements on Jordanian industries and exports, the
role of the QIZ and the FTA with the US in activating
industrial exports to the American market were also
presented.
The book contains several working papers and interventions
by Eng. Ali Obeidat, head of investors at Al-Hasan
Industrial City, Eng. Abdel Halim Abdeen, head of
investors at the Amman Industrial City Society, Dr.
Sameer Omeish, deputy secretary general of the Ministry
of Industry and Trade, Maher Al-Naser, chairman of
the board of directors of the Irbid Chamber of Industry,
and Ahmad Al Sa'adi, director of research at the Amman
Chamber of Industry.
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Democracy
and the Sovereignty of Law:
edited by Hussein Abu Roman.
Sindbad Publishing House, 1997. 235 pages (Arabic).
Democracy and the Sovereignty of Law contains the
deliberations of a seminar held by the Al-Urdun Al-Jadid
Research Center (UJRC) with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.
August Hanning and Albrecht Weber discuss German experiences,
the role of the constitution, federal machinery, and
the federal constitutional court; Edda Schliepack
examines the importance of opposition in a democracy;
and Slobodan Milacic considers the unwanted political
consensus and the threat of the democratic opposition.
He also writes about judicial independence in France.
Attorney Anis Kassem deals with the topic of constitutional
law in Palestine; Adel Sherif discusses the Supreme
Constitutional Court in Egypt and its role in consolidating
the democratic experiment; and Nizam Barakat discussed
the roel of the Supreme Court in the Israeli political
system. Presentations on Jordan include attorney Asma
Khader on the constitutionality of the laws; former
Deputy Prime Minister Abdallah Nsour on the relationship
between the majority and the opposition in the parliament;
Kamal Nasser, former president of the Jordanian Bar
Association, on democracy and the sovereignty of law;
and Hanna Hatter on the role of the Judiciary in protecting
the march of democracy. The volume includes comments
by former government officials and members of the
parliament as well as judges, lawyers, and professors
of history and law.
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Toward
an Appropriate Democratic Electoral Law:
Edited by Khadijeh Habashneh.
Sindbad Publishing House, 1997, 100 pages (Arabic).
UJRC published the proceedings of this seminar, held
in November 1996 in collaboration with the Jordan
Research Center at yarmouk University, in its series
on "Civil Society and Political Life in Jordan".
This series preceded elections for the House of Representatives
in November 1997, the third election held since the
democratic transformation began in 1989. the proceedings
cover the importance of the electoral law for democratic
transformation as well as the development of political
life and party pluralism. They make clear that there
were several points of agreement among representatives
of the various political and party trends. They also
highlight the increasing discussion of allocating
a quota for women in the House of Representatives
and the diminishing reservations over this quota.
Ideas for a new electoral law are submitted by Upper
House member Na'ilah Al-Rashdan and House of Representatives
members Salim Al-Zu'bi, Salih Sha'watah, and Abdul
Al-Rahim Al-Ukour, who reviews the various electoral
systems and points out the shortcomings of "one
man, one vote" when applied in Jordan. These
participants assert that the law must be amended and
replaced with a more modern electoral system that
could unify the country and strengthen the chances
of representation of political forces and parties.
The second part includes the deliberations at a roundtable
on the achieving a national consensus on a new electoral
system, in which academics, members of parliament,
and politicians participated. The participants agreed
upon several recommendations, notably the formation
of a joint committee of government representatives,
party, and women leaders to Reach a unified perception
of the new electoral law. They emphasized the need
to achieve equality among electoral constituencies
so that there would be the right balance between the
number of seats and the number of people residing
in districts.
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