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For many Europeans, the Arab World is looked at, at best, as an oil well and a huge market, and, at worst, as a turbulent and dangerous environment. Thus, access to oil, market penetration, and security interests have largely driven European policies towards this region. Under different denominations and umbrellas, European policies in the past 65 years pursued the same objectives: energy, market, security. This has been the case of the Mediterranean Global policy (1972-1992), the Euro-Arab Dialogue (1974-1989), the Renewed Mediterranean Policy (1990-1996), the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (1995-2008), the European Neighborhood Policy (2004-2012) and finally the Union for the Mediterranean (2008-2012). Sometimes, two or three overlapping policies were conducted at the same time. ; N/A

On 17 December 2010, a Tunisian youngster from Sidi Bouzid, in South West Tunisia, set himself on fire, triggering a political earthquake in Tunisia that led to the ousting of President Ben Ali, his family and his close relatives. Other immolations or attempts at immolation took place in other Arab countries from Yemen in the Arab Peninsula in the East, to Mauritania in the West. We already knew of the "kamikaze" phenomenon which involves someone commits suicide while killing others. But protest immolation is a new phenomenon in the Arab countries. Destitute of all "religious" or "sacrificial" significance, the gesture is rather a form of expression, an act to say "enough" or to say "no". It cannot be linked at any time to any concept of "djihad" for any reason, nor, a fortiori, to a simple suicide. These young Arabs immolate themselves to communicate their despair. Perhaps, they hope that by rebound effect, they will succeed in awakening their own respective people to get them going. ; peer-reviewed

This study was planned and conducted to assess the quality of life (QOL) as perceived by 140 selected elderly people living in 3 public nursing homes in Amman, Jordan. Factors that may influence quality of life among the residents were analyzed, and the relationship between quality of life and certain demographics in the nursing homes was determined. The data were collected through administration of a questionnaire during face-to-face interviews in the residents' settings. Consent from each resident was sought and obtained. The findings indicated that the quality of life is determined by age, gender, marital status, level of education, and length of stay in the nursing home. Also, by the quality of the four domains: physical, psychological, social relationships, and environment.

Les révolutions arabes s'inscrivent dans un temps long qui a vu la progressive transformation des États paternalistes postcoloniaux en États prédateurs. Dans les meilleurs des cas, les stratégies de survie des régimes autoritaires ont mis en œuvre des libéralisations en trompe l'œil et se sont appuyées sur la légitimité que leur octroyait un Occident obsédé par la déstabilisation de la région. Mais le passage du surgissement révolutionnaire à l'avènement démocratique pourrait s'avérer long.

We are gathered here, family de Marco, colleagues and friends, to pay tribute to an outstanding intellectual and political figure: Guido de Marco. 'A man of purpose", an 'international statesman and a perfect gentleman', wrote Stephen Caleya, 'a great politician and a true patriot with a futuristic wise vision' read the telegram of condolence of the Secretary General of the Arab League, Amr Moussa. ; N/A