This chapter examines the profound impact of the Arab uprisings on the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)). While initially perceived as distant from the epicentre of the unrest, these countries underwent significant economic, political and security transformations as a result of it. It describes key events initiated by the Tunisian revolution, emphasising the interconnectedness of the Gulf region with the wider Arab uprisings. Furthermore, it explores the economic and socio-political conditions in the GCC countries that shaped their responses to the uprisings, particularly in the context of the challenges posed by the oil-based developmental model. In terms of implications, it dwells on the growing polarisation and intra-GCC rifts, particularly the conflict between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the UAE, on the one hand, and Qatar, on the other, between 2017 and 2021, jeopardising regional integration. The Arab uprisings revealed the vulnerabilities of the GCC countries’ status quo, leading to a reassessment of their political and economic trajectory both from the domestic and the external relations points of view.

This chapter deals with the demography of race and ethnicity. It is mainly concerned with demographic issues pertaining to race and ethnicity, their implications and consequences. The chapter first discusses why demographers are interested in race and ethnicity. Next reviewed is the history of categorizing people according to race and ethnicity, and then how in the United States the statistical concepts of race and ethnicity evolved over time, from the 1790 census to the 2020 census. Current patterns of race and ethnicity in the United States are next examined, and it is shown how these groups differ in terms of the basic demographic processes, in particular, fertility and mortality. These topics are significant because the United States is approaching a time when there will no longer be any numerical majority racial or ethnic group.

Causation is arguably the most complex of the elements of negligence. It is covered in three sections in this chapter. Section 13.1 covers the criteria for identifying a recognisable harm and the nature of causation in tort law – what type of explanation does it look for? Section 13.2 covers the evolution of the methods adopted by Australian courts to identify factual causation. Section 13.3 discusses the difficult normative challenge of putting a limit on the extent (or ‘scope’) of a defendant’s liability.

Because this area of the law of negligence is extremely complex, the chapter includes two sets of ‘Summary points’ and two ‘Test your understanding’ features. At the end of the chapter, you will find an appendix with the provisions on causation adopted in the civil liability legislation in each state and territory.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) was created in 1981 as a sub-regional Arab integration project amid regional turmoil and security challenges to the newly independent oil-rich Gulf monarchies: the Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Kuwait, the Sultanate of Oman, the State of Qatar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The GCC was created as an exclusive club between the traditional Arab Gulf monarchies that share historical ties, similar social and cultural background, common characteristics and similar systems. The founding Charter spells out its objective as to effect coordination, integration and interconnection between member states in all fields in order to achieve unity between them. These objectives were wide-ranging and ambitious but did not reflect on its rather basic organisational structure and traditional decision-making process. The integration process and its international cooperation were delayed due to historical antagonisms, dynastic rivalries, territorial disputes and sovereignty issues, which caused friction, and mistrust, which hindered its cohesion and development. Nevertheless, the GCC stands to be one of the most successful Arab regional projects and has been able to show some noticeable success and measurable achievements especially in economic and security spheres, and to withstand many internal and external challenges.

This chapter emphasizes the foundational importance of clearly defining the scope and goals of an organization as the initial step in the organizational design process. Scope determines how the organization frames its purpose and communicates its identity, which in turn influences strategic choices, stakeholder alignment, and operational priorities. Goals – particularly those related to efficiency and effectiveness – serve as critical dimensions for assessing organizational performance and guiding design decisions. The chapter has illustrated how sustainability considerations and the pursuit of the triple bottom line can reshape both scope and goal formulation, requiring integrated design solutions that balance financial, social, and environmental outcomes. Through examples and empirical evidence, we have shown that organizations must navigate trade-offs and potential misalignments between scope, goals, and design components. Ultimately, a coherent and well-articulated scope, combined with a nuanced understanding of goal priorities, provides the analytical foundation for diagnosing organizational fit and initiating effective design interventions.

This chapter puts together the three demographic processes of fertility, mortality, and migration and analyzes overall population change in the world. First considered is the question of how many people have ever lived on the Earth. Next reviewed, albeit briefly, is the main theory of population change, namely, demographic transition theory. Then the chapter looks specifically at the dynamics of world population change, taking both a long and a short view. It concludes with a discussion of the future of the world’s population.

This chapter explores how literature and film can develop environmental competence by subverting anthropocentric worldviews and reimagining human–nature relationships through fictional narratives. Using an imagological lens, it examines how stereotypes of nature and Indigenous people – often rooted in colonial hierarchies – are reconstructed in novels like The Lost Origin and films like Prey and Avatar for the purpose of questioning. These works destabilise ecophobic attitudes, expose capitalist exploitation and foreground Indigenous perspectives grounded in respect for nature and environmental stewardship. The chapter emphasises the polysemous and affective power of stories to challenge normative behaviours and encourages learners to critically engage with cultural media as tools for sustainable education and ethical transformation. Ultimately, literature and film are thus framed not merely as artistic outputs but as potent agents of environmental awareness, interspecies empathy and social critique.

The Gulf region is a distinct sub-system of the wider Middle East, including the resource-rich states of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and Iran, and commands enduring relevance within the international system. This is the first textbook to provide a focused, comprehensive introduction to Gulf politics, specifically tailored for undergraduate students and newcomers to the subject. It explores the region’s political landscape, covering key topics such as state formation, oil and rentierism, regime types, religion and politics, foreign policy and migration. Blending historical context with contemporary analysis, chapters by leading scholars examine the role of oil wealth, tribal structures, regional integration and merchant elites in state-building, as well as the region’s strategic importance in global politics. An ideal core text for university courses on the Gulf and GCC, An Introduction to Gulf Politics is essential for understanding the complexities of power, governance and influence in one of the world’s most dynamic regions.

This chapter explores key historical dynamics in the Gulf up to the 1970s, when the region finally achieved independence from foreign political control. It examines the world of the Gulf Arabs and their connections across the waters to Iran and the wider Indian Ocean. It considers the Iranian view of the Gulf and the competing Persian/Arab perspectives on the region’s historical identity, symbolised by the ongoing dispute over the region’s very name. It surveys the Gulf’s pre-oil economy, including its heavy dependency on India. It examines the origins of the pre-oil shaikhdoms and emirates that now form the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). It highlights the key aspects and episodes of British and Ottoman imperial involvement in the Gulf. It considers the impact of Iranian nationalism during the Pahlavi dynasty and the Arab response to it, including the rise of Arab nationalism in the 1950s and 1960s. It ends with an explanation of how a once-integrated region became fragmented into three separate socio-economic zones after the 1970s: the GCC states, Iran and Iraq.

Fertility refers to the production of children, which is a biological process. Usually, a man and a woman have sexual intercourse, and the woman conceives, resulting in a live birth. Although the production of a child is a biological process, the activities and events that lead to the act of sexual intercourse and, later, to giving birth are affected by the social, economic, cultural, and psychological characteristics of the woman and the man, and by the environment in which they live. In this chapter, we consider the conceptualization and measurement of fertility. Second, we discuss the proximate determinants of fertility. We next consider world fertility patterns and how they have changed over time. We next focus on fertility trends in the United States. We follow with a discussion of adolescent fertility, nonmarital fertility, childlessness, and male fertility. We conclude with a discussion of popular and unpopular dates of birth.

Sexual orientation refers principally to a person’s sexual behavior, sexual self-identification, and sexual attraction to others, whether they are of the same sex, different sex, all sexes, or no sex. The chapter first breaks down the LGBTQIA acronym and shows that the acronym does not represent the same general population. It then discusses two basic strategies for conceptualizing sexual orientation, seven different dimensions of sexual orientation, and survey data for measuring the prevalence of sexual orientation. These are followed by empirical analyses of sexual orientation for females, for males, and for asexuals.

This chapter explores ecopsychology’s potential to examine the psychological roots of environmental destruction and promote sustainable alternatives. Tracing connections between ecopsychology, positive psychology and economics, it critiques mainstream psychology’s individualistic focus and its neglect of sociopolitical and ecological contexts. Through concepts like the ‘empty self’ and ‘revolt of nature’, the chapter foregrounds systemic dysfunction in capitalist societies, arguing that well-being and reconnection with nature must replace growth imperatives. Key alternatives include degrowth strategies, well-being-oriented policy frameworks and transcultural initiatives such as Joanna Macy’s ‘Work That Reconnects’ and Aboriginal-led equine-assisted learning. The chapter concludes that genuine environmental and social transformation requires interdisciplinary ecological paradigms that disrupt resourcification, technosalvationism and nationalist tribalism – while fostering empathetic relationships between humans and non-human life.