Levant Countries Research Articles

Environmental, social and governance impact on financial performance: evidence from the Levant countries

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate whether the sustainability disclosure with the environmental, social and governance (ESG) aspects has an impact on the financial performance represented by Tobin’s Q, return on assets (ROA) and return on equity indices in the Levant countries for the period 2012–2019, which was a period of turmoil and political repercussions that affected the countries of the region.Design/methodology/approachUsing the content analysis technique, the data was collected from 124 nonfinancial companies from Levant countries (Jordan, Palestine, Syria and Lebanon), and 883 observations were collected as panel data for the research analysis.FindingsThe findings indicate that the environmental, social and ESG collective performance maximizes financial performance, while the governance performance influences ROA only. This suggests that companies pay great attention to various stakeholders, mainly external. Maximizing stakeholder value remains an optimal strategy to achieve the company’s financial goals. Thus, improving the disclosure levels of nonfinancial performance in the capital markets will improve the chances of growth of the financial performance indicators of companies.Originality/valueThe study provided insights about the ESG role and its impact on the financial performance of companies in a less explored context by previous literature, namely, the Levant.

Bajocian ammonites from Zerqa Wadi, Jordan.

Three ammonites; Ermoceras cf. coronatoides Douvillé, Teloceras labrum Buckman, and Normannites gr. braikenridgii (Sowerby); have been recorded for the first time from the latest early Middle, to Late Bajocian of Wadi Huni biomicritic marly limestone of Zerqa Wadi in the Dier-Alla area. This fossil fauna is comparable with other levant countries.

Sociocultural features of the Arabic academic discourse

The Arabic academic discourse is a complex organism associated with the linguistic, national, cultural and religious characteristics of the inhabitants of the Middle East. The article is interdisciplinary in nature and can be considered from the point of view of sociolinguistics, comparative linguistics and psycholinguistics. The subject of the study is the social and cultural features of the Arabic academic discourse. The object of research is academic discourse implemented in Arabic. The purpose of this article is to identify the key features of the Arab academic discourse and the degree of influence of globalization on it. The methodological basis of the study was the results of a survey of Arabic–speaking native students studying at the bachelor's and master's degrees in the Levant countries. The novelty of the research lies in the fact that the Arabic academic discourse in the Russian and international linguistic tradition is insufficiently studied, which entails communicative failures between communicants within the framework of Arabic academic discourse and global, international academic discourse. As a result of the study, the authors come to the conclusion that the Arabic academic discourse is a synthesis of traditional, national and religious foundations of the Arabic-speaking society; the teacher in the Arabic academic discourse takes an authoritarian position towards students. The research materials can be used in universities of the humanities in the study of special courses on intercultural communication, discoursology and a practical course of the Arabic language.

Association Between Factors Likely to Have an Influence on Foreign Direct Investment: The Case of Jordan

Objective: The research objective is to discover associations between factors likely to have an influence on multinational corporations’ foreign direct investment in Jordan. The scope of the research and its objectives are driven by, first and foremost, the fact that there is increasing interest in MNCs’ investments in the MENA region and particularly in Jordan, and second there is a lack of academic research jointly examining the factors behind locational decisions. Research Design & Methods: This study has adopted quantitative methods (non-experimental) because we are able to measure the relationship between the set of variables and set of score. The study designed based on of international business literatures that includes economic, legal, social political factors. Questionnaire survey used to collect that data from sample of 50 companies in operate in Jordan and either owned by foreign inventors or are subsidiary of multinational companies. Findings: the study results indicate mixed views among MNCs because of the current situation and our research results demonstrate that MNCs’ location decision is immensely influenced by economic and political factors, and less by both legal and cultural factors. This indicates there is a similarity with other neighboring countries and significant difference from developed economies western countries. In addition, research finding also indicates that some MNCs mitigating their risk exposure by shifting their investments to relatively more stable business environments, such as the Gulf region and Jordan compared with other Levant countries as confirmed by the FT 2014. Implications & Recommendations: The finding of this research indicate that policy maker in Jordan should concentrate on supporting the macroeconomic environment and maintain its political stability to continue attract FDI. Contribution & Value Added: The existing MNC theory did not jointly examine the factors influencing location decisions, given the scarcity of national publications in the field of international business in Jordan, this research aims at enriching the national literature in this field.

COVID-19 in conflict region: the arab levant response

BackgroundCOVID-19 has hit the world in an unprecedented way causing serious repercussions on several aspects of our life. Multiple determinants have affected various nations’ level of success in their responses towards the pandemic. The Arab Levant region in the Middle East, notoriously known for repeated wars and conflicts, has been affected, similarly to other regions, by this pandemic. The combination of war, conflict, and a pandemic brings too much of a burden for any nation to handle.MethodsA descriptive analysis of data obtained from the health departments of various Arab Levant Countries (ALC) was performed. ALC include Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Iraq and Palestine. The data collected involves incidence, recovery rate, case fatality rate and number of tests performed per million population, Global Health Security index, government stringency index, and political stability index. The information obtained was compared and analyzed among the ALC and compared to global figures. An extensive electronic literature search to review all relevant articles and reports published from the region was conducted. The 2019 Global Health Security (GHS) index was obtained from the “GHS index” website which was made by John Hopkins University’s center for health security, the Nuclear threat Initiative (NTI) and the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). Government stringency index and political stability index were obtained from the University of Oxford and the website of “The Global Economy”, respectively. Other world governance indicators such as government effectiveness were obtained from the World Bank website.ResultsIn terms of incidence of COVID-19, Iraq has the highest with 9665 per one million population, Syria the lowest at 256 per million. Deaths per million population was highest in Iraq at 237, and the lowest in Syria at 12. As for number of tests per million population, Lebanon ranked first at 136,033 with Iraq fourth at 59,795. There is no data available for the tests administered in Syria and subsequently no value for tests per million population. In terms of recoveries from COVID-19 per million population, Iraq had the highest number at 7903 per million, and Syria the lowest at 68 per million. When compared as percent recovery per million, Palestine ranked first (84%) and Syria last (27%). The government response stringency index shows that Jordan had the highest index (100) early in the pandemic among the other countries. Palestine’s index remained stable between 80 and 96. The other countries’ indices ranged from 50 to 85, with Lebanon seeing a drop to 24 in mid-August. Even with improved stringency index, Iraq reported an increased number of deaths.ConclusionIn countries devastated by war and conflict, a pandemic such as COVID-19 can easily spread. The Arab Levant countries represent a breeding ground for pandemics given their unstable political and economic climate that has undoubtedly affected their healthcare systems. In the era of COVID-19, looking at healthcare systems as well as political determinants is needed to assess a country’s readiness towards the pandemic. The unrest in Lebanon, the uprising in Iraq, the restrictions placed on Syria, and the economic difficulties in Palestine are all examples of determinants affecting pandemic management. Jordan, on the contrary, is a good example of a stable state, able to implement proper measures. Political stability index should be used as a predictor for pandemic management capacity, and individual measures should be tailored towards countries depending on their index.

OTTOMAN REFORMS AND THEIR EFFECTS ON THE LEVANT ARAB STATES AS A MODEL

he period of Ottoman reforms had been begun in the 18th Century precisely in1839 during the reign of Sultan Abdul Majid. That period was distinguished by several attempts to upgrade the entire system and the bill of rights and modernize the Ottoman Empire where also attempts were made to include and integrate Muslims and foreigners into Ottoman society by improving their civil liberties and granting them, some other rights and equality, self-reliant and equal opportunities with citizens in the Ottoman Empire. European countries took advantage of that gap and tried to interfere in the country's internal affairs country. Moreover, and at that time, the reign of Sultan Abdul Majid was comprehensively more opening to the reforms aiming at preserving the empire and showed the powers of the national government as desired by the predecessors.It is definitely known that the line of Sharif Kalkhana and Sherif Humayun in 1839 and 1956 respectively had incredible impacts on the Arab states specifically in the Levant countries, where the Ottoman Empire was able to implement its quite huge reforming protocol especially in the state of Syria.

Основание Картхадашта в Северной Африке. К проблеме изучения хронологии древней истории Карфагена

The author of the article tries to connect the observation of economic and trade relations developed by the Phoenicians in the western part of the Mediterranean with a reflection on the situation in which the Levant countries found themselves. It is known that in the period in which the founding of Carthage can be hypothetically located, the Phoenician centers were under political, economic and military pressure – mainly from Assyria – although other powers, such as Damascus, cannot be ruled out. On the other hand, however, it is known that, for example, in German science the lack of a founding act of Carthage in North Africa was emphasized, and the archaeological traces left in this territory seem insufficient to reconcile conventional literary relations with the founding of Carthage at the end of the 9th century BC. The intention of this article is an attempt to show the issues on the basis of which one should consider the reinterpretation of the events reported as the context of the founding of Carthage. This procedure would serve to revise the existing findings of science on the chronology of the founding of Qarthadasht and could, consequently, contribute to showing that the founding of Carthage fell on a later period - i.e. the end of the 8th or the beginning of the 7th century BCE.

Comprehensive review into the challenges of gastrointestinal tumors in the Gulf and Levant countries.

Although gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are rare, with an incidence of 1/100000 per year, they are the most common sarcomas in the peritoneal cavity. Despite considerable progress in the diagnosis and treatment of GIST, about half of all patients are estimated to experience recurrence. With only two drugs, sunitinib and regorafenib, approved by the Food and Drug Administration, selecting treatment options after imatinib failure and coordinating multidisciplinary care remain challenging. In addition, physicians across the Middle East face some additional and unique challenges such as lack of published local data from clinical trials, national disease registries and regional scientific research, limited access to treatment, lack of standardization of care, and limited access to mutational analysis. Although global guidelines set a framework for the management of GIST, there are no standard local guidelines to guide clinical practice in a resource-limited environment. Therefore, a group of 11 experienced medical oncologists from across the Gulf and Levant region, part of the Rare Tumors Gastrointestinal Group, met over a period of one year to conduct a narrative review of the management of GIST and to describe regional challenges and gaps in patient management as an essential step to proposing local clinical practice recommendations.

(The military role of the Kurdish tribes in the Levant Countries during the first thirty years of the rule of the Bahri Mamluk state (648- 678 Hijra/ 1250- 1279 AD : الدور العسكري للقبائل الكردية في بلاد الشام خلال الثلاثين سنة الأولى من حكم دولة المماليك البحرية (648- 678هـ/ 1250- 1279 م)

This research aims to study the military role of the Kurdish tribes in the Levant Countries during the first 30 years of the rule of the Mamluk state (648- 678 hijra/ 1250- 1279 AD (. The two great dangers represented by the Mongol invasion of the eastern Muslim world, and the danger of the Franks in the remaining Franjian emirates and cities in the Levant Countries. The difficult circumstances which was imposed on the early Sultans forced them to benefit from the state of chaos which was created by the Mongols after their subjugation of the Ayyubid Emirates in the Levant Countries. Those Sultans joined the remnants of the Ayyubid armies, which were formed from the Turks, Kurds and Turkmen, to their armies to face these dangers. The Kurdish tribal groups, which practiced fighting in the most difficult circumstances, played a major role in the Mamluks' victorious wars against the Mongols and Franks. This research reveals this role as a contribution to the study of the human structure of the Mamluk army in that period.

Cultural mixture between the conquerors and the Arabs Levant countries(Beyond the River as a Model)

Cultural mixture between the conquerors and the Arabs Levant countries(Beyond the River as a Model)

Epidemiological and genetic characterization of pH1N1 and H3N2 influenza viruses circulated in MENA region during 2009\u20132017

BackgroundInfluenza surveillance is necessary for detection of emerging variants of epidemiologic and clinical significance. This study describes the epidemiology of influenza types A and B, and molecular characteristics of surface glycoproteins (hemagglutinin [HA] and neuraminidase [NA]) of influenza A subtypes: pH1N1 and H3N2 circulated in Arabian Gulf, Levant and North Africa regions during 2009–2017.MethodsAnalysis of phylogenetics and evolution of HA and NA genes was done using full HA and NA sequences (n = 1229) downloaded from Influenza Research Database (IRD).ResultsIn total, 130,354 influenza positive cases were reported to WHO during study period. Of these, 50.8% were pH1N1 positive, 15.9% were H3N2 positives and 17.2% were influenza B positive. With few exceptions, all three regions were showing the typical seasonal influenza peak similar to that reported in Northern hemisphere (December–March). However, influenza activity started earlier (October) in both Gulf and North Africa while commenced later during November in Levant countries. The molecular analysis of the HA genes (influenza A subtypes) revealed similar mutations to those reported worldwide. Generally, amino acid substitutions were most frequently found in head domain in H1N1 pandemic viruses, while localized mainly in the stem region in H3N2 viruses. Expectedly, seasons with high pH1N1 influenza activity was associated with a relatively higher number of substitutions in the head domain of the HA in pH1N1 subtype. Furthermore, nucleotide variations were lower at the antigenic sites of pH1N1 viruses compared to H3N2 viruses, which experienced higher variability at the antigenic sites, reflecting the increased immunological pressure because of longer circulation and continuous vaccine changes. Analysis of NA gene of pH1N1 viruses revealed sporadic detections of oseltamivir-resistance mutation, H275Y, in 4% of reported sequences, however, none of NAI resistance mutations were found in the NA of H3N2 viruses.ConclusionsMolecular characterization of H1N1 and H3N2 viruses over 9 years revealed significant differences with regard to position and function of characterized substitutions. While pH1N1 virus substitutions were mainly found in HA head domain, H3N2 virus substitutions were mostly found in HA stem domain. Additionally, more fixed substitutions were encountered in H3N2 virus compared to larger number of non-fixed substitutions in pH1N1.

Economic Effects of the Syrian War and the Spread of the Islamic State on the Levant

AbstractThis paper uses a global computable general equilibrium framework with new detail on six Levant countries – the Arab Republic of Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, the Syrian Arab Republic and Turkey – to quantify the direct and indirect economic effects of the Syrian war and the advance of the Islamic State on the Levant. Syria and Iraq bear the brunt of the direct economic costs, while the other Levant countries lose in per capita but not in aggregate terms as the inflows of refugees increase the size of their populations. The war has undermined progress towards deeper regional trade integration, thus adding to varying degrees to the direct costs sustained by the Levant economies and, in the cases of Syria and Iraq, doubling their welfare losses. All Levant countries are foregoing opportunities to expand intra‐Levant trade and the associated gains in economic efficiency. The average welfare effects are not indicative of the distributional effects of war within countries.

Impacts of the Arab Spring on trade in airline services

ABSTRACTThis article examines the impacts of the ‘Arab Spring’ on trade in air services between the various North African and Levant countries involved. Studies of the implications of these socio-economic changes on trade in the region are made difficult because of a paucity of good economic data and the involvement of outside countries in the trade that now takes place. The number of international airline seats available provides a partial and fairly reliable variable to examine trade patterns. The analysis looks at changes in patterns of trade in these services between 1997 and 2013.

Multiple sclerosis in the Levant: a regional consensus statement

The epidemiology of multiple sclerosis (MS) is rapidly changing in many parts of the world. In a geographic area that was previously associated with low prevalence, recent studies showing high prevalence and fast rising incidence of MS in the Levant countries led us neurologists of this region to meet in a consensus panel, in order to share our latest findings in terms of MS epidemiology and consent on MS management in the Levant. Twelve neurologists and MS experts representing various countries of the Levant (Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Iraq) have met in Beirut on the 17th of February 2013, shared their latest epidemiological findings, discussed recent MS aspects in the region, and drafted a consensus on MS management relevant to this geographic area.

Towards an Information Society: The State of the Arab Countries

The purpose of this paper is to explore how the Arab countries are progressing in developing information society and how they differ in their efforts to build an information society. The researchers are interested to know if there is any relationship between ICT Development Index (IDI) and ICT Price Basket (IPB), as well as the relationship between Gross National Index (GNI) and IDI. The study adopted IDI, GNI, and IPB indicators used by the International Telecommunication Unit (ITU) in 2011. The researchers divided the Arab countries into four groups: GCC, Levant, Magreb, and other Arab countries. Findings indicate a significant progress of the Arab countries, particularly the GCC countries, in developing information society. Results of the study show that countries with relatively high ICT price have relatively low levels of ICT access and use. Similarly, the analysis of the study found that a high GNI for a country results in a high ICT Development Index and vice versa.

Freshwater vulnerability in the Levant region

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss freshwater vulnerability to environmental change, including climate change, in Levant countries.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses the methodological guidelines prepared by UNEP and Peking University, using the fresh water vulnerability index (VI) for each country of the Levant region. The VI was calculated for a five‐year period interval, i.e. 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, and was predicted for the years 2020 and 2040 taking into consideration the expected impacts of climate change.FindingsThe vulnerability of freshwater resources was explored by isolating strategically‐important issues related to different functions (uses) of freshwater systems in the Levant region. All Levant countries are very vulnerable according to the adopted methodology (VI values are from 0.5‐0.7), with Palestine being the worst case. The value of each parameter was calculated for five‐year interval period and for each Levant country. The most dominant parameter was the water variation parameter (RSv), which is a natural factor and highlights how vulnerable the region is to climate change. The second most important parameter was the water exploitation pressures (DPs), which reflect the efforts of the countries to satisfy their water needs from the limited water resources. Cooperation and exchange of data and information at the regional level regarding the vulnerability of the region to climate change and measures for mitigation and adaptation could help in alleviating its impacts on the countries of the region.Originality/valueThis paper highlights that fresh water resources in Levant region are under increasing pressures due to human‐made and natural reasons. High population growth and economic activities rates have placed extensive pressure on the already limited water resources. Moreover, the prevailing arid climate and the expected impact of climate change will decrease the fresh water availability.

New records of freshwater and land molluscs from Lebanon

A total of 17 freshwater and 33 land gastropod species as well as 6 small clams from different habitats were found during a study of limnic and terrestrial molluscs in central and northern Lebanon. New records for Lebanon or the Levant countries include Stagnicola cf. berlani (Bourguignat, 1870) sensu Kruglov, 2005, Planorbis carinatus O. F. Müller, 1774, and Potamopyrgus antipodarum (J. E. Gray, 1843) as well as the clams Musculium lacustre (O. F. Müller, 1774), Pisidium amnicum (O. F. Müller, 1774), and Pisidium tenuilineatum Stelfox, 1918. Among the land snails, Orculella mesopotamica riedeli Hausdorf, 1996, Buliminus damascensis (Pallary, 1929), Turanena benjamitica (Benson, 1859), Sphincterochila fimbriata (Bourguignat, 1852), and Monacha cf. compingtae (Pallary, 1929) are new for Lebanon.

Nuclear Energy Developments in the Mediterranean and the Gulf

Several Arab countries have recently manifested an interest in civilian nuclear energy. For some, like Egypt, this is the revival of an old interest, for others, notably the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), it represents a clear reversal of previously held positions. This interest has been interpreted as an implicit threat to move in the direction of acquiring a military nuclear capability, in case Iran develops a bomb. Instead, the article argues that interest in nuclear energy has strong economic motivations for all Arab countries, although the position of the GCC is quite different from that of North Africa and Levant countries, from the point of view of both the cogency of motivation and the ability concretely and rapidly to launch a civilian nuclear program.

Present situation of echinococcosis in the Middle East and Arabic North Africa

Echinococcosis is one of the major zoonotic parasitic diseases in the Middle East and Arabic North Africa from Morocco to Egypt. Both cystic and alveolar echinococcosis has been reported from these areas. However, cystic echinococcosis is more prevalent and has been reported from all countries in the Middle East and Arabic North Africa. Alveolar echinococcosis is less prevalent and has been reported only from Iran, Turkey, Iraq and Tunisia. Present situation of echinococcosis in dogs and other definitive hosts, animal intermediate hosts and humans in the Middle East and Arabic North Africa has been reviewed. Echinococcus granulosus is highly prevalent in Iran, Turkey, Iraq, Morocco, Tunisia, and Libya. In the Levant countries, the cystic echinococcosis is also highly endemic. In Oman, it is endemic with low prevalence and a very low level in Cyprus. Various surveys have indicated that hydatid cysts are commonly found in sheep, cattle, goats and camels throughout the Middle East and Arabic North Africa. Sheep are the most infected animals of these regions. Most of studies on human have been focused on surgical reports although several population studies have been performed using serological and imaging techniques. Human cystic echinococcosis (CE) is prevalent in the Middle East and Arabic North Africa. It is hyper endemic in Iran, Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Libya, Tunisia, and Algeria, and endemic in Egypt. Studies on the strain specificities of E. granulosus in the Middle East revealed sheep strain (G1) present in sheep, goats, cattle, camels and humans, and the camel strain (G6) in camels, sheep, cattle as well as humans. Dog/sheep strain seems to be more prevalent in the foregoing regions in documented reports from Iran and Jordan. However, a strain of E. granulosus, which resembles the horse strain (G4) strain, has been reported from Jordan. Strain specifications of E. granulosus in Arabic North Africa showed that sheep/dog strain (G1) have been reported from Tunisia and Libya both from humans and animals. However, in Egypt the human cases reported are of camel/dog strain.

A new record of Schneider’s Skink, Eumeces schneideri Daudin, 1802 (Sauria: Scincidae) from Cyprus

This is the first report of the presence of Eumeces schneideri in northern Cyprus and is the second record from Cyprus. One specimen was collected and is described. The Cypriot population of Eumeces schneideri looks quite homogenous: it has a dorsal pattern with weakly developed orange dots or without orange dots in adult specimens, as in the new specimen. The darkened flanks, the two dorsolateral light bands and the presence of a few scattered small orange spots on the hind legs lead us to conclude that the Cypriot population is not identifiable with the known subspecies from the Levant countries. We thus accept that the subspecific status of our specimen is Eumeces schneideri ssp.