Saudi Arabia and the Law of the Sea

International law does not exist in a vacuum; its development is closely connected with contemporary conditions. The most complex and difficult political-legal problem today is tile drafting of a generally agreed-upon law of the sea convention. The sophistication and Western orientation of the Saudi position on the law of the sea, as well as Saudi Arabia\u27s oil reserves and the wealth and power they confer, make it a worthy subject for examination

Conceptualising the Umma: An Introduction

Muslim societies, like all others, are inexorably interconnected with cultural exchanges, intimate political interactions and a degree of economic interdependence.2 Building on historical precedents, ‘Islam’ has seemed naturally cosmopolitan. Over time Muslims have developed a sense of interconnectedness, even an idealisation of unity, as seemingly contradictory trends unfolded – as states and parochial identities became entrenched in the Muslim world and as broader networks have emerged. A cosmopolitan sense of identity has at times taken on the form of an explicit ideology – pan‐Islamism – which itself has often been viewed as hostile and aggressive. The umma or community of faith has emerged as one of the central concepts of contemporary Islam, hardened in some quarters into an ideology, even a weapon, but also conceived of and represented in diverse cultural forms as well as in the everyday practice of the faith. This issue of Muslim World seeks to examine how the idea of the umma has been constructed in the modern era, even though its precise meaning has remained vague