MENA Insight

The decision to leave the oil cartel is aimed at reinforcing the country’s autonomy from its Persian Gulf neighbors. By Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, for The New York Times (*) The surprising declaration by Qatar about leaving OPEC on Jan. 1 …

Musical chairs in the Iraqi parliament can no longer solve the country’s problems. By John Hannah, for the Foreign Policy (*) The United States faces an increasingly urgent set of first-order policy questions in Iraq. Spoiler alert: The answer is …

The latest talks to resolve the dispute between Ethiopia and Egypt over the future of a giant hydropower project on the Nile River are due to resume in Washington later. By Basillioh Mutahi, for BBC News (*) Last year a …

Since the Arab spring, in the face of high unemployment, 100,000 young people have left Tunisia. However, a growing number of startups and a culture of entrepreneurialism points to a brighter future for the country’s youth By Naomi Larsson, for …

These five factors make the difference between militaries that support autocracy and those that allow free elections. By Nathaniel Allen and Alexander Noyes, for The Washington Post (*) A cross Africa, long-standing dictators are losing their grip on power. In April alone, Sudan’s …

Once the lingua franca of the Arab world, Egypt’s dialect is in decline along with the country’s cultural and political leadership .. By A.V. , for Foreign Policy (*) THE END of January marks the start of the Cairo International …

On November 7, Morocco launched its first high-resolution observation satellite into orbit, causing concern among its neighbours Spain and Algeria. By Ghalia Kadiri, for Le Monde (*) Buying a satellite is usually a sign of a nation’s power, something to …

“Terrorist organisations like Isis capitalise on climate change to get new members” By Borzou Daragahi, for The Independent (*) The most volatile region in the world is about to be plunged into further chaos because of climate change, academics and …

“Certain states are using their position to secure unearned external income — refugee rent.” By Gerasimos Tsourapas, for The Washington Post (*) As the number of refugees globally reaches records, states are developing diverse yet similar strategies of linking their …

Regional outlook in Middle East & North Africa remains grim in the fight against corruption The Corruption Perceptions Index 2018 presents a grim reality in the Middle East and Northern Africa where, despite some incremental progress by a select few, …