The United States, Egypt, and Qatar are making a ‘last gasp’ diplomatic push to secure a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. Mediators say that the latest truce offer, which they hope to finalize in Cairo this week, ‘bridges’ several contentious details that had thwarted previous talks. At the time of writing, the prospects for the negotiations look bleak. The terms of the ceasefire have yet to be fully disclosed, but they appear to have veered from earlier frameworks offered in May and endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 2735.
The real schism in the Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks is about who decides Gazas future
Chatham House
Japan’s relationship with Africa is changing rapidly. While Tokyo has maintained its traditional aid-focused approach to the continent, it is also encouraging more engagement from the Japanese private sector and a stronger focus on critical minerals.These shifts come amid growing tensions between the G7 advanced economies and the People’s Republic of China.
This policy insight shows that concern about Chinese influence in critical mineral supply lines, and its wider involvement in key African sectors like green energy, industrialisation and infrastructure, is leading Japan to expand its African engagement. However, elevated risk perception among Japanese companies could prove to be a complicating factor.
Local Opportunities and Global Disputes: Tracking Japans Engagement with Africa amid Geopolitical Tensions
South African Institute of International Affairs
Small and medium-sized enterprises represent around 80-90% of private sector businesses in the MENA region, and they employ over 50% of the formal workforce in some countries. Of that, new digital startups are only a small part. Despite SMEs’ limited share in national output in MENA compared to other regions, digital transformation is a crucial opportunity for these businesses to benefit from the growing digital economy and provide a remedy to severe youth unemployment and slow economic growth.
As the source of the most employment, this sector should be targeted for greater integration of information and communication technologies (ICT), but businesses often lack the means of both financial support and know-how to increase their use of technology.
Reading of the Week: Assessing the Status of Digital Integration of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises in the Middle East and North Africa
Wilson Center
For weeks, concerns over the risk of miscalculation or even intentional escalation between Israel and Hezbollah have dominated attention. Ramped up cross-border attacks between the two sides on Sunday, August 25 have left each side simultaneously claiming success “for now,” suggesting a much-feared larger conflagration may have been averted in the near term.
However, implications for longer-term risk and mutual deterrence, Iran’s calculations for escalation, and linkage to the still-elusive Gaza cease-fire remain uncertain.
Israel-Hezbollah Contained Escalation Halts Concern Over Broader Mideast War
United States Institute Of Peace
In recent months, as the United States has struggled to deter and degrade the Houthis, Yemen’s United Nations-recognized government has worked to dramatically increase economic pressure on the group. The economy, in particular revenue and liquidity, is the Houthis’ Achilles heel. This is where the group is most vulnerable, and this is exactly where the government in Aden is pressing.
This approach, however, also carries significant risks. In the short term, increasing economic pressure on the Houthis is likely to prompt them to reignite attacks on Saudi Arabia, while in the long term it could make reuniting Yemen into a single state all but impossible.
The Houthis Achilles Heel
The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington
According to the US Department of Energy, there are fifty minerals that are “critical”—in that they not only serve an essential function in the technologies of the future but are also at a high risk of supply-chain disruption. That risk is due to a number of factors, but one glaring reason is the limited availability or mining of these minerals in the United States. That is increasingly problematic as demand for these minerals rises, considering the role they play in building a green economy globally.
Critical minerals investment must avoid the mistakes of the past in African mining
Atlantic Council
One of Africa’s longest wars shifted toward a conclusion in July when France recognized Morocco’s claim of sovereignty over the Western Sahara. That action, alongside Morocco’s military advantage, effectively will leave the indigenous Sahrawi independence movement with no choice but to eventually settle for some form of autonomy within Morocco.
While this reality will be unsatisfactory for the estimated 173,000 Sahrawis living in refugee camps, their best option, and that of their backer, Algeria, is now to seize the opportunity to negotiate for best-possible peace terms with Morocco.
Western Saharas conflict is over. Negotiating the terms comes next
United States Institute Of Peace
The Guinean junta’s growing repression and intolerance for dissent risk derailing the promised transition back to civilian government while deepening the country’s humanitarian crisis.
A Stagnant Transition in Guinea
Africa Center For Strategic Studies
A country’s demographic trends are often cited among the risks or opportunities that it faces. Youth bulges could bring political instability; a robust working age population promises a “demographic dividend” of economic prosperity and strengthened democracy. As one generation ages out of the labor force, another slips into place, taking on the responsibility for economic growth (while paying into social security, caring for parents, and often raising a family).
Reading of the Week: Introduction - The Grest Population Shakeup
The Wilson Center
Gates Foundation, with the support of Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, convened an inaugural meeting of the Doha Global South Health Policy Initiative in Doha. The initiative was conceived as a response to stagnating health indicators in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), even before the COVID-19 pandemic, despite global commitments and significant funding from global health initiatives.
The Doha Global South Health Policy Initiative
Middle East Council on Global Affairs
September 13 will mark one year since Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Bahraini crown prince and prime minister Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa signed the Comprehensive Security Integration and Prosperity Agreement (C-SIPA). In an era when Middle East partners have sought additional U.S. reassurances over fears that Washington might abandon the region, the signing of C-SIPA offers a new roadmap for multinational cooperation.
One Year of the U.S.-Bahrain C-SIPA: Signs of Progress, Regional Potential
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Masoud Pezeshkian, a former heart surgeon, took the oath of office before the Iranian Parliament on July 30, a day after he received an endorsement for the presidency from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranians hope that the reformist president will be able to make good on his mandate to carry out social and economic reforms and alleviate some of the pain that sanctions have wrought on the country’s economy and left it with few allies.
Irans New President Takes the Oath With Promise of Reform and Outreach
The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington
Given the current lack of viable security alternatives on the Israel-Lebanon border, Washington may try to patch up UNIFIL’s many deficiencies—but it must do so with a clear understanding that the force has repeatedly failed its mission and squandered its credibility.
The Pros and Cons of Salvaging (or Ditching) UNIFIL
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Sudan’s protracted and deadly war is not merely a civil conflict, as is often, and sloppily, claimed. Rather, it represents a complex struggle deeply rooted in the nation’s fraught transition to democracy. Following the end of Omar al-Bashir's thirty-year authoritarian rule, Sudan has faced numerous challenges in establishing a stable, civilian-led government.
Sudans War is Anything But Civil
Brussels International Center
The African Union (AU) will attend the next G20 Summit as a full member under Brazil’s presidency in November 2024 in Rio de Janeiro, having been admitted to the group last year. This marks a significant step forward in amplifying Africa’s voice in global forums. Established in 2002 as the successor to the Organization of African Unity (founded in 1963), the AU aims to promote political and economic integration across the continent.
How the African Union Can Amplify Its Influence in the G20
Policy Center for the New South
Negotiations between African governments and foreign investors are often characterized by the various skills, technical capacities, and information asymmetries that shape the balance of power and influence outcomes. The dynamics of these negotiations—in pursuing extractive and infrastructure projects, in particular—merit a special focus, as agreements to carry them out often bind African countries for several decades.
Maximizing the Benefits of the Renewed Global Interest in Africas Strategic Minerals
Carnegie Endowment For International Peace
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is emerging as a promising solution to the challenges of inefficiency and high compliance costs in the fight against money laundering. This brief examines the capabilities, benefits, and challenges of AI in the context of detecting and preventing financial crime. The brief explores the ways in which AI can aid anti-money laundering efforts, particularly by reducing compliance costs and enhancing efficiency. The findings offer insights for policymakers, regulators, and financial institutions seeking to leverage AI to combat money laundering more effectively and efficiently.
Reading of the Week: The Use of AI in Arresting Financial Crime
Observer Research Foundation
Since the United States atomic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, humankind has been acquainted with new meanings of catastrophic conflict and “total war.” Until now, however, before Russian aggressions against Ukraine and prospective Iranian wars against Israel, the tangible portents of a “final epidemic” have seemed more-or-less manageable. What next?
Madness and World Politics: Risks of a Nuclear War
Modern Diplomacy
There have been many calls-not least from developing countries-to reform major economic institutions such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Trade Organization (WTO). But before entertaining reform ideas, we must grapple with a pair of uncomfortable questions. Are these three organizations fully devoted to poorer countries’ economic and social development? And, are they uniquely equipped to deal with development? These questions are especially pertinent today, as the organizations wrestle with making economic growth “environmentally sustainable,” promoting climate-oriented development, and adding climate action to their already-complex portfolios.
The World Bank , the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organization: Reform Challenges
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Migration has been a major issue affected the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has for decades. Many citizens across the region have sought to leave their homelands in search of life in foreign countries. Arab Barometer has been monitoring attitudes toward migration in the region since 2006. The newest Wave VIII surveys between 2023 and 2024 reveal that sizable percentages of people across the region want to leave their countries in pursuit of better living conditions elsewhere.
Migration in the Middle East and North Africa August 2024
Arab Barometer
Today we’re putting a special focus on water: sanitation, hygiene, health implications and dimensions of that. That covers a broad complex of issues: access to clean water, water production, desalination, management of human waste and garbage, and treatment. It brings forward questions of what available clean and safe water is available per person in the midst of this crisis, and at what quality.
Gazas Water Crisis-What Can Be Done
Center for Strategic International Studies
Since 2003, US airstrikes in Somalia have caused significant civilian harm, though most reported incidents of civilian harm have been deemed “unsubstantiated” by US Africa Command (AFRICOM). In the few cases the US military has deemed credible, the Department of Defense (DoD) has not provided a response beyond public acknowledgment that it mistakenly killed civilians.
Extend Your Hand: Civilian Preferences for Amends in Somalia
Center for Civilians In Conflict
In July 2023, Niger experienced a significant political shift following a military coup d’état. One of the effects of the coup d’état was the decision of the military authorities to abrogate the unpopular 2015/36 Anti-Smuggling Law adopted in 2015 and implemented since mid-2016.
Nigers Repeal of the 2015/36 Anti-Smuggling Law
Clingendael
The March 23 Movement, commonly known as M23, has been a significant actor in the ongoing conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This conflict, often referred to as a forgotten war, has been overshadowed by other conflicts, despite its profound impact on the region and its people.
A Forgotten War and an Overshadowed Ceasefire
International Centre for Counter-Terrorism
Demand for critical minerals is expected to skyrocket in the decades ahead. These minerals — such as copper, cobalt and lithium, among others — power the electronics we use every day and are essential for transitioning to greener energy technologies. The U.S. is increasingly working with African partners to develop the continent’s abundant critical minerals, an effort that is vital to advancing U.S. economic and national security interests
The Lobito Corridor: A U.S. Bet on Africas Critical Mineral Development
United States Institute of Peace
Japan is stepping up its diplomatic engagement with Africa. Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko visited Madagascar, Côte d'Ivoire, and Nigeria, as part of a 6-country tour from April 26 to May 6, 2024. Her trip was Japan’s fourth high-level trip to Africa in the span of a year, including a visit by Prime Minister Kishida Fumio in May 2023.
Japans High-Level Africa Diplomacy
Center for Strategic & International Studies
Gender equality continues to be elusive in many parts of life in countries across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Although there is widespread support for women enjoying equal rights, there has been some retrenchment on these issues in recent years
Gender Attitudes and Trends in MENA: The Effects of Working Women
Arab Barometer
Public procurement in Arab countries is governed by laws on tendering and related regulations and decrees, which are typically complicated. The central problem is the widening gap between what is stated in the laws and what happens in reality.
Should Arab countries join the WTOs agreement on government procurement?
Economic Research Forum
Saudi Arabia has historically played a significant role in the global oil market as a swing producer—a country or company with the ability to significantly influence global oil prices by adjusting its production levels—within the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). This stance has given Riyadh enormous influence over oil prices due to its ability to change oil output levels as the world’s second-largest producer
Saudi Arabias strategy with the OPEC
Observer Research Foundation
In 2023, Tunisia emerged as the primary country of embarkation for irregular migrants seeking to reach Europe, eclipsing Libya, which had long been the main North African departure point. In total, some 97 306 migrants arrived in Italy from Tunisia, just over three times as many as in 2022.
Reading of the Week: Tunisia. Irregular Migration Reaches Unprecedented Levels
Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime
Central Africa is at a critical juncture in its energy governance, which could shape its energy future. The region is navigating between traditional fossil fuel projects like the encouraged Central African Pipeline System (CAPS) by the Central Africa Business Energy Forum (CABEF) and increasing momentum towards renewable energy solutions advocated by initiatives like the establishment of the Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency for Central Africa (CEREEAC)
Harnessing Regional Energy Governance for Central Africas Energy Security
African Development Bank Group
Last week, government officials from sub-Saharan Africa were in Washington, DC to discuss the future of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a trade program that gives 32 countries tariff-free market access to the US on some 1,800 products. AGOA expires in September 2025, but with the clock ticking, proponents in Congress want to modernize the program, not just renew it
Shifting Focus on Labor and Environmental Standards to Companies Instead of Countries Would Supercharge AGOA
Wilson Center
In East Africa, harvesting of main season cereals is nearing completion in the south while planting and development continues in the north, and a mix of dry and wet conditions throughout the season is impacting many areas. In the Middle East and North Africa, wheat harvesting finalized in July under mixed conditions, with generally poor to failure outcomes in western North Africa
Crop Monitor for Early Warning, August 24
Global Agricultural Monitoring
On July 16, the United States and Saudi Arabia announced a new framework for space collaboration and civil aeronautics that shakes up the space race. The agreement marks a turning point for the US-Saudi Arabia bilateral relationship, gearing it more toward scientific cooperation and demonstrating the pivotal role that emerging space powers, particularly in the Middle East.
US-Saudi space deal shakes up new space race
Middle East Institute
This paper explores the energy geopolitical implications of the ‘other’ energy transition, ie, the slow but steady shift in global energy demand from traditional OECD markets to developing countries in the coming decades. It is a pilot study that aims to raise attention and invite discussion on this topic.
The geopolitics of the global energy demand shift
Real Instituto Elcano
A series of violent events over the past week have taken the Middle East closer to the brink of all-out war. The latest of these was the killing, on 31 July, of Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas’s political wing and a high-level guest of the Iranian government, in the Iranian capital Tehran on the day of the new Iranian president’s inauguration
Reading of the Week: Staying the Guns of August: Avoiding All-out Regional War in the Middle East
International Crisis Group
Lebanon’s central bank Banque du Liban has achieved 12 months of exchange rate stability. Foreign currency reserves have recently clawed back above $10 billion. At the one-year mark of Wassim Mansouri’s reign as acting governor, economist Layal Mansour lauds his disciplined implementation of a quasi-currency board solution but urges this solution’s full and formal adoption.
The paradox of the Lebanese pounds recent stability
Executive
Unlike its prolific onshore, Kuwait’s offshore had long been a desert for oil and gas. Now the country has changed that, reporting a large discovery at the Al-Nokhatha field, named for the captain of a dhow, the traditional Gulf ship. How useful is this for the country, and does it herald a turnaround in Kuwaiti petroleum?
Kuwaits Big New Offshore Oil Find
Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington
Countries across Africa have experienced massive internet connectivity disruptions this year due to cuts in the undersea fiber cables in the Red Sea and along Africa’s east and west coasts. This has left much of the continent disconnected from the digital world that many rely on for essential services, e-commerce, business and daily life.
Bridging Africas digital divide
Geopolitical Intelligence Services
Although all of Africa contributes less than 4 percent to global greenhouse gases annually, many African countries are especially vulnerable to extreme weather events and are unable to adapt to long-term changes in the climate. African countries experience an average of 5 to 15 percent GDP loss per year due to climate change.
Who Speaks for Africa at COP? Power and Politics at the UN Climate Negotiations
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Established in 2013 by the UN Security Council, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) aimed to stabilize the situation in northern Mali, support the political transition, protect civilians, and promote human rights amidst ongoing conflict and instability. The mission’s mandate evolved over its ten-year tenure to address the changing political and security landscape, leading to its withdrawal at the request of the Malian government in 2023.
Emerging Lessons from MINUSMAs Experience in Mali
International Peace Institute
During the coronavirus pandemic, disruptions to global supply chains exposed the United Arab Emirates’ vulnerability to food security issues, posing challenges in maintaining consistent food imports. The UAE government successfully ensured supermarket shelves were stocked by swiftly implementing various safeguarding measures.
The UAEs Path to Food Self-Sufficiency
Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington
With scarce arable land and water resources, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia depend heavily on food imports, as do other Gulf countries. The COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine war, and negative impacts of climate change exacerbated the challenge and exposed the vulnerability of their existing food supply chains.
UAE and Saudi Arabias agricultural diplomacy in Africa: Competition, cooperation and its strategic implications
Observer Research Foundation
Based on a comprehensive analysis drawing from extensive research, web scraping, data mining and interviews with stakeholders, this regional report focuses on the evolving trends, opportunities, and challenges shaping the digital economy, the future of work and the related skills requirements in Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine and Tunisia.
New forms of work and platform work in the southern and eastern Mediterranean
European Training Foundation
Extreme heat is deadly and disrupts economies and societies. Modelled estimates show that between 2000 and 2019, approximately 489,000 heat-related deaths occurred each year, with 45 per cent of these in Asia and 36 per cent in Europe1. Heat exposure related loss in labour capacity resulted in average potential income losses equivalent to US$863 billion in 20222
United Nations Secretary-Generals Call to Action on Extreme Heat
United Nations
A number of plans have been proffered for addressing the post-conflict environment. One oft-cited proposal calls for “regional and non-regional states to implement a Multinational Authority to temporarily administer Gaza.” However, the willingness of countries in the region to participate in such an effort remains questionable, absent the setting of a timeline for the establishment of a Palestinian state, which Israel continues to resist.
A Palestinian-led approach for Gazas day after
Middle East Institute
The prospect of Maghreb states’ unity in transforming the oil-rich North Africa, once the breadbasket of the Mediterranean, into a more integrated region of stability and growth was buried at the Carthage summit in April 2024 with the launch of a tripartite initiative bringing together Tunisia, Algeria and Libya, nicknamed the G3.
Reading Of The Week: Will the G3 of Maghreb states reshape the balance of power in North Africa?
Manara
Climate change is one of the world’s most prominent challenges, with serious impacts on food systems around the world. These impacts include low agricultural productivity, food insecurity due to water scarcity, and desertification. North Africa is considered a hot spot for climate change. A combination of water scarcity and desertification is taking its toll on many countries in the region, leaving many communities under stress.
Ecological Security Threats in North Africa for 2040
Council on Strategic Risks
Le rôle du secteur halieutique dans l’alimentation du continent africain est considérable : 22 % des protéines animales disponibles viennent des produits de la mer et des eaux douces et plus de 50 % dans certains pays africains, en particulier en Afrique du Nord et de l’Ouest. Les pêches et leurs activités connexes fournissent non seulement de la nourriture, mais aussi des emplois à 12 millions de personnes, et génèrent des revenus pour les États comme pour les communautés
LAfrique face à lépuisement de ses ressources de la pêche maritime
Policy Center For The New South
Since Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, Russia has enjoyed watching the deteriorating situation in the Middle East preoccupy its main adversary, the United States. On April 13, however, Moscow grew concerned when, in retaliation for an attack on the Damascus consulate of Iran, its growing ally, Tehran launched more than 300 missiles and drones at Israel.
Reading Of The Week: What Russia Wants in the Middle East
Foreign Affairs
The Bahrain-China relationship has rarely garnered much interest – that is, until recently. At the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum in May, the two countries agreed to form a comprehensive strategic partnership. The agreement skipped over a strategic partnership designation and placed the small Gulf country in the same category – at least on paper – as regional heavyweights
A Flurry of Activity in Bahrain-China Relations
The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington
On June 25, Haitians in Port-au-Prince watched closely as several hundred Kenyan police officers, clad in uniform, filed to the tarmac from a Kenya Airways plane. The officers’ arrival had been in the works for more than a year and a half, since the former Haitian prime minister, Ariel Henry, requested international support for the Haitian police in the face of a then-unprecedented uprising by gangs in the fall of 2022.
Why Kenyas deployment wont solve all of Haitis problems
Brookings
On July 20, Israel responded to a deadly Houthi drone attack in Tel Aviv with heavy airstrikes on the Yemeni port of Hodeida, destroying most of the site’s oil storage tanks. On one hand, this targeting choice reflects crucial gaps in the international community’s policy toward the group. On the other hand, Hodeida is also a crucial entry point for humanitarian aid, so targeting its infrastructure has negative repercussions for the Yemeni people.
To Stop Israeli Attacks on Yemen, Enforce Sanctions on the Iran-Houthi Link
The Washington Institute
This note looks at the right to education under international human rights law (IHRL) and how it applies in the context of the armed conflict and crisis in Syria when international humanitarian law (IHL) is also applicable. It concisely explains how the OHCHR Syria Office advocates for state policies that advance the realisation of this right and how the UN contributes to these broader goals.
The Right to Education in Syria
UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
As tensions between Israel and Hezbollah escalate, the specter of a full-scale war, with the potential to draw in the United States and Iran, demands the US’ immediate attention. The Biden-Harris Administration has tasked, in response, White House Senior Advisor Amos Hochstein with the responsibility of mediating efforts to de-escalate the conflict and bring stability to the Lebanon-Israel border
Securing Lebanon to Prevent a larger Hezbollah-Israel war and wider escalation
American Task Force on Lebanon and The Middle East Institute
The South African public transport sector is facing a critical crisis, marked by escalating violence and extortion within the taxi industry. This report delves into the dynamics behind these troubling incidents, shedding light on the severe impact they have on bus companies and the broader public transport ecosystem.
Crime and conflict in South Africas long-distance transport industry
Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime
The widespread adoption of non-financial standards for assessing economic performance, often called ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) criteria, appears to have had an impact on financial markets, one that is diffuse and hard to measure. The implications of this shift to a rigid yet vague system of evaluation could be especially challenging for African companies and economies, which are highly dependent on capital flows that must now measure up to the demanding ESG yardstick.
Africa shows ESG is near an adapt-or-die moment
Geopolitical Intelligence Services
The Multi-Partner Somalia Infrastructure Fund (SIF) was established in October 2016 with the key objective of supporting Somalia to develop and rehabilitate key infrastructure, rebuild institutions, and reinforce economic governance. This report provides an update on the Fund’s activities covering the period January to December 2023.
Somalia infrastructure fund 2023 annual progress report
African Development Bank Group
The present report, submitted pursuant to paragraph 47 of Security Council resolution 2717 (2023), covers developments in the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 20 March to 19 June 2024. It describes the progress and challenges in the implementation of the mandate of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).
United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
United Nations (UN)
Global Gateway represents the offer the EU is making to its external partners. It will help to tackle the most pressing global challenges, from fighting climate change to improving health systems, as well as boosting competitiveness and security of global supply chains.
Evolving Africa-Europe Relations: Prospects For a Sustainable Future
Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI)
The Syrian regime recently announced that it had arrested over 2,000 people in Damascus on drug-related charges during the first half of 2024. Investigative reports confirm that Syria's drug market continues to grow in terms of production, distribution, and consumption levels. However, the relatively small amount of drugs confiscated suggests the regime is focusing on arresting users and street-level pushers rather than going after the major producers and traffickers.
Reading Of The Week: Smoke and mirrors: The Syrian regimes dubious anti-drug campaigns
Middle East Institute (MEI)
Iran’s presidential elections ended with heart surgeon and moderate “reformist” Masoud Pezeshkian winning by a margin of 3 million votes against hardliner Saeed Jalili. The elections were called to replace President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a mysterious helicopter crash in late May. The July 5 runoff followed a first-round vote on June 28 with record low turnout and inconclusive results.
Monday Briefing: How significant is reformist candidate Pezeshkians victory in Irans presidential vote?
Middle East Institute (MEI)
With trade in goods among Arab countries remaining modest, trade in services could play the pivotal role of an engine of growth in economic integration within the region, as well greater participation in global value chains. This column outlines progress to date and what needs to be done to make a success of AFTAS, the Arab free trade area in services.
Can a free trade area in services boost trade within the Arab region?
Economic Research Forum (ERF)
The Guided Trade Initiative (GTI) of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) was launched on 7 October 2022 in response to the growing demand for trading under the AfCFTA to start. It was designed as an interim trading arrangement to test the provisions of the AfCFTA, to identify challenges and bottlenecks and to help maintain the political momentum behind as well as public support for the Agreement.
Nigerias participation in the Guided Trade Initiative
Supporting Investment & Trade in Africa (SITA)
Target Product Profiles (TPPs) are a staple of the health sector. They are used to communicate client needs and requirements for products not currently available on the market, with information on how the new product will be used, by and for whom, and the minimum and ideal performance criteria. TPPs guide the industry to develop products that meet current needs. They are not intended to act as final procurement specifications, but rather as a list of desired requirements, which combined, describes the ideal product considering the context. Clients recognize that innovation is an iterative process and suppliers must balance sometimes competing requirements against product development progress.
A Target Product Profile for an Innovative Road Construction Technology Solution
Center For Global Development (CGD)
A new major battle broke out in the North Darfur city of El Fasher, which has been surrounded since April by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). El Fasher is the only capital city in Darfur that is still controlled by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). The SAF, backed by its allies, managed to conduct multiple offensive maneuvers on RSF strongholds in rural territories in North Darfur. During the clashes, the SAF claimed to have inflicted several casualties on the RSF, including killing the local operation commander.
Fighting deepens around El Fasher in Sudan, al-Shabaab loses territory in Somalia, and police crackdown on tax-related protests in Kenya
Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED)
Policy awareness about the challenges of climate change in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has been on the rise, especially with Egypt hosting the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27) in 2022 and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) hosting COP28 in 2023.
Reading of the Week: Climate Change in the Middle East and North Africa - Mitigating Vulnerabilities and Designing Effective Policies
Carnegie Endowment For International Peace
Nigeria has relied on the United States (US) for support in its efforts to combat a variety of armed opposition groups (AOGs), and the US considers Nigeria a key partner in West Africa. Nigeria faces formidable security challenges as AOGs across the country harm civilians and threaten livelihoods.
US Security Assistance to Nigeria: Civilian Protection Gaps and Opportunities
Center for Civilians in Conflict
Social, political, economic, and environmental changes have led to rapid urbanization and expansion of cities in Arab Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries, creating new opportunities, along with challenges, in the development and sustainability of cities. Emerging economic sectors in transportation, infrastructure services, and information and communication technologies will play a vital role in confronting the challenges.
Toward Smart Sustainable Cities in the MENA Region
Baker Institute for Public Policy
Since February 2024, the United States has imposed a series of unprecedented sanctions linked to Israeli settlers in the West Bank for human rights violations. This includes two rounds of sanctions targeting a close associate of Israel’s far-right national security minister, two entities that raised money for violent settlers, five settlers, and two illegal outposts.
Civilians or Soldiers? Settler violence in the West Bank
Armed Conflict Location and Event Data
This latest MEAC Research into Action report examines the operations and limitations of peace systems in MENA. Multi-tiered peace systems, comprising institutions and mechanisms from hyper-local to state and regional, work to mitigate and resolve conflicts throughout the region. Through a conversation with Dr. Ahram, the report summarizes this academic research, distills its policy implications, and proposes practical and realistic approaches to conflict resolution beyond MENA.
In Search of a Middle East and North Africa Peace System
The United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research
This report explores trends in renewable energy investment, finance and policy in Sub-Saharan Africa, with a view to unlocking the potential of renewable energy as an important lever of socio-economic development in the region.
Sub-Saharan Africa: Policies and finance for renewable energy deployment
International Renewable Energy Agency
L'indice de réglementation de l'électricité (ERI) mesure le niveau de développement et de mise en œuvre des réglementations dans le secteur de l'électricité d'un pays. Il évalue non seulement le développement et la mise en œuvre des réglementations, mais aussi l'effet de la réglementation sur les acteurs et les parties prenantes du secteur de l'électricité. Cela inclut les entreprises de distribution d'électricité et le consommateurs.
Indice de réglementation de lélectricité pour lAfrique - Méthodologie détaillée
Africa Energy Portal
The world today faces the most wars since World War II. “Great Power Rivalry” has become a major narrative in explaining the trend toward conflict. However, humanism has deep roots in all societies and gives us the means to build coexistence. When we survey the state of international relations today, the overwhelming mood seems to be one of pervasive pessimism. The frameworks of leading thinkers confirm this.
Islam and Great Power Rivalry: Doom and Humanism in International Relations
The Wilson Center
The political landscape in Europe has shifted noticeably to the right as a result of the EU parliamentary elections. In this Megatrends Afrika Spotlight, Benedikt Erforth and Niels Keijzer (IDOS) shed light on the consequences this could have for EU-Africa relations.
The European Parliament Elections: What Can We Expect for Africa-EU Relations?
Megatrends Afrika
The United Arab Emirates signed the 2020 Abraham Accords with Israel in pursuit of strategic benefits. During the Gaza war, costs are becoming clear. Abu Dhabi shows no sign of rethinking normalisation, but it might consider smaller steps to register discontent with the Israeli campaign.
Reading Of The Week: The UAE, Israel and a Test of Influence
International Crisis Group
As the Israel-Hamas War continues, questions loom as to whether Hezbollah, a strong ally of Hamas and Iran, will enter the fight against Israel. Both regional and international actors remain concerned of escalation as assistance provided by countries like Iran and Russia arrives in the Levant.
A Wagner Group Delivery to Hezbollah: Russia and Iran Reaffirm Mutual Objectives via Proxy Groups
Irregular Warfare Center
A little over a year ago, the icy relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia underwent a remarkable thaw. Following a handshake between their foreign ministers in Beijing, the two countries restored diplomatic ties, reopened their respective embassies, and dispatched a flurry of high-level visits to each other’s capitals.
Beyond guns and oil: The emerging soft power rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia
Middle East Institute
By February 2023, the hunger crisis in Africa reached critical levels, with approximately 146 million people facing crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity across sub-Saharan Africa. This crisis was driven by a confluence of climatic shocks, including prolonged droughts and recurrent flooding, compounded by conflicts, economic downturns, and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Africa Hunger Crisis - Operational Update 5
ReliefWeb
Nigeria’s cultural and creative industries (CCIs) illustrate the dynamic interplay between cultural production and economic growth. Through Nollywood and Afrobeat, Nigeria has effectively leveraged its creative capital to strengthen its economy and broaden its global cultural influence.
Cultural Flows: The Development and Global Influence of Nigerias Creative Industries
Policy Center for the New South
Working Group (SWG) is conducting a four-part discussion series aiming to ensure a diverse range of civilian voices are taken into consideration by the United States and other international actors as they develop and implement policies regarding Sudan.
How to support Sudanese civilian efforts to form an effective bloc that will advocate for peace, humanitarian assistance and inclusive democratic governance in Sudan
Wilson Center
This book provides an overview of the technical capabilities of 5G, discusses how they may impact the information and communication technology (ICT) industry, and explores how 5G can support the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0) and help countries make progress toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Path to 5G in the Developing World: Planning Ahead for a Smooth Transition
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
The Global South features prominently in the context of geopolitical rivalry and efforts by developing countries to change the current international economic and financial architecture. While there are questions about whether some countries—such as China or Russia—should be considered parts of the Global South (GS), it is obvious that Africa is at the center of the group.
Africa: The Center Of The Global South
Policy Center for the New South
Launched in 2008, the Mediterranean Solar Plan (MSP) represents one of the most emblematic and ambitious initiatives for the integration of low-carbon energy in the Euro-Mediterranean energy space. Despite being led by the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the European Union (EU), the MSP never achieved its objectives and was subsequently disbanded
Lessons learnt form the failure of the Mediterranean Solar Plan
Euromesco
The war of attrition between Israel and Hezbollah has reached new levels of tension. As attacks penetrate deeper into one another’s territory and the rhetoric intensifies, both sides feel increasingly compelled to respond with greater force, resorting to dangerous exchanges of fire and psychological warfare tactics. Hezbollah demonstrates its ability to fly drones over Haifa undisturbed
Reading of the Week: Israel and Hezbollah Are Playing With Fire
Italian Institute for International Political Studies
Policy awareness about the challenges of climate change in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has been on the rise, especially with Egypt hosting the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27) in 2022 and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) hosting COP28 in 2023
Climate Change in the Middle East and North Africa: Mitigating Vulnerabilities and Designing Effective Policies
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
In May 2023, the Saudi biomedical engineer Rayyanah Barnawi became the first Arab woman to go to space when she joined a private company’s mission to the International Space Station. Saudi Arabia has long been known for its harsh restrictions on women’s employment, but in the past 15 years it has raced to offer women more chances to work outside the home.
Working Women Are Changing Saudi Arabia
Foreign Affairs
The country has the second-largest proven oil reserves in Africa, after Libya. It sits on the 10th-largest proven oil reserves in the world, with roughly 2 percent of global reserves behind Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Russia, the United States and Libya
Unlocking Nigerias economic potential with natural gas
Geopolitical Intelligence Services
The Atlantic Ocean, divided into North and South, has historically been central to transoceanic relations, especially global trade. Today, the Atlantic’s natural resources and strategic location connecting Africa, Europe, and the Americas continue to facilitate the transport and sourcing of goods – both legal and illegal
Cabinda to Cape Town: how crime-proof are Africas Atlantic shores?
ENACT
A multi-sided battle is raging in Sudan’s long-stricken Darfur region. Hostilities centre on El Fasher, capital of North Darfur and home to the Sudanese army’s last stronghold in the region. Thousands of fighters from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which is embroiled in a vicious year-long war with the army, control the town’s northern and eastern districts and have encircled the rest.
Halting the Catastrophic Battle for Sudans El Fasher
International Crisis Group
When the Sustainable Development Goals were agreed in 2015, governments ambitiously committed to achieving gender equality as both a standalone and crosscutting objective. Almost a decade later, alarming funding trends are surfacing that leave transformative ambitions for gender equality and women’s empowerment at risk.
Ringing the alarm bell? What recent ODA trends indicate for gender equality
ODI
Since late 2023, the Houthis in Yemen have posed an extraordinary challenge to global shipping. As a result of the Iranian-backed group’s relentless attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea, intended to pressure the United States and its allies over Israel’s war in Gaza, several of the largest international shipping companies have been forced to reroute their vessels around Africa to avoid the sea entirely.
Chinas Do-Nothing Strategy in the Middle East
Foreign Affairs
The May 2024 Chief Economists Outlook launches amid a mood of cautious optimism about the global economy. Uncertainty persists, but signs of brightening are reflected in the latest survey, with a sharp fall in the share of chief economists expecting global conditions to weaken this year, from 56% in January to 17%.
Chief Economists Outlook
World Economic Forum
On June 5, behind closed doors, the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors voted overwhelmingly to demand that Iran take urgent action to resolve concerns about its nuclear work and fully cooperate with IAEA requests. The resolution was proposed by Britain, France, and Germany.
IAEA Censure Risks Iranian Escalation
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
The passing of Pension Law 319 by Lebanon’s Parliament in December 2023 was a milestone. For decades, the vast majority of the Lebanese people have lived with little or no income security in their old age, a situation that has worsened since the economic-financial crisis that began in 2019. Approximately 80 percent of the Lebanese population has no formal pension coverage.
Pension Reform in Lebanon: Good Intentions, Uncertain Outcomes
Carnegie Middle East Center
With the global economy is in its third year of deceleration amid declining inflation and oil prices, the Middle East and North Africa grew by just 1.9% in 2023, with a forecast for growth in 2024 at 2.7%. In addition to heightened uncertainty brought on by the conflict centered in Gaza, many countries in the region are also grappling with pre-existing vulnerabilities, including rising debt levels.
Conflict and debt in the Middle East and North Africa
Economic Research Forum
In Africa, agriculture contributes about 15% of total GDP on average, employs more than half of the total labor force, and within the rural population, provides livelihoods for multitudes of smalls-scale producers whose farms constitute approximately 80% of all farms in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) (OECD-FAO, 2016).
READING OF THE WEEK: Feed Africa Strategy 2016 - 2025
African Development Bank Group
The year 2023 was a crucial year for the Sahel Women’s Empowerment and Demographic Dividend (SWEDD) project. It marked the transition to the SWEDD+ expansion phase, which included the integration of three new countries and the strengthening of funding in two countries.
SWEDD Annual Report
UNFPA
This paper examines the existing literature to clarify the positive and negative aspects of commodity financialization, drawing on global examples and specific cases within Africa. By examining best practices and lessons learned, this paper offers guidance on how African countries can navigate the complexities of preparing for and embracing commodity financialization in order to unlock its potential benefits while mitigating the associated risks.
Financializing Commodity Markets: Consequences, Advantages and African Case Study
Policy Center For The South
This report overviews and discusses the key findings from the original research of the EUROMED Migration V programme on migration narratives in the Euro-Mediterranean region. As part of the programme, eight reports were published, each dedicated to a different facet of migration narratives and each offering an original contribution that can help communicators offer a more balanced set of migration narratives.
Reading of the Week: Re-balancing migration narratives. Key lessons on communication from EUROMED Migration V
International Centre for Migration Policy Development
The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) is up for renewal this year. AGOA is a cornerstone of US-Africa economic relations, and has enjoyed bipartisan support for nearly a quarter century. But it's showing its age. A lot has changed since Bill Clinton signed the bill back in 2000—not least, the rise of China as a global manufacturing powerhouse.
Nine Ideas to Improve AGOA
Center For Global Development
In latest years, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states have quickly grown up and have become middle regional powers with global influence. These states have experimented and valued the international multipolar order learning how to navigate it through rivalries and crises.
Gulf Monarchies Bolder Multipolar Moment
Italian Institute for International Political Studies
The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) is up for renewal this year. AGOA is a cornerstone of US-Africa economic relations, and has enjoyed bipartisan support for nearly a quarter century. But it's showing its age. A lot has changed since Bill Clinton signed the bill back in 2000—not least, the rise of China as a global manufacturing powerhouse.
Nine Ideas to Improve AGOA
Center for Global Development
Western navies have found themselves increasingly reliant on weapons systems doctrinally understood as “last lines of defence” in the Red Sea. This article investigates the nature of the Houthi threat and the operational intricacies faced by the “Prosperity Guardian” and “Aspides” coalition missions.
Nobody Does it Better. The Use of CIWS in the Red Sea and The Gulf of Aden
The Security Distillery
In an effort to stimulate economic growth and diversify the economy, the government of the United Arab Emirates has recently implemented regulatory reform that allows 100% foreign ownership of companies operating in the country. This column examines the implications of the reform for entry of new firms in Dubai.
Reformed foreign ownership rules in UAE: the impact on business entry
Economic Research Forum
After the registration period for Iranian presidential candidates ended on June 3, Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi stated that 80 individuals had applied to run in the June 28 emergency election to replace the late Ebrahim Raisi. Presumably, he was only counting serious registrants, as past elections have drawn vastly more hopefuls.
Most of Irans Latest Presidential Aspirants Have a Domestic Background
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
The representation of women, particularly in peace processes, often excludes women’s voices, their shared experiences, and their contributions. This can be seen in the limited recognition of women’s contributions in historical narratives and the frequent portrayal of women solely as victims and vulnerable.
HIDDEN FIGURES: Women navigating a culture of exclusion in peace and conflict resolution processes
Rift Valley Institute
This research note examines the implementation of property tax in Liberia. Based on original fieldwork data, the note analyses taxpayers' perceptions of the new tax system in the light of their experiences with public services, development projects and the political system.
Grand Bassa and the 50/50 tax pilot: A brilliant idea, but...
Norwegian Institute of International Affairs
Adoption of digital technologies is widely acknowledged to boost productivity and employment, stimulate investment, and promote growth and development. Africa has already benefited from a rapid diffusion of information and communications technology, characterized by the widespread adoption of mobile phones.
Digital Opportunities in African Businesses
World Bank Group
Through an European Think Tanks Group initiative, ODI Europe, alongside ECDPM and The Nordic Africa Institute held a recent event in Brussels – ‘The EU-Africa migration agenda – realising a new partnership’. Ahead of the new European Commission and the 3rd AU-EU ministerial summit, the panel aimed to explore challenges and concerns around migration and gather recommendations for charting a new path in future.
The EU Africa migration agenda: driving a new migration partnership forward
European Think Tanks Group
There are ongoing debates in Western capitals and global media on whether China is experiencing a serious economic slowdown, whether the economy is on the verge of collapse, and how a collapse may impact the rest of the world.
How Is Chinas Economic Transition Affecting Its Relations With Africa?
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Around two-thirds of the population in the Middle East and North Africa lives in urban settlements, exceeding the global average of 55%, and these areas account for about 78% of energy use and more than 60% of greenhouse gas emissions. By 2050, the region’s population is projected to double
Climate-smart cities in the MENA region: Promise and pitfalls
Middle East Institute
As fossil fuel reserves run low and populations continue to grow, resource-wealthy countries face fiscal constraints that push them to shift away from the traditional no-taxation model. As one of the world’s largest oil exporters, Saudi Arabia is a case in point
Tax reform in Saudi Arabia: Assessing the economic and societal impacts
Middle East Council on Global Affairs
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is the most water-scarce region in the world. Over 60% of its population lives in areas experiencing high water stress. In addition, it is vulnerable to droughts and floods, which damage agriculture and the overall economy.
The Weaponization of Natural Resources and Disasters During Conflict: The Refugee Conventions Relevance for Syria and Yemen
Baker Institute for Public Policy
African economies remain resilient amid multiple shocks, with their average growth projected to stabilize at 4.0 percent in 2024–25, nearly a one percentage point higher than the 3.1 percent estimated in 2023.
Reading of the Week: African Economic Outlook 2024
African Development Bank Group
The international community hasn’t been successful in its efforts to support ‘stabilisation’ in the central Sahel. To learn lessons from recent engagement, this policy brief seeks to make three contributions to an already long list of ‘strategic misfits’
Constraints to stabilisation efforts and lesson learned from the Central Sahel
Clingendael
Each year, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) publishes a report of the ten most neglected displacement crises in the world. The purpose is to focus on the plight of people whose suffering rarely makes international headlines, who receive little or no assistance, and who never become the centre of attention for international diplomacy efforts.
The worlds most neglected displacement crises 2023
Norwegian Refugee Council
During the past decade, there has been a significant focus on autonomous weapon systems (AWS) in legal and policy discussions on the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in the military domain. In recent years, however, awareness has been increasing of the fact that the military applications of AI are much broader.
Reading of the Week: Artificial intelligence and related technologies in military decision-making on the use of force in armed conflicts
International Committee of the Red Cross
Almost six months after the launch of their operations in the Red Sea, the Yemeni rebels, known as Houthis, continue to keep global trade hostage. This is despite a number of Western operations to contain and degrade the threat they managed to pose, with missiles and drones continuing to be fired at commercial ships who try to cross the Red Sea towards the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean.
Taking Stock of Aspides: A Step Forward in Europes Geopolitical Role in the Red Sea?
Brussels International Center
Climate change is not just transforming the environment: it is also exacting a marked toll on mental health. In July 2023, scientists at Yale published a study of the psychological effects of climate change on adults in the United States and found that seven percent were experiencing mild to severe climate-related psychological distress.
Climate Policy Is Working
Foreign Affairs
As the Gulf region navigates the challenges of the energy transition and geopolitical dynamics, regional and international cooperation have become even more essential. The importance of regional energy cooperation in the Gulf has long been a focal point for policymakers, industry leaders, and stakeholders in the region and globally, even during heightened tensions and conflicts.
Avenues for Regional Energy Cooperation in the Gulf
Istituto Affari Internazionali
In recent months, as Iran has approached the nuclear threshold and shortened the times for producing nuclear weapons, and as the monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency over the nuclear facilities has significantly declined, Iran could likely decide to change its policy and achieve nuclear weapons capability.
The Iranian Nuclear Strategy-Is It About to Change?
The Institute for National Security Studies
The ICC prosecutor has said he is seeking arrest warrants for top Hamas and Israeli figures in connection with crimes committed since 7 October 2023. In this Q&A, Crisis Group experts Brian Finucane, Stephen Pomper and Mairav Zonszein examine the legal and political implications.
All Eyes on The Hague: The ICC Prosecutors Move against Hamas and Israeli Leaders
International Crisis Group
A universally acknowledged truth is that there must be something inexplicably wrong with Africa. How can a continent endowed with so much natural wealth be so poor? How can a green desert be possible? Whatever bad leadership, colonial vestiges, social fractures or other negative forces are at work in Africa must be worse than everywhere else to make this paradox make sense.
The strategic mirage of Africas green minerals wealth
Overseas Development Institute
L'intégration de l'Intelligence Artificielle (IA) en Afrique laisse entrevoir des perspectives prometteuses et pose des défis substantiels. Si certains pays du continent se distinguent par leur engagement et eurs avancées dans la préparation à l'adoption de l'IA, d'autres font face à des obstacles majeurs, tels que les inégalités structurelles et les fractures numériques.
LIntelligence Artificielle en Afrique: defis et opportunites
Policy Center
South Africa’s 29 May election has been tipped as the most important since the first democratic poll in 1994 and an important inflection point. Most polls have indicated that the ruling ANC will lose its majority but retain a leading role in national government and most of the provinces.
As South Africas pivotal election looms, its citizens will play a key role in ensuring its credibility
Chatham house
This note presents two scenarios for the world economy and development prospects to 2050 based on the forecasting exercises and analysis presented in a series of papers. "A World Off Course" outlines the downside scenario while "Momentum Regained" suggests the upside potential.
Two Futures for Global Development
Center for Global Development
China and Russia have had different relations with the Middle East since the mid-20th century. Over the years, their regional involvement has diverged, with Russia focusing on military and energy sectors and China on economic engagement.
China and Russia in the Middle East: Seeking Integration Under a Common Goal
Wilson Center
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food security and nutrition continues to constitute a global emergency.
Global food commodity prices reached a ten-year high as a result of the pandemic, gravely exacerbating pre-existing vulnerabilities and negatively impacting food security and nutrition on a large scale, particularly affecting vulnerable people and communities.
Safeguarding the right to adequate food during pandemics and emergencies: Lesson from COVID-19
International Development Law Organization & Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian were killed on Sunday in a helicopter crash while returning from Iran’s East Azerbaijan province. The president’s death, along with that of one of his closest officials, comes at a very delicate time for the Islamic Republic, which has faced numerous domestic and international challenges over the past year.
Reading of the Week: Iran after Raisi: what comes next?
Istituto per gli Studi di Politica Internazionale
Compared to neighboring countries that continue to wrestle with political instability, natural disasters, conflict, and mass migrations, Jordan is a relatively small and stable nation. Yet today it faces serious economic challenges, with youth unemployment at around 50 percent and a debt ratio that is around 114 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP). Climate change compounds an already dire economic situation; impacts key sectors of the economy
Vulnerability and Governance in the Context of Climate Change in Jordan
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Since the mid-2010s, the Red Sea has been at the center of Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy due to the interplay of domestic, regional, and international dynamics. Economic projects under Vision 2030 have reflected Riyadh’s goals in the Red Sea and how the kingdom imagines the future of the region connecting the Arabian Peninsula with Africa.
Saudi Arabia Has a Red Sea Vision, Not Yet a Strategy
The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington
African governments have notable challenges, primarily surrounding addressing formal development concerns like effective education, healthcare, infrastructure, and skilled technical workforces. However, these issues will have to be addressed in tandem with enacting formal AI regulation to preempt harms to citizens and hold companies accountable for deleterious AI systems.
How AI is impacting policy processes and outcomes in Africa
Brookings
Mosquito vector populations sufficient to maintain malaria transmission occur within a particular range of temperatures and humidity that are suitable for their survival and breeding. The parasite also needs suitable temperatures to complete its mosquito life stages. And mosquitoes need surface water to breed in. These conditions have to last long enough for mosquito and parasite populations to grow.
Mapping malaria in Africa: climate change study predicts where mosquitoes will breed in future
The Conversation
Data released by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in mid-2022 reveals a multifaceted scenario in North Africa. The region is home to approximately 1.4 million refugees and asylum seekers. Sudan has emerged as a significant host country, sheltering over 1.2 million individuals.
A Synergistic Approach to the OAU Refugee Convention and the Kampala Convention
Baker Institute for Public Policy
On 30 April and 27 May 2024, the European Union hosts the eighth Brussels Conference on Syria. The conference is a litmus test for humanitarian actors as funding is becoming increasingly scarce. Major donors have already signalled funding cuts due to demands arising from Ukraine, Sudan and Gaza.
How the Aid Fund for Northern Syria can upgrade humanitarian aid and EU geopolitical engagement
Clingendael Institute of International Relations
In February 2024, the United Nations Environment Assembly, UNEA-6, took a significant step toward addressing the challenge of environmental scars of armed conflict. UNEA-6, held in Nairobi, Kenya, aimed to tackle the planet’s most pressing environmental issues – a complex web of problems often referred to as the "triple planetary crisis".
Strengthening Environmental Resilience in Conflict Zones: Analysis of UNEA-6 Resolution and the PERAC Principles
Brussels International Center
This article is part of: Special Meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth and Energy for Development: The Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) faces multiple challenges, from conflict to economic woes, humanitarian problems, and mounting climate-related issues, all of which are exacerbated by a lack of cohesiveness.
4 steps for the Middle East and North Africa to develop intelligent economies
World Economic Forum
Desalinating sea water has the potential to meet the increasing water demand beyond conventional freshwater resources. Up until recent years, desalination projects were limited to a handful of countries given the associated high costs and energy consumption. However, technological advancements have paved the way for larger utilization of desalination projects.
Reading of the Week: The impact of desalination projects on the power grid. Insights from Gulf States
The Oxford Institute for Energy Studies
Iran’s decision to launch a direct, state-on-state attack against Israel on April 13 increased the risk of overt conventional conflict in the Middle East. This attack was significant in scope, scale, and complexity, employing hundreds of one-way attack drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles.
How Sustainable Are Defense and Deterrence Methods in Light of Irans Attack?
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Oman relaunches bilateral relations with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), thus strengthening its position as infrastructural hub across the regions. On April 22, 2024, the Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq Al Said visited the UAE to discuss with the Emirati president Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (also known as MbZ) about bilateral, regional and international issues.
Omans sultan goes to the UAE: Why it matters also to the US and China
Italian Institute for International Political Studies
This research paper charts these dynamics, exploring their drivers and impacts. It focuses on how different actors – including government armed forces, local elites, and militias and rebel groups in border regions – have competed for control of farmlands, sesame production and trade. The paper also proposes solutions that might help to reduce violence and promote stabilization by addressing internal and transnational conflict dynamics affecting Ethiopia and Sudan.
The Conflict economy of sesame in Ethiopia and Sudan
Chatham House
The ‘Accelerating Private Sector Investments in Green Mini-Grids’ report, as a key takeaway from the ARE Energy Access Investment Forum 2023, presents an overview of the Distributed Renewable Energy (DRE) mini-grids sector in Africa, highlighting its potential to meet the continent’s electricity access challenge.
Accelerating private sector investments in green mini-grids
African Development Bank Group
Tensions between the United States and China are expanding beyond the Asia-Pacific region. The Middle East and North Africa is likely to be one of many venues in what might be a new Cold War between Washington and Beijing. We can imagine how Washington and Beijing’s respective global outlooks and ability to project (soft and hard) power could affect their future relations with the MENA region.
The US and China in the Middle East: Three scenarios for 2050
Middle East Institute
UNSCR 2719 provides a framework for peace operations led by the African Union (AU) to access UN funding through assessed contributions. This has the potential to make peace operations more effective and sustainable while enhancing African leadership in managing them. It was necessitated in part by a decline of UN peacekeeping and a shift to African-led missions
African Union and United Nations Partnership Key to the Future of Peace Operations in Africa
Africa Center for Strategic Studies
The European Union’s relationship with Africa is one based on “common values and interests”, according to the bloc’s own official declarations. Yet a key test of these shared values and interests can be found in how Europeans engage their African counterparts in diplomacy around critical raw materials (CRMs) and the energy transition to which CRMs are so important.
From mines to markets: How Africa and Europe can become green industry partners of choice
European Council on Foreign Relations
The consultation examined the environmental dimension of local grievances and conflict by exploring Yemenis’ perceptions of environmental issues, their impact on peace and security, and existing or potential environmental peacemaking solutions.
Environmental Pathways for Reconciliation in Yemen - Consultation Report 2024
European Institute of Peace
Food security is a prerequisite for any people’s sovereignty. The need for food’s physical and mental sustenance affects every human being with an existential might. It consequently ranks in import perhaps second only after the need for a planetary home with breathable air and stable gravity.
Harvesting Reforms: Lebanons Food Security and Sovereignty
Executive magazine