Summary: as he systematically deconstructs the last vestiges of Tunisia’s experiment in democracy many are wondering what the Tunisian president’s end game is or if he has an end game at all.
Summary: a red notice may prove of little real consequence for the Governor of the Bank of Lebanon who continues to avoid justice for actions that have helped to wreck the Lebanese economy.
Summary: as outside players become more engaged and the violence in Sudan gathers pace so too does the risk of a major conflagration that could engulf the region.
Summary: with the world otherwise occupied, the desperate situation of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Türkiye and Jordan has been shuffled to one side. Fresh thinking is urgently required.
Summary: the United Arab Emirates has moved at speed to place itself in the top 25 globally of arms manufacturers and is aggressively pursuing new markets with ‘Made in the UAE’ drones providing a sharp contrast to similar efforts by Saudi Arabia.
Summary: the Saudi crown prince has reversed his policy on Iran in the vain hope that Tehran will help persuade Yemen’s Houthis to give up some of their demands at the negotiating table.
Summary: the conventional wisdom among critics in the West remains that erroneous assumptions led to the war and once it ended a series of blunders entrenched chaos and violence; Renad Mansour offers a more nuanced perspective.
Summary: roughly a quarter of countries in the Arab League, including currently suspended member Syria, are suffering from currency depreciation, a US dollar shortage and rising debt levels. Issues are being compounded by surging inflation, while in some countries (in)formal capital controls and sanctions are impacting trade and debt repayments.
Summary: as peak oil approaches, two decades of diversification have left the UAE relatively well cushioned against the economic downsides. However, and despite MbS’s efforts, Saudi Arabia looks like having to play catch-up into strengthening headwinds.
Summary: the Libyan people have been abandoned to political and military elites that control the country with Mafia-style fiefdoms; their success in entrenching themselves in the state apparatus and in UN-sponsored peace talks means that unless bold initiatives are undertaken, the country’s future remains bleak.
