Summary: French President Emmanuel Macron’s record in the Middle East and North Africa has been at best a mixed one marked by a lack of collaborative strategic thinking and occasional diplomatic gaffes.
Summary: amidst domestic political uncertainty and a lack of coherent policy formulation in the autumn of 2022 the UK found its presence in the Gulf and the wider Middle East in danger of slipping further into decline.
Summary: the ever-increasing danger of dust storms, Iraq’s marshlands dying, a Lebanese journalist jailed, Foreign Office fall-out from a piece of anti-BDS legislation, a Palestinian family evicted from their East Jerusalem home and Black African migrants targeted in Tunisia.
Summary: a black comedic classic by one of Egypt’s greatest writers, a brilliant new analysis of Yemen, a breath taking generational novel from Kuwait, a deep dive into security in the Gulf monarchies, essays from Arab LGBTQ+ writers and how MbZ built himself and his closest family members into a regional powerhouse.
Summary: Iraq’s water security is poor and – absent urgent action – is set to get much worse.
Summary: a prison riot, largely unremarked upon outside Kuwait, has shed light on the continuing woes of the ruling family as it struggles to secure stability in an unruly political landscape.
Summary: the digital transition is causing major changes across the world, from the adoption of AI chatbots like ChatGPT to major investments in IT infrastructure and fibre-optic cables. The Middle East is scrambling to keep up with the latest developments.
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: COP28, scheduled to take place in Dubai from 30 November to 12 December, has invited the Syrian president to attend as the Arab world continues its rehabilitation of a leader once reviled as a pariah.
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.
