The Zambian Job
Summary: a group of top Egyptian security officials are busted in Zambia with gold, weapons and millions of dollars in cash. Sisi fumbles the response.
Menu
Menu
Smuggling
The Gangster Games in Russia and Sudan
Summary: more grim days in Sudan underline the tragedy unfolding in the country as the world remains transfixed by events in Putin’s Russia.
Dangerous liaisons
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.
Dollar shortages, debts and (in)formal capital controls in MENA
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.
Reclaiming Iraq’s history
Summary: Iraq has a deep and enormously rich history that was heavily damaged by the 2003 war and occupation, the insurgency that followed and by the brutal predations of ISIS; a new minister of culture is working to try and set things right but he faces daunting challenges.
Iran and a very dangerous situation
Summary: with the JCPOA talks going nowhere and the Biden administration seemingly dismissive of the threat Iran poses to Middle East security whilst focussing on China and the war in Ukraine, the West may be sleepwalking towards a potentially disastrous conflagration in the region.
Hemeti and the Sudan gold train
Summary: one year on from the military coup that halted Sudan’s quest for democracy, Putin’s war has provided one of the coup leaders with a golden opportunity.
Lebanon: breaking the power of the elites
Summary: a leading analyst offers pragmatic solutions to ending the stranglehold Lebanon’s kleptocratic elites have on the country: support independent parliamentarians, sanction the elites and challenge Iran’s backing of Hezbollah.
Tunisia: migration surges
Summary: as the economy crashes irregular migration has surged to levels not seen since 2011 with new routes, methods and actors becoming involved.
Captagon in Saudi Arabia
Summary: Captagon use in the kingdom is on the up; critics blame Vision 2030 and anti-Islamic social engineering masterminded by MbS and his right hand man Saud al-Qahtani for causing widespread nihilism among young Saudis, driving up the demand for illicit drugs.