The human conveyor belt
Summary: with EU authorities investing in deterrence and containment, while abandoning people in distress at sea, the central Mediterranean Sea remains deadly.
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Tunisia
The Arab Digest Podcast Top Ten Countdown: number 2
At number 2 in the all-time top ten is Christopher Davidson’s podcast Putin’s war plays well with MENA authoritarians which aired 1 April, 2022. Chris is an academic and author of several books on the politics and foreign affairs of the Gulf states and a regular contributor to the Arab Digest newsletter. His latest book published by Hurst is titled From Sheikhs to Sultanism.
Tunisia: a referendum and a generation gap
Summary: today’s referendum vote appears destined to cement Kais Saied’s grip on power but as the country veers back toward dictatorship young Tunisians refuse to abandon the dreams and promise of the 2011 revolution.
A convergence of interests in the Mediterranean
Summary: Italy, Algeria and Tunisia share an energy nexus of interest that has the potential to alter the economic landscape for all three as Europe scrambles to free itself from its dependency on Russian oil and gas.
A Mediterranean energy treble
Arab Digest editor William Law welcomes top North Africa energy analyst Francis Ghilès to the podcast to talk about the potential energy alliance between Italy, Tunisia and Algeria as the war in Ukraine grinds on and sanctions on Russia begin to bite. Italy is determined to become Europe’s energy hub while Tunisia has the geographic proximity to the continent and Algeria the resources for a nexus of interests to emerge, one that could prove a winner for all three.
Gas and a reset between North Africa and Europe
Summary: the war in Ukraine and gas as the fulcrum presents North Africa and Europe with a new possibility to reset relationships that seemed locked and impermeable.
Algeria: Divide and Rule
Summary: under a counter terrorism rubric Algeria’s regime steps up its repression of the Berbers in its latest attempt to split the Hirak, with help from regional allies.
Bitcoin in the Arab world
Summary: despite concerns that crypto currencies may violate Islamic jurisprudence and conceal criminal activities, several MENA countries are surging forward in the race to establish pre-eminence in a rapidly emerging financial sector with the potential for staggering profits.
Putin’s war and a MENA food crisis
Summary: before the Russians invaded Ukraine, food insecurity was already an issue for many MENA countries but as of 24 February a bad situation got a whole lot worse.
America and the Kais Saied coup
Arab Digest editor William Law is joined by the Project on Middle East Democracy’s Amy Hawthorne. And their focus is Tunisia. While the world’s attention is riveted on Ukraine and Putin’s war, Kais Saied, the Tunisian president is quietly putting the finishing touches to a new dictatorship in North Africa. So what is the Biden administration, which claims to put democracy at the heart of its foreign policy, doing about it?