West Asia & North Africa Digest | January 2020
Political Developments Islamic Ummah: A 4-day “Islamic Summit” hosted by Malaysia ended on Dec 21 without issuing any final statement and generating more heat than light. The event was attended by some 20 Muslim countries, prominent among them Iran, Turkey and Qatar. It was snubbed by Saudi Arabia which saw it as an attempt to challenge […]
West Asia & North Africa Digest | December 2019
I) Political Developments Arab Spring 2.0:Second season of Arab Spring is currently in full bloom in Iraq, Lebanon, Sudan and Algeria. There are a number of common multiples among these four countries. All of them are listed in the Corruption Perceptions Index of Transparency International as endemically corrupt: Syria (178th out of 180 in 2018), Sudan (172nd), […]
West Asia & North Africa Digest | November 2019
I) Political Developments Unrest in Iraq and Lebanon: Arab Spring 2? During much of October 2019, Lebanon and Iraq were both convulsed by widespread anti-establishment demonstrations led by their youth. These popular manifestations railed against the perceived hijacking of the popular mandate by powerful interest groups such as militias and sectarian entities in each of these […]