MENA

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is at a critical juncture, facing an intricate polycrisis defined by interlinked challenges including energy insecurity, water scarcity, migration, conflict, and socio-political fragmentation. These crises are not isolated; their interconnectedness amplifies their impact, creating a destabilizing feedback loop that hinders sustainable development and peacebuilding efforts. This paper explores the concept of polycrisis through the lens o ...

Following the European Parliament’s approval of the 26 candidates proposed by Member States to form the new European Commission (2024-2029), the new European super-ministers will take office on 1 December. Notably, for the first time, the core of “Europe’s government” includes two representatives from the far-right: Italian Raffaele Fitto, nominated by the Meloni Government as Vice-President for Cohesion and Reforms, overseeing structural funds, and Hungarian Olivér Várhelyi, appoin ...

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is characterised by its diversity in political systems, economic conditions, and social structures. It is home to a mix of high-income countries such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as low-income and conflict-affected states like Yemen and Iraq. This diversity creates a complex environment for think tanks. Political instability in some areas, coupled with economic uncertainty, presents a challenging landsca ...

This paper explores the urgent need for a paradigm shift in humanitarian aid within conflict and post-conflict settings in the MENA region, advocating for a ‘developmental humanitarianism’ approach that integrates immediate relief with long-term development goals. Focusing on the limitations of traditional aid, particularly in protracted crises such as in Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon, and Gaza, the paper argues for innovative financing mechanisms and a realist perspective that aligns humani ...

This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the role and impact of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), formed in April 2022, in navigating the complexities of Yemen's ongoing civil conflict. The PLC was created to unite various anti-Houthi factions under a single governance framework, with the support of Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and to steer Yemen toward peace and stability. However, the PLC has faced numerous obstacles, including internal divisions, resistance from ...

In an era marked by shifting global dynamics, Africa and the Middle East are experiencing a profound transition from traditional geopolitics to a more nuanced geoeconomic framework. This evolution reflects the growing recognition that economic interests, rather than mere political allegiances, are driving international relations in these regions. The rise of emerging powers, particularly China and other Asian nations, has challenged the long-standing dominance of Western economies, ...

Le minilatéralisme, approche flexible et rapide de la coopération internationale, s'avère efficace pour relever des défis communs entre un petit nombre d'États. Inspiré du « Dialogue 5+5 » méditerranéen, ce concept est proposé pour renforcer la coopération euro-africaine dans l'espace atlantique, en créant un forum « 3+3 » réunissant l'Espagne, la France, le Portugal, le Maroc, la Mauritanie et le Sénégal. Ce cadre permettrait de répondre aux enjeux sécuritaires, économiques et migr ...

History is unfolding before our eyes. These are days that could define the future of our world. The United Nations is calling for a “Summit for the Future,” promising “Multilateral Solutions for a Better Tomorrow.” This vision will take shape on September 23-24, 2024, in New York City. António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the UN since January 2017, has championed this summit as “a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reinvigorate global action, recommit to fundamental principle ...

La dynamique qui anime aujourd’hui le conflit israélo-palestinien, notamment la guerre que mènent à Gaza les troupes du Tsahal et les combattants du Hamas, appuyés par le Jihad islamique et les autres factions armées palestiniennes, laisse espérer un accord entre les parties prenantes pour mettre fin à une guerre qui a généré des dizaines de milliers de morts et de blessés. Espoirs nourris par le dernier discours (31 mai) du président américain qui détaille, on ne peut plus clair, l ...

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Greater female participation in the labor market and in international trade have been recognized as important drivers for economic growth and essential targets in the context of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, achieving both targets simultaneously will be difficult, if not impossible, in most Middle East and North African (MENA) countries without additional policies to eliminate the remarkably high levels of gender inequality in the labor market. I ...

الحرب بطبيعتها ليست عملية حسابية. فمن حيث الاستراتيجية العسكرية، لا تعتبر عملية الجمع دائما إضافة، ولا عملية الطرح تنقيصا. فعملية الضرب لا ُتضخِّم كما أن القسمة لا ُتقلل. وإذا كانت الوسائل هي بالتأكيد ميزة في الحرب، فإن نتيجة الصراعات (النصر أو الهزيمة) لا تعتمد فقط على هذه الوسائل، ذلك ان الحرب تكشف عن صمود المجتمع وليس عن قوة الجيش فقط. فالحرب ُتظهر ارتباط القوة العسكرية بصلابة الجبهة الداخلية المرتبطة بدورها إلى حد كبير بالتماسك الاجتماعي. و ليس لهذا الأخير وحدة قياس، ف ...

On November 13, 1974 (YouTube, Nov 14), Yassir Arafat appeared in front of the United Nations General Assembly. He reminded his audience and the world that, “today I have come bearing an olive branch and a freedom fighter’s gun. Do not let the olive branch fall from my hand.” Almost half a century has passed since then, and Arafat as well, and there is still no olive branch for the Palestinians, only the gun. Before the current Israel-Gaza war, noted the respected Foreign Affairs ...

أعاد "طوفان الأقصى"، الاسم الرمزي للهجوم المفاجئ على إسرائيل الذي شنَّته حماس وكتائب عز الدين القسَّام، في السابع من أكتوبر 2023، والردُّ الإسرائيلي المُدمِّر للأهالي المدنيين والبنى التحتية في غزة نتيجة لذلك، قضية الشعب الفلسطيني إلى الواجهة. قضيةٌ لا زالت تسكن العقول والقلوب والضمائر. أكثر من أي وقت مضى. هكذا لا يمكن أن يبرز «شرق أوسط جديد» ويكون قابلاً للاستمرار بدون حل عادل ودائم لهذا الصراع الذي استمر 75 عاماً. ...

La guerre n’est, par sa nature, pas arithmétique. En matière de stratégie militaire, ni l’addition est toujours un ajout ni la soustraction une diminution. La multiplication n’amplifie pas comme la division ne réduit pas. Les moyens sont certes un avantage dans la guerre, mais l’issue des conflits (victoire ou défaite) n’en dépendent pas exclusivement. La guerre révèle la résilience d’une société et pas seulement la puissance d’une armée. Mieux, elle montre la dépendance de la puiss ...

Le « Déluge d’Al-Aqsa » -nom de code de l’attaque surprise menée en Israël par le Hamas et les Brigades Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam, le 7 octobre 2023 -, et la riposte israélienne dévastatrice pour les populations civiles et les infrastructures de l’enclave de Gaza qui en a été la conséquence, ont ramené au premier plan la cause du peuple palestinien. Cause qui continue d’habiter les esprits, les coeurs et les consciences. Plus que jamais, un « nouveau Moyen- Orient » ne pourra émerger et ...

The title of the Policy Brief seems alarming. ‘Israel-Palestine The Last Chance for a Just Solution’, an assessment by Abdelhak Bassou, Senior Fellow of the Policy Center for the New South, affiliated professor at Mohammed VI University in Rabat, and one of the leading security experts of Morocco. His paper, published in November 2023, could not have more timely, dramatic, urgent, and constructive. Scenes of the apocalypse for an estimated twelve million people in a region, consider ...

في 6 أكتوبر 1973 تلقت السلطات الإسرائيلية تحذيرات عن احتمال اندلاع حرب على حدودها مع الدول العربية. هذا التحذير أكد المعلومات التي تم استلامها قبل بضعة أيام، ولكن أصحاب القرار السياسي والاستخبارات في اسرائيل لم يأخذوا الأمر على محمل الجد. حيث تعرضت إسرائيل لهجوم مفاجئ وعرف جيشها حالة من الهلع. وكانت الكارثة. خمسون عاما بعد ذلك، تقريبًا في نفس اليوم، فوجئت إسرائيل بهجوم جديد. في صباح 7 أكتوبر 2023، عبر مئات الرجال مسلحين الحاجز بين إسرائيل وقطاع غزة، انتشروا في أكثر من 20 مكانًا، قت ...

The Mediterranean region is one of the major climate-change hotspots. Advancing the region’s transition to a low-carbon and renewable energy production system will be crucial to counter global warming and achieve the objectives outlined in the Paris Agreement. However, fossil fuels continue to dominate the region's energy mix, while renewable energy sources meet only a marginal share of the overall demand. The green-energy transition in Mediterranean countries, moreover, represents ...

On October 6, 1973, the Israeli authorities were warned of the imminent outbreak of war on their borders with the Arab states. This warning confirmed information received a few days previously, which Israeli political decision-makers and iintelligence services had not taken seriously. Israel was taken by surprise and its army panicked. It was a debacle. Fifty years later, almost to the day, Israel was once again taken by surprise. On the morning of October 7, 2023, hundreds of armed ...

Le 6 octobre 1973, les autorités israéliennes ont été averties de l’éclatement imminent d’une guerre à leurs frontières avec les États arabes. Cet avertissement confirmait les informations reçues quelques jours auparavant, mais que les décideurs politiques et le Renseignement israéliens n’avaient pas pris au sérieux. Israël est pris par surprise et son armée est en panique. C’est la débâcle. Cinquante ans plus tard, quasiment jour pour jour, l’État hébreux est enco ...