Afkār is a publication of the Middle East Council on Global Affairs, providing short-form analyses, insights, and perspectives on regional issues and developments from the Council's experts and outside contributors. Afkār is published in English and Arabic, and is edited by Omar H. Rahman.
Transparency International’s annual rankings show public perceptions on corruption in the Middle East and North Africa have not changed over the past five years. Yet a closer look reveals that anticorruption agencies and legal reform are quietly making headway in combating institutional corruption.
Washington’s seizure of Venezuelan oil and bid to reshape its energy sector is redrawing global market dynamics—potentially insulating the U.S. from price spikes while squeezing China’s access to discounted crude and subtly reinforcing the Gulf’s pivotal role as the market’s stabilizer.
After negotiations stalled, Syria’s central government launched a military campaign to impose its terms for integration on the SDF by force. It seems to have worked.