Publications

Polling data from across the Arab world suggests a growing disillusionment with democracy and its role in fostering economic development. While such disillusionment is understandable, it is not necessarily accurate. This paper reviews analytic work and empirical data on governance, economic growth, foreign direct investment, and export diversification in an effort to understand whether metrics of “voice and accountability” (which are often used as proxies for democratic development) are correlated with higher levels of economic growth and performance.

Iraqi Kurdistan’s gas reserves have the potential to significantly transform geopolitics. However, political divisions and disputes have complicated the process of realizing this potential.

Women nationals in the six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have made remarkable progress in terms of educational attainment and labor force participation. GCC countries now lead the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in terms of female employment among nationals (i.e., citizens). The rapid improvement in female economic participation in the Gulf has propelled them to the forefront of women’s economic empowerment in the MENA region. This goes against persistent historical narratives that depict the Gulf states as outliers in terms of repression of women’s economic, social, and political freedoms.

Discover the Causes of Food Insecurity in the Middle East and North Africa, along with Solutions to Achieve Food Security and Increase Agricultural Production.

This graph tracks cumulative confirmed cases of COVID-19 relative to the total population in MENA countries between March 2020 and December 2022.

Graphs tracking the stringency of governmental public health measures against newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 in MENA countries from 2020 to 2022.

As of December 2022, over 42% of MENA’s population was fully vaccinated, compared to 32.5% of the global population.

A visualization that tracks cumulative deaths officially associated with COVID-19 in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries over the 2020-2022 period on a comparable per capita basis.

The role of great power competition in shaping the future of the Middle East, and its impact on international alliances, and regional security. read more!

Explore Egypt’s Foreign Policy During the Sisi Era, from Successes in the Eastern Mediterranean Basin to the Renaissance Dam Crisis. Read More!

Civilian populations in the conflict-ridden countries of the Middle East and North Africa have undergone a radical transformation of their governing structures. In countries like Iraq, Syria, and Libya, these structures are increasingly dominated by unconventional security providers such as militias and paramilitary groups aligned with the state, creating complications for good governance and security sector reform (SSR).

Iraq was pushed to the brink of civil war in August following a series of tit-for-tat exchanges between Muqtada al-Sadr—head of Iraq’s most powerful socio-political movement (the Sadrist movement) and one of the country’s most powerful militia groups (Saraya Salam)—and a coalition of Iran-aligned parties and militias known as the Shiite Coordination Framework.