What will the sudden death of the Iranian president, Ibrahim Raisi, mean for the Middle East and beyond ? Ahmad Abdel-Rahman investigates. There are many unanswered questions about the circumstances surrounding the death of the Iranian President and his foreign minister: Why were the country's two most prominent politicians traveling on the same pl...
New Zealand PM bows out
Here's an article from The Economist which, while talking about John Key's resignation, states that NZ is "one of the most successful countries in the world. While this is debatable, there is no doubt that Key has had successes- namely international recognition- along with failures, housing, immigration and the environment. We have yet to see whether the new Prime Minister, John English, will have the same success.
Critics of the US President, Joe Biden, accuse him of avoiding challenging Israel, supposedly the US's closest ally in the Middle East, to enhance his chances of winning the US election in November. Ahmad Abdel-Rahman writes. In every American presidential election, there are many central issues around which the election campaigns revolve. Typicall...
The UN World Food Programme works to support Egyptian efforts in the field of aid and nutrition and has supported 200,000 refugees in five years. It has also cooperated with other organisations to empower young people and women in Egypt . Our correspondent in Egypt, Ahmad Abdel-Rahman reports. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Egypt ...
How Israel engages in its war, and international pressures, will determine the future of the Middle East , reports Ahmed Abdel-Rahman. With the continuation of the current threats to Israel from the northern front, the ongoing war in Gaza and its extension to Rafah in the south, the continuation of the Iranian-Israeli confrontations, and the ...
Fitch Ratings has amended its outlook for Egypt which is expected to enhance the inflow of foreign direct investment and resolve the currency crisis, writes Ahmad Abdel Rahman. Finance and economics experts confirmed that the decision of Fitch Ratings, an international credit rating agency to amend its outlook for Egypt is a testimony of confidence...
Tehran's bombing of Tel Aviv is a direct threat to oil supply in the Middle East, writes Ahmad Abdul-Rahman. The Iranian attack on Israel on April 13, 2024, sparked international reactions that varied between condemnation and warnings against further escalation and destabilisation in the Middle East. There are expectations that this attack will aff...
Real GDP is expected to rise to 4.9 percent during the next fiscal year 2024-2025 from 3.5 percent this year, and Goldman Sachs expects Egypt to achieve a surplus of 3.5 percent in 2025 . Ahmad Abdel-Rahman explains. These figures were shown in a recent report by the US investment bank, Goldman Sachs. They were against the backdrop of the measures ...
Ahmad Abdul-Rahman from Egypt writes that the US's position regarding current regional developments raises many questions and it may have lost much of its limited credibility in the region. It is not an exaggeration to say that the developments of the coming weeks will have important effects on the people of Gaza and on the stability of the Middle ...
The Egyptian Center for Strategic Studies (ECSS) warned of the negative consequences of the Israeli war on Gaza and stressed that solving the Palestinian issue is the key to regional stability, writes Ahmad Abdel-Rahman. Egypt adopts a neutral stance towards the successive crises in the Middle East. Its approach is based primarily on stopping escal...
Forecasts from Moody's Analytics suggest that the non-oil sector will grow in Saudi Arabia between 3 and 4 percent until 2030. Ahmad Abdel-Rahman explains. The global economy entered 2024 with significant uncertainty about future performance. The International Monetary Fund's (IMF) outlook in described it as "fragile", in its report issued las...
Hydrogen is the fuel of the future, according to countries in the Middle East. Indeed, the largest clean energy production project in the world is in Saudi Arabia, and specialists believe that its strategic location serves it well, writes Ahmad Abdel-Rahman. The Middle East is moving towards a faster and more important position on the global gr...
The Israeli economy is facing the heaviest losses in its history and a downgrade of the credit rating, writes Ahmad Abdel-Rahman. As the cost of the war in Gaza rises, the Israeli economy is facing the most severe losses in its history. Companies are facing heavy losses as production falters amid a record call-up of reservists. Recent data showed t...
Egypt has been recovering from an economic slowdown and recent growth rates in several sectors show how the economy is performing. Ahmad Abdel-Rahman writes about what is happening. The tourism sector in Egypt in 22/23 had revenue of USD 13.6 billion with a growth rate of 28 per cent. The Suez Canal ranked second with a growth rate of 18.4 per cent...
The US President, Joe Biden, warned Israel of the consequences of not protecting civilians in the Gaza Strip and allowing humanitarian aid to arrive. If the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, does not abide by US demands, "Washington will curb its support" for Tel Aviv . Ahmad Abdel-Rahman writes. In the last call between Joe Biden and Ben...
Goldman Sachs issued a report on the repercussions of the recent economic decisions announced by Egypt. The report included several positive messages about the future path of the Egyptian economy, especially in relation to the annual inflation rate, which is expected to decline to 25 per cent from 35 per cent by the end of this year, writes Ahmad A...
Forty Chicago leaders refuse to meet with White House officials as Washington continues to fund the war. Newspapers say the US administration's position will cost Biden the votes of Arab Americans in the 2024 presidential elections. Ahmad Abdel-Rahman explains. As the Israeli massacres continue even in the holy month of Ramadan, pressure continues ...
Washington is finalising a UN security council resolution to support global efforts to end the Gaza war. The draft rejects any displacement of the population from Gaza. A ceasefire, hostages' release, and humanitarian aid are among Washington's demands, writes Ahmad Abdul-Rahman from Egypt. More than five months have passed since the war in Gaza st...
"Billions of Gulf dollars are heading to Egypt as the Middle East war rages " , according to a report by the news agency, Bloomberg. Ahmad Abdel-Rahman explains what this means. A Bloomberg report said that Egypt has moved from the brink of economic disaster to obtaining more than USD40 billion in investments and loans from the United Arab Emirates...
The Yemenis must be at-one in supporting the Palestinians and seeking to alleviate their plight. This article by Abdel Ahmed in Egypt explains what is at stake. The Yemeni people are known for their strong commitment to the Palestinian cause. So, although they back the Houthi "Ansar Allah" group this should not be held against them. Indeed, the jus...
Why does Tehran not cooperate with Middle East countries to ensure the greatest possible benefit from the region's resources ? Ahmad Abdel Rahman, from Egypt, explains why this might be the case. The term "New Middle East" is used a great deal, but there can be a big difference between the Middle East as Iran wants it, and the one that exists in th...