While I was reading about Middle East air travel- which is down 67 per cent on pre-Covid levels- I was prompted to read about Lebanon. On top of its many disasters- a continuously falling Lebanese pound, a recession, an only recently formed government, and on-going corruption across the country, the Covid-19 pandemic, now it has a spat with Saudi A...
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.
Lebanon is in dire straits economically and politically and has been for the last 12 months at least. The media is suffering as a consequence of the recession. Staff have been laid off and numerous media outlets have closed or are closing. Another media outlet is closing as this article outlines. November 3, 20211:08 AM NZDT Last Updated 20 hours a...
The success of the legislative elections are crucial for the future of Iraq. Ahmad Abdul-Rahman explains. Iraq's legislative elections were held on 10 October, in which 3,243 candidates, including 951 female candidates, competed in 83 electoral districts, for 329 seats. Women had a 25% representation and minorities had nine seats. The Iraqi co...
The most important challenges facing the Middle East are highlighted in a survey by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Our regular writer, Ahmad Abdul-Rahman, explains the results. The challenges facing the Middle East - terrorism, extremism, civil war, foreign intervention, sectarianism, corruption, and authoritarianism - are both hor...
The "normalization" of relations between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel, as a consequence of the Abraham Accords signed on August 13, 2020, could lead to increased trade between Israel and Japan and Israel and India. Even perhaps with Saudi Arabia. All countries have good relations with the UAE and have a significant presence there. Econ...
Intractable conflicts and geopolitical tensions in the Middle East are changing the balance of regional and international power, according to a book on the region. Ahmed Abdul-Rahman delves into the arguments. When will peace come to conflict areas in the Middle East? This is a simple question but is problematic and complex to answer. The question ...
How has Egypt become the third largest Arab economy in 2021? Ahmed Abdul-Rahman explains. Egypt is ranked third by gross domestic product (GDP) in the Arab world, after Saudi Arabia and the UAE, according to Forbes Middle East magazine. Egypt GDP is expected to reach US 394.3 billion, compared to USD 361.8 billion in 2020. Egypt ranks 9th in ...
The Moroccan elections represent a geopolitical reshaping of North Africa. Ahmed- Abdul Rahman explains why. The Moroccan general elections on September 8 were considered particularly important because of the power shift between Morocco and Algeria. Holding the Moroccan elections on time despite the coronavirus pandemic, as well as forming a broad ...
The Middle East is on the Biden administration's list of interests. But the region needs, and deserves, more than that. Ahmad Abdul-Rahman explains why. President Joe Biden did not bother to explain his Middle East policy during the presidential election campaign. Although there is an important foreign policy section in Biden's electoral manifesto,...
The risks associated with crypto currencies are often immense. Barrister, Gary Hughes, outlines what some of the problems could be in Australia and New Zealand. By Gary Hughes for Thomson Reuters. Inquiries in Trans-Tasman Region Gary Hughes | September 23, 2021 Crypto-enthusiasts and FinTech businesses across the Oceania region would have be...
It seems that many companies around the world, particularly American ones, have become so paranoid that you can easily be dubbed a "terrorist" or at least a financier of one. We are living in a police world. If you simply want to make small transactions to countries like Egypt and India you must be financing terrorism, or be a terrorist...
Ahmed Abdul-Rahman explains the four factors that affected the Egyptian economy in 2020. There are four factors that affected the Egyptian economy during in the year 2020. These included the volatility of cash flows into Treasury Bills and instruments, the volatility of the US dollar; the volatility of the oil price and the limited growth in invest...
In this article Ahmad Abdul-Rahman discusses the future for the Arab Gulf and the future geopolitical changes that are likely. The Middle East is witnessing rapid and violent changes that affect international stability and peace. For the Arab Gulf in particular this is a challenge, politically, economically and socially as well as on the security a...
The relationship between Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the US has often caused angst for those who are opposed to this alliance. Much of the concern is because of military arms. This article explains recent developments in the Saudi- US relationship. By Al Monitor Staff US military sale to Saudi Arabia moves ahead The US government approved a new possi...
In this article Ahmad Abdul - Rahman talks about how Iran will deal with the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the rise of the Taliban. Afghanistan has fallen into the hands of the Taliban. The announcement by the US of the complete withdrawal from Afghanistan at the end of August precipitated this. The repercussions will be felt in the Midd...
Turkey has reached a new turning point regarding its foreign policy towards the Middle East. Ahmad Abdul-Rahman explains. Turkey's foreign policy towards the Middle East has undergone a number of political changes in recent years. It now has a greater inclination to use military force, which showed when it intervened militarily in Syria...
Afghanistan has scarcely been out of the news recently. What will happen with Taliban rule and how long will it last? Although some groups in some countries welcome Taliban rule- the Salafi groups in Turkey are perhaps some and Pakistan is said to be more pro-Taliban- others are concerned as to what Taliban rule might mean for them – the Uighurs wh...
Will the Gulf States change their stance on the Taliban after it took control of Afghanistan? Ahmad Abdel -Rahman explains. Bahrain, in its capacity as the current chair of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), announced that it would start consultations with other Gulf States on the situation in Afghanistan. The Council of Ministers assigned the Min...
Ahmad Abdul-Rahman talks about about the transportation of Egyptian gas to Lebanon and what it means for the region. Lebanon is preparing to implement its agreement with Iraq to obtain fuel oil to secure electricity generation and save the Lebanese from the problem of power outage that they suffer daily. Meanwhile, the Executive Director of the Int...
The photos that came out of Afghanistan showing thousands of people trying to flee Kabul before the US's self-imposed deadline of 31 August are truly horrific. But that is just the start. The West is looking at its refugee burden, yet it is small compared to that of some developing countries. According to data prepared by the Norwegian Refugee Coun...