2021 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 December 2021 The Economic Contracts of New Gulf Citizenships Mira Al-Hussein · December 2021 In an effort to diversify their revenues before the end of the oil era and to attract economic talent, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are now granting citizenship to hand-picked expatriates, ignoring the large mass of foreign workers, even those who have been in the country for (…) The United Arab Emirates, An Ally France Should Be Ashamed Of Sébastien Fontenelle · December 2021 The fact that France has contracted many arms sales with the United Arab Emirates has gone largely uncontested. Yet a joint report from the International Federation for Human Rights, its member and partner organisations and the Observatoire des Armements sets forth a truly damning list of human (…) The Maghreb, a French Colonial Invention Julien Lacassagne · December 2021 Anthropologist Abdelmajid Hannoum has just published a fascinating historical enquiry into the origin of the term Maghreb, invented to a large extent by the theoreticians of French colonialism. That word, which he has studied in various archives, especially those of the Bureaux Arabes, did much (…) In the Paradise of Black Gold, Carbon Neutrality Is in the Pipeline Sebastian Castelier · December 2021 The six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council are among those with the highest CO2 emissions per head in the world. As battle is joined for decarbonising the global economy, the Gulf oil monarchies declare carbon-neutral targets—but without giving up exporting hydrocarbons. Swimming (…) November 2021 The Turkish Army Has Lost its Lustre Gabriel Aristide · November 2021 After 20 years of rule by the Justice and Development Party, has the influence of the armed forces, who used to intervene directly in running the country, disappeared? The harassment of its former and current personnel indicates that the government’s confidence in the army is far from absolute. (…) Open the Windows, Support Orient XXI! · November 2021 In this month of November, several dozen publishers of independent media (over 85 thus far) have signed an appeal to “Open the windows, read the independent media!”. It contains these words: Free, independent, and pluralistic sources of information are what make a democratic society. Today (…) Gwadar Harbour, Key to the Sino-Pakistani Partnership Hugo Lacombe · November 2021 In Baluchistan, on the Arabian Sea-board, Pakistan has been developing for the last two decades a large-scale harbour project in the town of Gwadar. After an initial phase, terminated in 2007, the development is currently carried forward by the Chinese who see it as a key component of the (…) Iraq. “Without Water, We Have No Life” Safaa Khalaf · November 2021 Dramatic water shortages, increasing drought and temperature, intensifying dust storms, desertification, soil erosion and loss of biodiversity. Iraq is experiencing an unprecedented environmental crisis that threatens its very existence. Climate migrants, mostly farmers, are already numerous. (…) Apocalypse Soon, From North America to Jerusalem Falestin Naili · November 2021 Are the US evangelists the last rampart against the expansion of Zionism or are they Israel’s unnatural allies? In their majority allied with the Israeli far right, they include nonetheless a fringe which believes that the salvation of Christianity lies with the conversion of the Jews. “As (…) The Arabs Are Back on Their Road to Damascus Baudouin Loos · November 2021 The growing lack of US interest in the Middle East has prompted several Arab capitals that had broken with Bashar Al-Assad’s Syria to undertake a normalisation of their relations with his regime. All the more so as the prevailing diagnosis around the region is that he will remain in power for a (…) Gas Flareup Caused by Sanctions Against Iran and Russia Jean-Pierre Sereni · November 2021 The explosion in the price of gas is a threat both to consumers and to growth, especially in the West. But it is actually the West, through its sanctions against Iran and Russia, which has largely brought about this crisis. The debate is raging in Europe and the US, with almost nobody spared (…) October 2021 Turkey. The Arms Industry on the Fast Track to Autonomy Émile Bouvier · October 2021 In a single decade, Turkey has considerably increased its autonomy in the matter of arms manufacture and achieved several triumphs on the export market, especially in the area of drone production. But there are areas, such as motorisation, in which its military industry continues to depend on (…) French Jews Split Over Zemmour Jean Stern · October 2021 The probable candidacy in next year’s presidential election of the man who promotes the fear of the “great replacement” has produced a shock wave in the French Jewish community. Many Jews are saying they will vote for Eric Zemmour, to the dismay of their community leaders. This may well be a (…) Moscow’s Illusionless Realism in Afghanistan Maxim A. Suchkov · October 2021 Moscow had been preparing for the Taliban’s victory in Afghanistan for several years. Since their conquest of Kabul, Russia has increased its contacts with the new leaders, but not with many illusions. On October 3, Kabul was rocked by an explosion that claimed lives of at least 19 and (…) Gulf Airlines, The Art of Copy-And-Pilfer Sebastian Castelier · October 2021 Obliged by the energy transition to diversify, the Gulf monarchies want to secure a future or themselves when the black gold has run out. However their rivalries are intensifying on various economic fronts, especially air transport, where Saudi Arabia intends to outdo Qatar and the Emirates. (…) Storm-Clouds Are Brewing Over Egypt’s Economy Jean-Pierre Sereni · October 2021 Despite its favourable statistics, the outlook for Egypt’s economy is uncertain indeed, so deeply is the country in debt and dependent on the speculative capital invested in its economy, attracted by high interest rates. A model which, in many respects, resembles that of Lebanon. Two of the (…) Geopolitics of the Gulf. Return of Qatar, Weakening of the United Arab Emirates Hicham Alaoui · October 2021 In just a few years, Qatar has managed to emerge from its isolation and assert its place in its regional environment, but also further afield, as its role in Afghanistan proves. The United Arab Emirates, on the other hand, has suffered a series of setbacks, even though it continues to have many (…) The Taliban in Power : Pakistan Torn Between Satisfaction and Anxiety Jean-Luc Racine · October 2021 At first sight, the Taliban’s return to power is good news for Pakistan, which has supported them from the beginning. But in Islamabad, there are visible signs of anxiety about this regional upheaval. The Taliban return to power, signalled by the fall of Kabul on 15 August 2011, looked at (…) September 2021 Beirut. Walking Through Dilapidated Khandaq Al-Ghamiq Sandra Rishani · September 2021 The district of Khandak Al-Ghamik, a five-minute walk from the city centre and about fifteen minutes from the port, bears witness to a historical and architectural heritage that has been relatively untouched by the bulldozers of reconstruction, but is decaying due to neglect. After the August (…) In the United States, the Terrorist Threat is Home-Grown and White Jean Michel Morel · September 2021 Twenty years after 9/11, the USA must face the facts: the main danger the country has to deal with is not posed by extremists affiliated with some so-called “axis of evil” but by terrorists born and raised in its bosom and sometimes enrolled in that army it sends to the far corners of the world (…) Tunisia: In L’Ariana, Fast-Track Modernisation Najla Ben Salah · September 2021 In the town of L’Ariana to the north of Tunis, gentrification is proceeding at a fast pace. The poorer classes are gradually being pushed out and their old traditional homes replaced by flashy office towers and modern mansion blocks with no regard for the memories and lifestyle habits of old (…) The Low-Intensity Protest of Algerian Women Laurence Dufresne-Aubertin · September 2021 For many Algerian families, assigned to cramped or unsanitary apartments, rehousing is an imperative necessity. It is mostly women who are voicing this demand, quietly laying siege to the administrations and their officials. In the working-class neighbourhood of downtown Oran, the decrepit (…) “Boots on the Ground” leave footprints: the Anthropogenic Legacy of the US Military in the Middle East Bruce Stanley · September 2021 The consequences of American military interventions in the world are well known: destruction, civilian victims, overthrown or supported regimes... They also leave terrible environmental, ecological and sanitary traces for the populations, even when the American troops have withdrawn. On 2 (…) War on Terrorism, the History of an Illusion Alain Gresh · September 2021 “Enduring freedom!” This was the slogan, as pompous as it was pathetic, which President George W. Bush used to launch his"war on terrorism” in October 2001. As he had just explained to the US Congress: They hate what they see right here in this chamber—a democratically elected government. (…) Iran Rethinks its Foreign Policy Clément Therme · September 2021 As its new president, Ebrahim Raisi takes office, Iran has begun to question the guidelines of its foreign policy, especially in regard to its relations with its Arab neighbours. It is a matter of striking a balance between the defence of national interests and the regime’s radical ideology. (…) August 2021 Yemen. The Socotra Archipelago Threatened by the Civil War Quentin Müller · August 2021 Cut off from the rest of the world for many years and preserved from the turmoil in Yemen, the Socotra Archipelago is gradually losing its peaceful reputation. As in all the Southern provinces, the separatist movement has split the population. It finds favour among some of the islanders who have (…) Bahrain Takes Advantage of the Sanitary Crisis to Step Up its Repression of the Opposition Léa Luszez · August 2021 Though Bahrain has often been accused of serious violations of human rights, the Covid-19 pandemic, which has already caused 1,384 deaths (15 August 2021) among a population of around 1.7 million, has further contributed to the intensification of the regime’s repressive and freedom-killing (…) Afghanistan, One Defeat Breeds Another Alain Gresh · August 2021 August 15, 2021 Kabul has fallen, and it took the Taliban only a few weeks to sweep away the Afghan army, which had been financed and trained by the United States for twenty years. As a reminder, the communist regime had survived the withdrawal of the Red Army for three years. But the Afghan (…) Tunisia: Inevitable Upheaval Fraught With Dangers Thierry Brésillon · August 2021 To kick over the table and grant himself full authority, Kais Saied claimed the State was in “imminent danger.” Considering the in the country, this was a reasonable claim. But for the moment, the meaning of the President’s choice remains unclear and, in any case, very risky. “Coup d’etat”? (…) July 2021 An Economic Transition Fraught With Danger for the Petro-States of the Gulf Sebastian Castelier · July 2021 Dissociating the price per barrel from the Gulf economies, addicted to petro-dollars, is a risky affair for the ruling families. The attempts at “adjustment programmes” have been met with loud protests and the younger generations are likely to hold to account those who have been running their (…) Turkey. The power structure’s crackdown on the “enemy within” Jean Michel Morel · July 2021 At the same time as Turkey develops a foreign policy of all-out interventionism, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s regime has launched a campaign against the “enemy within”, threatens to curtail women’s rights and is using its control of the water supply to eradicate the Kurds. In March 2021, (…) Egypt. Al-Qarah Relies On Solar Energy to Pump Water Omaïma Ismaïl, Nada Arafat · July 2021 Farmers of the village of Al-Qarah in southern Egypt have replaced expensive diesel with solar energy to pump water from wells to irrigate their fields. The government, however, is not interested in investing in solar panels for agriculture. In Upper Egypt, where people face the scorching (…) Israel-Lebanon. The Maritime Borders of Discord Doha Chams · July 2021 Despite the American relaunch, the negotiations on the maritime borders between Beirut and Tel Aviv remain suspended.While Israel wants to nibble away as much land as possible, the Lebanese leaders, divided on strategy and driven by their individual interests, put their country’s interests at a (…) June 2021 Yemen. Unfiltered Neoliberal Policies Have Worsened the Water Crisis Helen Lackner · June 2021 Water resources are drying up in Yemen, a country ravaged by war for six years. Climate change is to blame, and also—above all—an agricultural policy that has favoured large landowners. The latter favour high value-added crops that are very water-intensive. Yemen, quite aside from its (…) US Military Destabilised by Climate Change in the Middle East Bruce Stanley · June 2021 Weather disturbances hampered American troops, especially in the Gulf States. In addition to the weakened health of the personnel, the equipment is proving to be unsuitable for the intense sandstorms and violent storms. Despite its logistical resources, the US army is caught unprepared to face (…) Water in Tunisia: Poverty Line and Impoverishment Plans Mohamed Rami Abdelmoula · June 2021 It is a commonplace to say that a water shortage threatens Tunisia. What is more at stake is the evolution of its uses and the distribution of the resource. However, intensive agriculture for export is leading water consumption, while the basic rate for Tunisians is rising sharply. “Thirst (…) Water Stories from the Maghreb and the Middle East Médias indépendants sur le monde arabe · June 2021 As soon as we begin investigating the issue of water in the Middle East and the Maghreb, we find that everyone agrees about its “rarity,” from the experts with international organisations to the media pundits. A group of journalists affiliated with the network Independent Media on the Arab World (…) Presidential Elections in Iran. One “Official” Candidate, Multiple Divisions Bernard Hourcade · June 2021 The presidential election of 18 June was well and truly locked up in advance by the Iranian system, which had eliminated the vast majority of candidates—notably the reformists, but also the women, who are not eligible. That is not to say that there may not be surprises, and whatever the case, (…) Egypt Opens the Debt Tap as Wide as It Will Go Jean-Pierre Sereni · June 2021 Over the past few months, the IMF and several other international financial institutions have lent huge sums to Marshal Sisi’s regime. But the expected reforms are slow in coming and the resumption of the tourist trade is half-hearted. For the population at large, austerity is still the order of (…) To Break the Deadlock, Palestine Needs Democratic Elections Hicham Alaoui · June 2021 After the failure of the Oslo Accords, the “agreement of the century” definitively buried the idea of a Palestinian state. The recent wave of violence from which Hamas and Israel have benefited is the consequence. The organization of democratic elections must allow the mobilization that began in (…) Gulf. The Sorrowful Homecoming of Migrant Workers Sebastian Castelier · June 2021 For years, the African and Asian workers gone to seek their fortune in the Eldorado of the Persian Gulf were acclaimed as heroes in their villages. Now they are coming back empty-handed to swell the ranks of the unemployed, having lost their jobs on account of the pandemic. Some are trying to go (…) May 2021 Quebec. The Law on Religious Neutrality Causes Another Outburst of Islamophobia Adèle Surprenant · May 2021 At the end of April, the Superior Court of Quebec confirmed the section of the law on the religious neutrality of the State which limits the wearing of religious signs by civil servants. Since it took effect in June 2019, it has been criticised for its discriminatory nature, especially with (…) Memory War in Israel on Arab and Iranian Jews Lior B. Sternfeld , Menashe Anzi · May 2021 In 2019, an exhibition in Tel Aviv entitled “Leaving, Never to return?” linked the departure of Jews from the East to their fate in their home countries. In the United States, Europe and the Middle East, scholars are challenging this narrative. Historians Lior B. Sternfeld and Menashe Anzi (…) Rigged Match in the Media Ring Jean Stern · May 2021 Current events show it once again: caught between the bullying tactics of a handful of hyped-up Israel admirers and faint-hearted newsrooms, it takes iron willpower—or an independent news organ—to cover current events in Israel-Palestine. The violent attacks suffered by Charles Enderlin after (…) Who Will Pay for the Rafales Delivered to Egypt? Jean-Pierre Sereni · May 2021 The announcement of the sale of 30 Rafale warplanes to Egypt caused something of a stir. That was partly because of the country’s disastrous human rights record, but also because of the questions raised by a delivery for which people might wonder whether it is the French taxpayer who will pay. (…) Afghanistan: Escalation of Ethnic Tensions While the US Prepares to Evacuate its Troops Diane Villemin · May 2021 While the negotiations between Afghans aimed at setting up a government which would include the Talibans are in a stalemate and the United States has announced the withdrawal of its troops for 11 September, the “Pashtun issue” has popped up again. The latest street protests in Kabul have (…) The Downward Spiral of Lebanese and Syrian Currencies Henri Mamarbachi · May 2021 As the economic and social crisis in Syria and Lebanon continues to deepen, the currencies of both countries keep losing their value. Nothing seems able to slow the nose-dives which are ruining so many Lebanese and Syrians. History of a disaster. The reasons for the twin collapse of the (…) Saudi Aramco: Last Man Standing in the Oil Era Sebastian Castelier · May 2021 Decarbonising the economy does not mean bringing the world’s oil consumption to a sudden stop. As the planet’s number one producer of black gold, Saudi Aramco means to exploit this situation to the hilt, making Saudi Arabia one of the champions of the petroleum twilight. The Covid-19 pandemic (…) April 2021 Lebanon: Endless Bickering as the Boat Goes Down Jim Muir · April 2021 Eight months after the blast at Beirut port and the resignation of Hassan Diab’s cabinet, and six months after Saad Hariri was asked to form a new one, Lebanon is still without a government, as the country plunges deeper into the crisis. The most common and obvious metaphor being applied to (…) Timid Initiatives to Bring Yemen out of War Helen Lackner · April 2021 Yemen has recently returned to international headlines. The UN has admitted that famine is affecting Yemenis, the Huthi movement has intensified its offensive on Marib. Following the new Biden administration, the Saudis have also announced their proposals for a ceasefire towards ending the war. (…) How Abu Dhabi Uses its Influence in the United States Eva Thiébaud · April 2021 The United Arab Emirates invest heavily in the USA, where they also have a good deal of political support. Long before its recognition of Israel — the “Abraham Accords” —, Abu Dhabi developed an intensive lobbying strategy in Washington. Colin Powers, a specialist in this area, describes in (…) Algeria’s Hirak: Experimenting a Political Agora Ahmed Ghanem · April 2021 While Hirak’s purpose was to challenge the whole political system, its longevity and periodicity turned it into a weekly forum for discussing domestic and foreign policy issues. Thousands of Algerians took to the streets on 22 February 2021 to celebrate the second anniversary of Hirak, the (…) Oman Stymied by the “Green” Turning Sebastian Castelier · April 2021 A year after the death of Sultan Qabos Ben Said Al-Said, the “father of the nation”, Oman is still trying to find its way in a world where the supremacy of petroleum is on its last legs, losing out to renewable energies which require a profound socio-economic transformation. The time is ripe (…) March 2021 How Israel Is Developing Scorpion, At the Heart of France’s Future System of Defence Jean Stern · March 2021 In utter secrecy, French and Israeli military personnel and engineers are cooperating in view of the wars of the future, associating digital command, drones and robots, even though the two countries are competitors on the arms market, especially in Africa. While France is the world’s (…) Turkey and Iran Face Off… But Pull Their Punches Jean Michel Morel · March 2021 As their regional ambitions grow clearer every day, relations seem to be deteriorating between the two former empires that dream of recovering their lost grandeur. And Turkey is obviously responsible for the climate of tension with Iran. “Zero problems with our neighbours”: the famous (…) Tunisia. Ennahda Undone By the Test Of Power Hatem Nafti · March 2021 Late February in Tunis, and the conservative Islamist party is trying to rally its followers for a show of force around its leader, Rached Ghannouchi. But ten years on from his first electoral victory, Ennahdha is struggling to hold a decent position on the political chessboard. On 30 January (…) France. Class Struggle vs. Identity Struggles? Rafik Chekkat · March 2021 Sociologists Stephane Beaud and Gérard Noiriel castigate academics who espouse the “racial cause”. But by entertaining fuzzy notions in the midst of the campaign in France against so-called Islamo-leftism, their book is more polemical than scientific. It’s a sequence of events that has sadly (…) How the Gulf Monarchies Made Ex-King Juan Carlos Rich Ignacio Cembrero · March 2021 Living in exile in Abu Dhabi since August 2020 at the request of his son Felipe VI on account of corruption scandals attached to his name, the former king of Spain amassed a considerable fortune during his 39-year reign thanks to the Gulf rulers. “Only one non-Saudi, King Juan Carlos, has my (…) ICC Competent to Trial Crimes in Palestine: A Decisive Step? François Dubuisson · March 2021 After confirming its jurisdiction on 5 February 2021, the ICC announced on 3 March the opening of a formal investigation into crimes committed in the Palestinian territories. This is a victory for international law, even if we are still a long way from a trial. It all began in 2009, following (…) “Eurabia” and the Great Replacement Jadaliyya Reports · March 2021 We are excited to present the inaugural episode of the “Europe in the Middle East Podcast”. In this episode, titled“ ‘Eurabia’ and the Great Replacement,” hosts Alain Gresh and Thomas Serres have a conversation with Liz Fekete on the theories promoted by far-right thinkers Bat Ye’or and Renaud (…) An Arab Revolutionary Legacy? Yassin Al-Haj Saleh · March 2021 While there is no Arab revolutionary tradition, the now exiled Syrian intellectual and opponent Yassin Al-Haj Saleh emphasizes that there is a revolutionary heritage on which it is possible to build a future. A tradition is unchanging rules that govern human action, a revolution is a (…) February 2021 Algeria: Dark Days Ahead for the Oil Sector Jean-Pierre Sereni · February 2021 While the political crisis continues in Algeria, the country sees its oil resources diminishing dangerously. Whence the debate in Algeria over the future of that industry and the need to call upon foreign companies, which the oil minister who has just been sacked has paid for. Will foreign (…) Who Are Libya’s New Leaders? Jalel Harchaoui · February 2021 A first agreement has helped to overcome the divisions that have affected Libya for years. New leaders have been appointed. Who are they? Will they have the means to set the country on the road to reconstruction? On February 5th in Geneva, 74 delegates previously picked by the UN as part of (…) Joe Biden, the Middle East and Emmanuel Macron Sylvain Cypel · February 2021 In the Near East minefield between Saudi Arabia, Iran and Israel, Joe Biden’s administration is questioning its strategy, particularly on the nuclear issue. Emmanuel Macron gives him some advice—not sure if it is good. When a new president enters the White House, he picks up the phone and (…) Absurd History, Absolute Future Sarah Rifky · February 2021 Ten years after the fall of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt, how can we think of the legacy of the “Arab Spring” in a country ruled with an iron hand by Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi? For Sarah Rifky, it is necessary to look for it in the “future pasts” of the revolution, that is to say in the ideas that preceded (…) Election of Joe Biden and Internal Contestations, the New Hardships of Erdoğan Chris den Hond · February 2021 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is having a rough go of it. Joe Biden’s election means a toughening of US-Turkish relations. And on the home front, Erdoğan finds himself increasingly isolated, since his only political allies are the dangerous Grey Wolves, the radical right-wing MHP (…) Things I Learned on How not to Remember the Revolution Lina Attalah · February 2021 At the beginning of 2011, popular uprisings shake Tunis, Cairo, Tripoli, and bring down dictators. The shock wave will be immense throughout the region, from Morocco to Oman, from Syria to Iraq. Then came the time of the status quo, fierce repression, war and misfortune. People wanted change, (…) January 2021 Elnet.Visit Israel, its Settlements, its Surveillance Technologies... Jean Stern · January 2021 Elnet is an European network with branches in Paris, London, Berlin, Madrid, and Warsaw. Its goal is to strengthen ties between France and Israel by targeting leaders, businessmen and elected officials. A discreet and well-funded structure, its activities consist in selling Israel like a (…) Pakistan, India, China: A Planetary Realignment in Southern Asia Olivier Da Lage · January 2021 Slowly, silently, the old alliances forged during the Cold War in Southern Asia are shifting. Pakistan, India and China are modifying their foreign policies, no longer according to ideological considerations but to what they perceive as their national interests. Since the middle of the 1950s, (…) Criticism of Israel Stifled by the Law of Silence Jean Stern · January 2021 Today, criticising Israel in France is frankly a dangerous enterprise which on the face of it seems to be a great success for those who are busy trying to delegitimise any and every questioning of the Israeli government’s policies. The keynote? Forget the fate of the Palestinians and celebrate (…) An Omerta With a Long History Jean Stern · January 2021 Because the expression “Jewish lobby” is associated with the pre-war anti-Semitism of the far right, the use of the word lobby in connection with “friends of Israel” is controversial. Some prefer the term “circles of influence,” or formal and informal networks, but everyone agrees that over the (…) France-Israel. Lobby or Not Lobby? Jean Stern · January 2021 Is Israel winning the battle of influence in France? It is easy to believe it is. Before the pandemic, our elected officials flocked to Jerusalem, paying tribute to “the only democracy in the Middle East” before taking a tour of the colonies. Corporate leaders waxed enthusiastic over the hi-tech (…) Palestine. Machinations against a Swiss diplomat from UNRWA Baudouin Loos · January 2021 Pierre Krähenbühl’s career as the head of UNRWA, the UN agency caring for Palestinian refugees, was brought to an abrupt halt in 2019. The reason: accusations which have turned out to be largely baseless. The context is challenging since UNRWA is in fact in the line of fire of the Trump (…) Will Joe Biden Have the Nerve to Rejoin the Nuclear Deal with Iran? Sylvain Cypel · January 2021 On 20 January 2021, Joe Biden will be sworn in as President of the USA. Among the vital foreign policy issues awaiting him is that of the relations with Iran. Will Washington choose to revive the nuclear agreement? Will the US manage to overcome Israeli and Saudi resistance? One thing seems (…) Lyon. The Imaginary Separatism of Salafist Women Z. Fareen Parvez · January 2021 The concept of “separatism” introduced into public debate by Emmanuel Macron in February 2020 was followed by the draft bill “Confirming respect for the principles of the Republic,” currently referred to the Constitutional Law Commission. But for ordinary victims of Islamophobia — and in (…)