Despite sharing a border, Iraq and Turkey have had a history marked by tensions; however, recent developments indicate that the two countries are now entering a new, positive phase in their relationship. Meeting in Baghdad on April 22, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia‘ al-Sudani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the latter making his first visit to Iraq in 13 yea
Read MoreThe Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is expected to grow modestly in 2024, returning to the low growth that prevailed in the decade before the pandemic. In addition to examining the macroeconomic outlook of the region, this edition of the semi-annual MENA Economic Update, titled Conflict and Debt in the Middle East and North Africa, includes two special sections. The
Read MoreProxy battles: Iraq, Iran, and the turmoil in the Middle East. By Hamza Hadad. Summary The war in Gaza has deepened the Middle East’s fault lines. Iran and its proxies and the US and Israel have engaged in a cycle of tit-for-tat attacks across the region, with the Israeli bombing of the Iranian consulate in Syria and Iran’s direct retaliation against Israel threatening to
Read MoreThe India-Middle East-Europe transportation corridor may be the talk of the town, but it will likely go the way of the last three Asia-to-Europe connectivity projects touted by the west - to the dustbin. Here's why. The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) is a massive public diplomacy op launched at the recent G20 summit in New Delhi, complete with a memorandum
Read MoreA generational shift in geopolitics is creating new possibilities for prosperity in the Greater Middle East The Middle East is often seen as an arena of unending conflict: ambitious regional rivals vie for advantage as restless young people struggle against authoritarian rule and ailing economies. And yet despite the region’s many challenges—from the Islamic Republic of Iran
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