Middle East & North Africa
Biannual analysis of conflict dynamics, state fragility, energy geopolitics, and the foreign policy of MENA states.
Published biannually · Peer-reviewed
Saudi Arabia and the Abraham Accords
HeadlineSaudi Arabia and Israel: A Complicated Route Toward Normalisation AuthorsJoseph Ayinla & Marcel Lesik Working GroupMENA Overall SummarySaudi Arabia’s…
Hydro-Hegemony: Türkiye’s Leverage over Syria Iraq
How does Türkiye’s Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) transform upstream water control into geoeconomic leverage over Syria and Iraq? This article argues that…
Iranian Resistence between Opression and War:
1. Sanaie links her family’s persecution to support for the NCRI and its vision of a secular democratic Iran. 2. She says protests are driven by repression,…
Bahrain after the Arab Spring
This article asks why Bahrain’s Arab Spring uprising failed to produce democratic change. It argues that the monarchy survived through repression, opposition…
The continued fight for democracy
the reoprt follows how different countries in the MENA region have been shaped by the arab spring, focussing on its effects on 1. the legal political systems…
Morocco’s Dual Strategy of Control
Main question: Why has Morocco experienced renewed youth-led protest (GENZ212) more than a decade after the Arab Spring, despite formal political reform and…
The Ineffective Diplomacy of the Middle East War
This article explores the failures of current diplomacy of the Middle East War, arguing that the opportunistic use of mediation rather than genuine peace…
Surviving the Spring
Show moreShow lessMain question: How did Egypt’s regime survive the 2011 uprising and re-emerge stronger? Argument: It did so through “compound…
The Security Dilemma in post-Arab Spring Libya
How did the Arab Spring shape Libya’s long-term political fragmentation and insecurity? The 2011 uprising dismantled weak state institutions, triggering a…
The Gulf Cooperation Council Explained
Main question: Why do Gulf states cooperate within the GCC despite internal rivalries and regional instability? Argument: The GCC functions as a framework for…
Supply Shock: Why is Gas so Expensive?
1) Why does a supply shock impact gas prices? 2) Changes to oil production capabilities affect the oil supply and its prices. 3) A supply shock creates…
Unfinished Revolutions
main question: how different mena questions developed post arab spring, how did this manifest politically and legally through out the region, what are major…
Contesting Humanitarian Space
The contestation of humanitarian space in the Gaza Strip follows a lack of willingness from the international community to ensure the unobstructed provision of…
Hormuz Crisis: Economic & Security Risks
-To what extent does the 2026 Hormuz blockade destabilize global economic and MENA security dynamics? -The disruption creates a systemic “endless loop” of…
Egypt and the Nile
-Egypt has enjoyed a normative hegemony over the Nile’s waters since the period of British colonialism. -As riparian basin states seek to develop their…
Iran in 2026
Main question: progress of doemtic unrest and war in Iran Arguemnts: domestic unrest less important for Iran compared to War Conclusion: situation needs to be…
Middle East Maritime Security & Geostrategy
Can conventional military deterrence and naval coalitions effectively neutralize asymmetric threats from non-state actors in fractured states like Yemen?…
Rojava at a Crossroads
What is at stake for Kurdish autonomy and the institutionalised project of women’s resistance in northern Syria as the Syrian government reasserts control?The…
Use of Aid After the 2023 Turkey–Syria Quake
– Was international aid provided after the Turkish–Syrian earthquake used appropriately? – Despite substantial funding, centralised administration in Turkey…
Accountability and Corruption in Humanitarian Aid
Main question: How can humanitarian aid stay efficient while preventing corruption? Argument: Strong, system-wide accountability, coordination, and community…
