Outlook and Opportunities in the MENA Region
Outlook and Opportunities in the MENA Region
This study comprises three parts. First, the thematic analysis offers a comprehensive overview of the main trends and key issues shaping the immediate, medium-term, and long-term outlook for the MENA region. The analysis starts with an examination of selected trends and their potential implications at the sub-regional level, encompassing North Africa, the Near East, the Arabian Peninsula, and Iran. This is followed by a focused analysis of three thematic priority areas: peace, security, and human rights; migration and protecting populations in need; and sustainable development and climate change. Second, expert insights that arose during a workshop, held at the GCSP in collaboration with Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding, are summarized and the main analytical elements are presented following the same thematic priority areas. Third, the final section presents a list of the main policy recommendations resulting from the expert workshop.
It is important to note that on 7 October, just one day after the workshop concluded, the status quo in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories drastically changed, putting populations in both countries (and in neighboring countries) at greater risk of immediate violence. The fluid crisis remains in flux and highly uncertain but is sure to have serious near-/medium-/long-term implications for the entire region and at all levels. This study reflects the pre-7 October recommendations that were made by experts during workshop discussions only. It has not been updated to account for these ongoing developments.
Farrah Hawana is an independent researcher and freelance consultant who finished her Ph.D. in Political Science/International Relations at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in 2016. In 2006, she completed an M.A. degree in International Conflict Analysis at the University of Kent’s Brussels School of International Studies in Belgium. Her undergraduate degrees in History and International Relations were awarded by the College of William and Mary in 2004. Farrah has accumulated extensive professional experience over more than fifteen years of work with various non-governmental organizations, international institutions, and academic research/policy centers, such as the International Labour Organization and the Small Arms Survey. Most recently, she was a Lecturer in International Politics & Security at Aberystwyth University, where she taught courses and supervised dissertations at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. She is broadly interested in exploring questions of power, legitimacy, security, and justice, and in understanding complex political change, with specific focus on the Middle East and North Africa.
Disclaimer: The views, information and opinions expressed in this publication are the author’s/authors’ own and do not necessarily reflect those of the GCSP or the members of its Foundation Council. The GCSP is not responsible for the accuracy of the information.