The Briefing – August 2018
August 2018Trade wars and new political tensions this month added to the challenges already faced by a region still blighted by warfare in Yemen and Syria. The nosedive of the Turkish lira that began in April accelerated this month as the US announced 50 per cent and 20 per cent taxes respectively on Turkish steel and aluminium products. Since the start […]
The Briefing – July 2018
July 2018While voters in Turkey conferred sweeping new powers on President Erdogan, populations that feel left behind in Iraq and Morocco are demanding more attention from their political rulers A new chapter has begun in Turkey after President Erdogan won an historic presidential election with more than 52 per cent of the votes. Thanks to an alliance with the Nationalist Movement […]
THE BRIEFING – JUNE 2018
June 2018As World Cup fever lightens the mood in many Middle East nations, Turkey races towards historic elections and Yemen faces a new crisis, but Algerian Christians are giving thanks after several churches closed in a government crackdown were reopened. In Turkey, the nation is in the last week of campaigning before historic elections on 24 June. Citizens will vote both […]
The Briefing – May 2018
May 2018It has been a month of startling moves and developments that will have a seismic impact in the region. Four major developments dominated the news this month. Firstly, the official opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem (14 May). When President Trump first announced this last December, some saw it as a political move for domestic voters that would, nevertheless, […]
The Briefing – April 2018
April 2018Syria again took centre-stage in the Middle East after a suspected chemical attack threatened to spark a wider international confrontation. On 7 April, a suspected chemical attack on Douma, the last rebel-held area in Eastern Ghouta, triggered the latest crisis in the conflict in Syria. After an intensified bombing campaign by Syrian and Russian forces, rebel groups had already […]
THE BRIEFING – MARCH 2018
March 2018Spring is around the corner! On 21 March many Middle Eastern communities will mark the Norouz new year festival, an ancient day shared by many as the start of the Spring and a time of hope and renewal. Yet the region feels further from renewal than it was even a year ago. By the end of last year, we thought […]
The Briefing – February 2018
February 2018New complications in the region’s conflicts are threatening to divide powerful allies. At the end of last year, there was an emerging view that the Syrian war had reached its peak and was starting to de-escalate. The last few weeks, however, have pointed in the opposite direction, with some of the fiercest aerial bombing campaigns by forces loyal to Assad […]
The Briefing – January 2018
January 2018While 2017 saw military power finally overwhelm the territorial ambitions of so-called Islamic State, the lasting effects of conflict, continuing struggles between regional powers, and increasingly forceful policies being pursued by some mean that this is set to be another challenging year for the region. Iran made headlines at the turn of the year in a way that no-one had […]