Number of results to display per page
Search Results
62. The Significance of Erdoğan's Visit to East Africa
- Author:
- Michael Asiedu
- Publication Date:
- 02-2017
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Global Political Trends Center
- Abstract:
- On the 22nd of January, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan embarked on another tour of three East African countries, Tanzania, Mozambique and Madagascar. These visits bring his total trips to 10 in Sub Saharan Africa, the most by any Turkish president. Earlier in 2016, he visited Ghana, Guinea, Cote d’ivoire, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda and Somalia. These trips to a much larger extent signify the increasing policy attention Turkey is giving Africa.
- Topic:
- Development, Diplomacy, Bilateral Relations, Geopolitics, and Trade
- Political Geography:
- Africa, Turkey, Middle East, Mozambique, Tanzania, Madagascar, and East Africa
63. Iran-Africa Relations: Opportunities and Prospects for Iran
- Author:
- Fátima Chimarizeni
- Publication Date:
- 06-2017
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Brazilian Journal of African Studies
- Institution:
- Brazilian Journal of African Studies
- Abstract:
- In a political world featured by many sorts of alliances, Iran has sought the gathering of power in order to defend itself from economic sanctions imposed upon it by United States of America along with other members of the United Nations such as United Kingdom, France, Russia and China. Its turn towards Africa was one of the way-out strategies taken by Ahmadinejad in order to overcome the negative economic impact originated from the sanctions. Nonetheless, the rise to power of a leadership seemingly more turned to solve the nuclear issue directly with the Western states places the Iran-Africa Relationship in a fragile condition considering Iran’s foreign policy priorities.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Foreign Policy, Sanctions, Geopolitics, and Alliance
- Political Geography:
- Africa, Iran, and Middle East
64. Natural Cooperation: Facing Water Challenges in the Middle East
- Author:
- Aysegul Kibaroglu
- Publication Date:
- 09-2016
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Middle East Institute (MEI)
- Abstract:
- This Policy Paper is part of the Middle East Institute's Regional Cooperation Series. Throughout 2016, MEI will be releasing several policy papers by renowned scholars and experts exploring possibilities to foster regional cooperation across an array of sectors. The purpose is to highlight the myriad benefits and opportunities associated with regional cooperation, and the high costs of the continued business-as-usual model of competition and intense rivalry. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is regarded as one of the most water-challenged regions in the world. The destabilizing impact of its resource constraints is compounded by the fact that some 60 percent of the region’s water flows across international borders, generating and exacerbating political tensions between states. Water insecurity will increase in the MENA region if the current situation of minimal water cooperation persists under the disabling conditions of political volatility, economic disintegration, institutional failure, and environmental degradation. Experiences from around the world demonstrate that countries that have achieved regional water cooperation have prospered together and kept the threat of conflict a remote possibility. It is time for the countries in the Middle East to realize that there is no alternative to sustainable water cooperation.
- Topic:
- Security, Water, Infrastructure, Geopolitics, Political stability, and Conflict
- Political Geography:
- Middle East and Syria
65. Afghanistan's Uncertain Future: Fragmented Realities and Geopolitical Fault Lines
- Author:
- Olli Ruohomäki and Olli Ruohomäki
- Publication Date:
- 10-2016
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Finnish Institute of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- Despite the complexity Afghanistan entails, it is possible to outline the main contours of the fragmented reality and geopolitical fault lines that inform the situation on the ground. It is with this in mind that this Briefing Paper examines the cur- rent state of affairs in Afghanistan with a focus on the highly contentious politics, precarious security situation and the role of the difficult neighbourhood. The paper concludes with reflections regarding the prospects for peace, which do not appear promising.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Taliban, and Geopolitics
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan and Middle East
66. The Libyan Political Agreement: Time for a Reset
- Author:
- International Crisis Group
- Publication Date:
- 11-2016
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- International Crisis Group
- Abstract:
- The December 2015 Libyan Political Agreement, signed in Skhirat, Morocco, has re- configured more than contributed to resolving internal strife. A year ago, the conflict was between rival parliaments and their associated governments; today it is mainly between accord supporters and opponents, each with defectors from the original camps and heavily armed. The accord’s roadmap, the idea that a caretaker government accommodating the two parliaments and their allies could establish a new political order and reintegrate militias, can no longer be implemented without change. New negotiations involving especially key security actors not at Skhirat are needed to give a unity government more balanced underpinning.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Civil War, Peacekeeping, and Geopolitics
- Political Geography:
- Middle East and Libya
67. Defining Its Own Democracy: Tunisia and the Way Forward
- Author:
- Daniel H. Rubinstein
- Publication Date:
- 09-2016
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Council of American Ambassadors
- Abstract:
- Though I came to Tunisia as Ambassador in the Fall of 2015, my relationship with the country and its people actually began in the late 1990s. In some ways, the Tunisia I returned to in 2015 is the one I knew years before—the Arabic and French linguistic mélange, the stambeli and malouf music, the local soccer and handball rivalries, the pine nuts floating atop mint tea. Yet alongside those resilient traditions, the Tunisia I returned to is now in its fifth year of the post-Ben Ali era, and is a country in the midst of an exciting but difficult transition. That transition is replete with a challenging self-realization, as the country and its citizenry redefine themselves and learn what it means to be a democracy in the wake of the 2011 revolution. Tunisians are still deciding how they want to incorporate democratic principles into day-to-day life, and through their decisions are defining what it means to be Tunisian for future generations. As a longtime friend—our diplomatic relations with Tunisia date to 1795—and strategic partner, the United States will continue to support the new Tunisia as it looks to the future.
- Topic:
- Democratization, Regime Change, Popular Revolt, and Geopolitics
- Political Geography:
- Middle East and Tunisia
68. The Day After: Governing the KRI
- Author:
- Dylan O’Driscoll
- Publication Date:
- 11-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Middle East Research Institute (MERI)
- Abstract:
- The fight against the Islamic State (IS) has caused a ‘rallying around the flag’ effect amongst Iraqi Kurds. Once IS is defeated key political and economic issues long neglected in the Kurdish Region of Iraq (KRI) will come to the fore. Thus, it is imperative they are addressed now, as failure to make inroads will have dire consequences for the KRI.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Geopolitics, and ISIS
- Political Geography:
- Middle East
69. Trump’s Foreign Policy in the Middle East: Four Key Issues
- Author:
- Dave van Zoonen
- Publication Date:
- 11-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Middle East Research Institute (MERI)
- Abstract:
- Donald Trump, the next President of the United States, will soon be confronted with the difficulty of translating campaign rhetoric regarding his foreign policy in the Middle East into policy and positive outcomes. He is thus likely to be forced to make significant concessions.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Foreign Policy, and Geopolitics
- Political Geography:
- America and Middle East
70. And the Marginalisation goes on: Iraq and the Politics of Domination
- Author:
- Dylan O’Driscoll
- Publication Date:
- 09-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Middle East Research Institute (MERI)
- Abstract:
- When the Prime Minister of Iraq, Haider al-Abadi, came into power in 2014 he promised to end the politics of dominance that was largely responsible for the rise of Islamic State (IS). Yet, with the military defeat of IS in Iraq imminent, Sunnis are still being marginalised and until this ends, the foundations of IS will remain within the society.
- Topic:
- Political Theory, Political Power Sharing, and Geopolitics
- Political Geography:
- Iraq and Middle East