This report aims to inform and stimulate the debate on key policy priorities for poverty reduction and food security in light of the Arab Awakening. 

The US shale gas revolution has shaken global gas markets. The US is on the eve of becoming self-sufficient in natural gas (and oil), thanks to the massive discoveries of unconventional resources on their territory, while being able to export part of their production. These developments have been closely watched by traditional oil and gas producers.

The twists and turns of the economic and political crisis in southern Europe are now an important parameter for relations between Europe and Turkey.

Facing threats on all its borders, as well as social, economic and religious tensions, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) is now under significant pressure for ensuring its core mission: the survival of the State of Israel.

Except for its extreme poverty and the disastrous effects of a series of droughts, the Sahel region has been largely out of the spotlight of international attention in the past. Yet the rise of terrorism and especially the creation of Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) in 2007 brought the region into the focus of world politics. Initially, AQIM"s activities in the Sahel mainly posed a threat to the stability of the Sahelian states themselves. In an effort to internationalize its agenda, however, AQIM also started targeting Western countries.

The election of a religious leader at the presidency of the Islamic Republic of Iran contradicts many of the analyses of western media and experts on Iranian politics.

The Republican Party's increasingly conservative bent has left it more and more at odds with the countries" growing minorities. In preparation for the 2016 election, a serious debate on the GOP's stance is now underway between far-right partisans, moderates and a more pragmatic approach espoused by political consultant Karl Rove.