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North Africa and Middle East

Description

Analysis of changing dynamics in the North Africa/Middle East region, against a backdrop of increasing security crises and their political, economic and energy consequences.

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Aerial view of Cairo, Egypt
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Publications
Date de publication
December 2024

Out of Thin Air but More than a Mirage: The Politics of Saudi Arabia's Nascent Music Industry

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XP Music Futures, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, December 8, 2023
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XP Music Futures, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, December 8, 2023
Credits : Ifri
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This study critically examines Saudi Arabia’s nascent music industry, which is promoted as a key element of Vision 2030, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s strategic framework to diversify the kingdom’s economy. It explores how state-led investments in music and entertainment intersect with authoritarian governance. The author neither dismisses these investments as conspicuous spending nor reproduces an alarmist narrative of impending cultural imperialism. The article takes a political sociology approach to understand how Saudi entertainment plans consolidate domestic power and reshape regional cultural landscapes.

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The French Military's Perception of the Turkish Military and Turkey's Expansion in the EastMed.

03 March 2022
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This week, Ifri, in partnership with CATS Network, is launching a series of five videos on the tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean, seen through the prism of the geopolitical rivalry between France and Turkey. 

Aris MARGHELIS

Building European Strategic Autonomy vs. Turkish Strategic Depth: Macron's Diplomatic Gamble.

02 March 2022
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This week, Ifri, in partnership with CATS Network, is launching a series of five videos on the tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean, seen through the prism of the geopolitical rivalry between France and Turkey. 

Antoine MICHON
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Conflicts in the EastMed: from Germany's and France's Conflicting Strategies to a Dual Approach.

01 March 2022
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This week, Ifri, in partnership with CATS Network, is launching a series of five videos on the tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean, seen through the prism of the geopolitical rivalry between France and Turkey. 

Laura Lale KABIS-KECHRID
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France/Turkey in the EastMed: a Closer Look at the Rivalry between the Two Countries.

28 February 2022
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This week, Ifri, in partnership with CATS Network, is launching a series of five videos on the tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean, seen through the prism of the geopolitical rivalry between France and Turkey. 

Jana JABBOUR
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The French-Greek Partnership: Beyond the Eastern Mediterranean

Date de publication
23 February 2022
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The bilateral defense agreement signed by France and Greece in September 2021 confirms the strategic turn of the relationship between the two countries. It was already unveiled in 2020 when Paris supported Athens to counter Turkish maritime operations that France and Greece considered very hostile.

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Qatar and the US-China Rivalry: The Dilemmas of a Gulf Monarchy

Date de publication
09 November 2021
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Like its neighbors in the Arabian Peninsula, Qatar finds itself increasingly confronted with a difficult dilemma: while its economy is looking to the East, more specifically towards China, the security and stability of the country still depend on the United States.

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The United Arab Emirates in Africa: The Partly Thwarted Ambitions of a New Regional Player

Date de publication
13 September 2021
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The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has long-standing ties with African countries, but the implementation of a genuine Africa policy dates back only about 15 years. 

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Strait of Hormuz: The War of Nerves

Date de publication
07 June 2021
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In the event of a major conflict, Iran could decide to close the Strait of Hormuz, which would cause a global energy crisis.

Morgan PAGLIA
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Army colonel sworn in as Mali president as tensions with Paris grow

07 June 2021
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Assimi Goïta vows to uphold republican regime and democracy in Mali.

Lebanon: Out With The Old, In With The What?

18 November 2020
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Dorothée Schmid, head of the Middle East program participated in a webinar organized by Italian think tank ISPI and the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center to talk about the current Lebanese government, French and American foreign policy in the country.

Activists Without Borders

Date de publication
30 June 2015
Accroche

Various associations organise trips to Israel and/or to the Palestinian Territories. Someone who has no previous knowledge of the Near East and who takes part in a journey organised by a pro-Israeli group, would return to France with a very different vision of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to that of someone who had travelled with a pro-Palestinian group.

For more information concerning the complete work, please click on this link.

Israel and Hezbollah: The New Strategic Equation

Date de publication
01 June 2015
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After the war between Israel and Hezbollah during the summer of 2006, a deterrence strategy was established between the two parties. Occasional subsequent crises have thereby been contained and have been prevented from escalating into extensive confrontations. 

Jean-Loup SAMAAN
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Persistence and Evolutions of the Rentier State Model in Gulf Countries

Date de publication
23 April 2015
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A general economic model of understanding Middle Eastern states was elaborated by political scientists around the 1980’s, based on the concept of rent as a factor of wealth around which the economic model as much as the governance of energy-rich countries was re-organized. The particular case of GCC’s countries as rentier state has been at the cornerstone of this concept since they own the most important share of energy resources in the world.

Turkey/GCC Economic Relations

Date de publication
18 September 2014
Accroche

Developing economic relations with GCC countries has become a consistent objective of the Turkish government since the coming in power of AKP. They have been successful in rallying part of the Turkish business community to this objective, thus building an internal social consensus towards opening to the Gulf.

Jules SUBERVIE

John Kerry in the Middle East: from Weak to Hopeful Diplomacy?

Date de publication
01 September 2014
Accroche

In 2013, Barak Obama and John Kerry managed, not without difficulty, to steer Israeli and Palestinian leaders back to peace negotiations. At the same time, Washington re-established dialogue with Tehran in talks aimed at finding a solution to the Iranian nuclear problem.

Antoine COPPOLANI

The Two-State Solution is Still Possible

Date de publication
01 September 2014
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Many Israelis and Palestinians contest the ‘two-state solution’.

Shaul ARIELI

The Left in Turkey: A Fragmented History

Date de publication
01 July 2014
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The Gezi protest movement gripped Turkey throughout the summer of 2013 and reignited observers’ interest in Turkey’s left-wing activist groups, which participated in the protests. 

Paul CORMIER

Political and Economic Effects of Qaddafi's Death on Chad

Date de publication
30 December 2013
Accroche

On 24 August 2011, President Idriss Déby Itno of Chad recognised the National Transitional Council (NTC) as the only legitimate authority in Libya. Until then, the Chadian president had been a firm ally of the Guide of the Great Jahamiriya, President Qaddafi of Libya. Déby had sustained his long-time friend and helper with military equipment and soldiers from Chad from the beginning of the uprisings.

Ketil Fred HANSEN

The IDF on All Fronts: Dealing with Israeli Strategic Uncertainty

Date de publication
29 August 2013
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Facing threats on all its borders as well as social, economic and religious tensions, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) are now under significant pressure in accomplishing their core mission: the survival of the State of Israel.

Pierre RAZOUX

Beyond the Arab awakening: Policies and Investments for Poverty Reduction and Food Security

Date de publication
31 July 2013
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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. 

Perrihan AL-RIFFAI Clemens BREISINGER Olivier ECHER Bingxin YU

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Related centers and programs
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KAMPALA, UGANDA - SEPTEMBER 28, 2012. A look at life on the side streets of Kampala, Uganda
Governing the Urban Transition in Africa
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Sub-Saharan Africa's cities are experiencing the fastest growth rates in the world. By 2050, most of the countries in the region will have made an urban transition, meaning that more than 50% of their population will live in urban areas. Urban growth is often presented as a cornerstone of the continent's socio-economic development.

To assess these challenges Ifri’s Sub-Saharan Africa Center is launching, in May 2022, a research program looking into the major socio-economic and geopolitical challenges of urban dynamics on the continent.

The program deals with urban development in Africa through a sectoral and cross-cutting approach based on three key sectors: 

  1. Land issues are the foundation of urban life. Each urban project triggers changes within the relationship between land and its inhabitants.
  2. Urban infrastructure is often presented as a solution to the challenges of demographic growth in cities. However, the lack of infrastructure and its financing remains a concern for specialists.
  3. The mobility of goods, people and financial flows is characteristic of urban life and drives the multiple links between cities and the countryside. Analyzing the urban-rural continuum is at the heart of this program's objectives.

Research will be conducted at the macro (continental), meso (country), and micro (city/neighborhood) levels and will be promoted through events and publications.

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Süleymaniye Mosque, Istanbul, Türkiye
Turkey/Middle East Program
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Ifri's Turkey/Middle East Program aims to provide expertise on the trends and developments in politics, societies and economies across the region.

The programme has the following objectives:

  • Proposing a new approach towards the MENA region through an analysis of local, regional, and international dynamics with the potential to guide and influence new policies.
  • Highlighting the role of foreign powers which have traditionally been present in the region and analyzing the new role taken on by emerging countries ;
  • Anticipating new directions and outlooks in each country.
  • Interpreting risks and potentials and putting forward new templates for analysis.

The programme has built a dense network of researchers and experts who provide expertise on the MENA region and working together on a range of crosscutting themes.

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Aerial view of Cairo, Egypt
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