North Africa and Middle East
Analysis of changing dynamics in the North Africa/Middle East region, against a backdrop of increasing conflicts and their political, economic and energy consequences.
Related Subjects
North Africa After September 11
A debate on identity, religion and democracy issues in North Africa, within the context of 9/11 and the "long war against terrorism"
Algeria: An Improbable Way Out the Crisis?
Ten years after the interruption of the electoral process (January 1992) that plunged the country into civil war, is Algeria anywhere close to bringing an end to this crisis?
South Lebanon: Crisis Scenarios
This "Note" tries to define the more credible scenarios for South-Lebanon, and to identify the main threats to current Middle Eastern stability.
Army and Nation in Egypt: Civil and Military Power
Since Mehmed Ali, the army has been at the heart of all sociopolitical evolutions in Egypt.
Afro-Asian States: Actors on, or Challenges for, the International Political Stage?
The Israeli Changing Security Agenda: Army- Society Relations
This 'Note' aims at giving a better understanding of the very specific and complex ties which link the Israeli nation to its army.
The Arab States and the Islamic Protest
This book provides an analysis of the complicated relations between Arabic States (Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordania, Lebanon, Marocco, Syria, Tunisia, Yemen) and islamic protest movements.
Security Perceptions and National Strategies in the Middle East
With quite a subjective approach, this book tries to analyze how are shaped national security perceptions and strategies in the Middle East.
Ifri, a foundation recognized as being of public utility, relies largely on private donors – companies and individuals – to guarantee its sustainability and intellectual independence. Through their funding, donors help maintain the Institute's position among the world's leading think tanks. By benefiting from an internationally recognized network and expertise, donors refine their understanding of geopolitical risk and its consequences on global politics and the economy. In 2026, Ifri partners with over 90 French and international companies and organizations.
Governing the Urban Transition in Africa
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:
- Land issues are the foundation of urban life. Each urban project triggers changes within the relationship between land and its inhabitants.
- 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.
- 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.
Turkey/Middle East Program
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.