Brookings Doha Center

Volunteers from Basij forces wearing protective suits and face masks spray disinfectant in the streets, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) fears, in Tehran, Iran April 3, 2020. WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Ali Khara via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY

Iraq

Iraqi Shia leaders split over loyalty to Iran

Saturday, April 4, 2020

RIAD, SAUDI ARABIA- In the photos taken on March, 24 of 2020, Saudi Arabia started its curfew due to coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud has announced a curfew across the country for the next 21 days. Starting Monday (23), residents must stay inside their homes starting at 7 p.m. until 6 a.m., according to the Saudi state press agency. Employees of certain industries, including food services, healthcare and the media, are excluded from the 11-hour curfew. In addition, the Interior Ministry said it will take the necessary measures to enforce the new regulations.

Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Brookings experts on the implications of COVID-19 for the Middle East and North Africa

Tarik M. Yousef, Ranj Alaaldin, Geneive Abdo, Ali Fathollah-Nejad, Omar H. Rahman, Yasmina Abouzzohour, Galip Dalay, Nader Kabbani, Adel Abdel Ghafar, and Noha Aboueldahab

Thursday, March 26, 2020

People stand on a Turkish military vehicle during a protest against an agreement on joint Russian and Turkish patrols, at M4 highway in Idlib province, Syria, March 15, 2020. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi

Syria

Turkey’s intervention in Syria and the art of coercive diplomacy

Saturday, March 21, 2020

Iraq's President Barham Salih meets with new prime minister-designate Adnan al-Zurfi in Baghdad, Iraq March 17, 2020. The Presidency of the Republic of Iraq Office/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY.

Order from Chaos

Iraq has a new prime minister. What next?

Friday, March 20, 2020

Experts

G

Geneive Abdo

Visiting Fellow - Brookings Doha Center

Yahia H. Zoubir

Visiting Fellow - Brookings Doha Center

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Tarik M. Yousef

Director - Brookings Doha Center

Senior Fellow - Global Economy and Development, Brookings Doha Center

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Research

China's President Xi Jinping (L) and Moroccan King, Mohammed VI, wave during a welcoming ceremony outside the Great Hall of People in Beijing, China, May 11, 2016. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

Middle East & North Africa

Expanding Sino–Maghreb Relations Morocco and Tunisia

Yahia H. Zoubir

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

A Saudi border guard patrols Saudi Arabia's maritime border with Yemen along a beach on the Red Sea, near Jizan April 8, 2015. Iran sent two warships to the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday, state media reported, establishing a military presence off the coast of Yemen where Saudi Arabia is leading a bombing campaign to oust the Iran-allied Houthi movement. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser - GF10000052482

Gulf States

Red Sea geopolitics: Six plotlines to watch

Sunday, December 15, 2019

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, European Council President Donald Tusk, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, President of Egypt and Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Arab League's secretary general, attend a news conference during a summit between Arab league and European Union member states, in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, February 25, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany - RC1A493D83D0

Egypt

Mapping European leverage in the MENA region: Egypt

Adel Abdel Ghafar

December, 2019

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Blog Posts

Passengers coming from China wearing masks to prevent a new coronavirus are checked by Saudi Health Ministry employees upon their arrival at King Khalid International Airport, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia January 29, 2020. REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri

Up Front

GCC News Roundup: Coronavirus affects travel in the Gulf, Qatar-Saudi talks end. (February 1-29)

Thursday, March 5, 2020

Iraqi women gather at the scene where Iran's Quds Force top commander Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis were killed in a U.S. airstrike at Baghdad airport, Iraq February 13, 2020. REUTERS/Wissam al-Okaili

Order from Chaos

What will happen to Iraqi Shiite militias after one key leader’s death?

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

A woman walks past parliamentary election campaign posters at the end of the parliamentary election day in Tehran, Iran February 20, 2020. WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Nazanin Tabatabaee via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.

Order from Chaos

Iran’s parliamentary elections occur amid unprecedented pressures

Ali Fathollah-Nejad

Thursday, February 20, 2020

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Op-Eds

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party election campaign banner depicting his main rival Benny Gantz, head of Blue and White party sitting with Arab politician Ahmad Tibi, of the Joint List party, and Hebrew writing reading: "Without Ahmad Tibi, Gantz doesn't have a government", is seen in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, Israel, February 25, 2020. Picture taken February 25, 2020. REUTERS/Corinna Kern

The Palestinian Territories

Israel’s Arab parties may help determine who runs the next government.

Friday, March 13, 2020

Demonstrators carry a national flag as they march, a year since the start of weekly protests calling for a complete overhaul of the ruling elite, an end to corruption and the army's withdrawal from politics, in Algiers, Algeria, February 14, 2020. REUTERS/Ramzi Boudina

Op-Ed

Why, after one year, protests continue to rock Algeria

Yahia H. Zoubir

Friday, March 13, 2020

Flags are pictured before a preparatory meeting between Arab foreign ministers ahead of the Arab summit in Tunis, Tunisia March 29, 2019. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi

Op-Ed

The Middle East and North Africa over the next decade: Key challenges and policy options

Tarik M. Yousef, Noha Aboueldahab, Adel Abdel Ghafar, Yahia H. Zoubir, Ali Fathollah-Nejad, and Nader Kabbani

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

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Events

Justice to come? Tunisia’s Truth and Dignity Commission

6:00 PM - 7:30 PM AST

The changing geopolitics of the Red Sea: Gulf rivalries and global competition

6:00 PM - 7:30 PM AST

Why Think Tanks Matter: The Role of Think Tanks in Times of Crisis

6:00 PM - 7:30 PM AST

View All Events