Near East Policy Forum

  • Kazakhstan’s Turn to Nuclear

    When it comes to nuclear power, Australian and Kazakhstan share many similarities with both countries currently considering their nuclear futures. While Australian opposition leader, Peter Dutton continues to advocate for the development of a domestic nuclear power industry as part of his 2025 election campaign, Kazakhstan’s government is moving ahead with construction of its first…

    Gulshat Rozyyeva

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    A road stop sign in front of a nuclear power plant in the distant background. Smokes billows from the nuclear reactors.
  • Could Emirati hold on Socotra resolve conflict in Yemen?

    Could Emirati hold on Socotra resolve conflict in Yemen?

    The UAE’s strategic consolidation of the island of Socotra will not enhance the prospects for a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Yemen. Whilst it may further complicate the process, it will not necessarily stymie efforts either. However, what is likely to stymie prospects is the growing rift between Saudi Arabia and the UAE and…

    Neil Quilliam and Alice Gower

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  • COVID-19 and Female Labour Force Participation in Jordan

    COVID-19 and Female Labour Force Participation in Jordan

    COVID-19 has exacerbated the challenges of female labour participation in Jordan. Female social involvement has significantly decreased by virtue of caring for their children and other familial responsibilities – especially since kindergartens were one of the first common areas to be closed during quarantine. Recent research has concluded that there is a noticeable low rate…

    Akram Al Deek

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  • Covid-19 and Egypt’s Informal Economy

    Covid-19 and Egypt’s Informal Economy

    For many Egyptians and policymakers alike, Egypt’s informal sector represents both a blessing and a curse. Through ease of entry, it provides employment for those shut out of the formal sector, but it is also characterised by poor working conditions and weak worker protections. The Egyptian government has shown great ambivalence towards the sector, sometimes trying…

    Alia El Mahdi

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  • Iran’s Continued Expansion in Southern Syria

    Iran’s Continued Expansion in Southern Syria

    The Syrian regime forces besieged Daraa al-Balad area at the beginning of last August 2021, when the forces of the Iranian-backed Fourth Division brought military reinforcements to the area, and the Military Security Branch set up several checkpoints at the entrances and exits of the area, while closing the rest of the roads. Later, military…

    Suhail al-Ghazi

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  • Gulf Energy Set to Win in Climate Action

    Gulf Energy Set to Win in Climate Action

    Climate pressure is tilting the global oil business in favour of the giant state-owned oil companies in the Persian Gulf. As oil demand plateaus and starts to decline, these firms have market advantages that will allow them to dominate shareholder-owned oil companies which face a tougher regulatory and price environment. This dichotomy is emerging as…

    Jim Krane

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  • Economics Driving China’s interest in Egypt

    Economics Driving China’s interest in Egypt

    On 30 June, a Chinese State Construction and Engineering Company (CSCEC) work crew lifted into place a steel skyway connecting two office buildings in the Central Business District (CBD) of Egypt’s New Administrative Capital – an engineering feat that serves as a fitting metaphor for the two countries’ rapidly developing commercial relationship. In a 27…

    John Calabrese

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  • COVID-19 and Iraq’s Fractured Healthcare System

    COVID-19 and Iraq’s Fractured Healthcare System

    In July of this year, a fire tore through the COVID-19 isolation ward of Iraq’s al-Hussein Teaching Hospital in the city of Nasiriyah. At least 64 people were killed and dozens more injured, with the cause of the accident still disputed. Initial police reports suggest that the trigger was the explosion of an oxygen tank,…

    Afeeya Akhand

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  • Libya at a crossroads, again

    Libya at a crossroads, again

    The current strategic and political situation in Libya seems almost unrecognizable from the perspective of just a year ago. For the first time in nearly a decade, Libya appears to have a widely supported transitional administration under recently appointed Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah. There are also ongoing talks to unify the command structures of…

    Jacob Mundy, Colgate University

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  • China as a new Gulf mediator?

    China as a new Gulf mediator?

    China’s relationship to the Gulf could be changing. Previously, it avoided conflict and risk, which helped it establish good diplomatic relations and expand its commercial ties in the region. That approach may become harder given the high importance of Saudi Arabia and Iran to Chinese investments and the two countries’ own rivalry and competitive struggles…

    Guy Burton, Lancaster University

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  • Turkmenistan food crisis – a threat to regime stability?

    Turkmenistan food crisis – a threat to regime stability?

    Turkmenistan has been facing an increasing crisis of food, primary products, and cash shortages. The crisis is a result of lower natural gas prices, Turkmenistan’s primary export, and a Chinese monopoly over gas exports. Although the regime often trumpets its economic successes, the crisis has accelerated, and imports of food and consumer goods were cut…

    Slavomír Horák, Charles University in Prague

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