A New Deal for the Middle East and North Africa

Abstract

Five years after the Arab uprisings in 2011, countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) had difficulties finding their pathway to sustainable economic and political change. Arab oil-producing countries suffered from decreasing oil prices while the Arab non-oil-producing states struggled to provide better living conditions to their populations. Meanwhile, the war in Syria continued, the Islamic State (ISIS) was extending its efforts to establish a caliphate, and a massive influx of refugees was reaching Central Europe seeking asylum. In this context, it is imperative for Arab countries to establish substantial economic reforms in parallel with political change to enable their populations to remain in their homelands. The international community should support the MENA countries by introducing a “New Deal” to help lead to sustainable development and political change.

A New Way Forward: Rebalancing the U.S. Security Cooperation with Greece in a Fast Changing Geostrategic Environment

“…For example, only for the Lesbos Island"s refugee encampments, Greece spends approximately €1.5 million/per month to feed 7.300 refugees and migrants that are stranded on this island (diavgeia, 2017). The instability in the MENA region and the long-term effects of armed conflicts and U.S. military interventions have unintended consequences for geopolitical and demographic parameters that currently affect Europe and Greece in particular (e.g., the largest refugee and immigrant flows since the end of WW II) (Ploumis & Pilalis, 2016). 15 Meanwhile, migration flows that are impacted by environmental factors will rise in the near future (Knomad, 2017), a situation that would have dire consequences to Greece, as the country is the front gate for migrants that attempt to enter the EU from the Middle East, Africa, and Asia (e.g., Afghanistan).…”