Middle East & Africa

Bola Tinubu turned Lagos into a great city. Can he transform all of Nigeria?

These middle powers of the global south should be the focus of U.S. policy.

It would be a dramatic accomplishment, but not nearly as transformational as many may think.

In the aftermath of nationwide protests, tensions are rising among the Iranian establishment.

Kais Saied’s government refuses to reckon with the country’s rampant anti-Semitism.

Private groups want to evacuate hundreds more. The Biden administration wants nothing to do with it.

But there’s one option for resolving the conflict that just might work.

In the midst of uncertainty, people stick with the devil they know.

After promising democratic reforms, the junta is attacking the press and opposition.

Democracy is holding despite social and regional divisions.

The debate about regulating AI urgently needs input from the global south.

Too much news is routed through London and New York. The capitals of the global south need to step up.

As Turkey's centennial nears, its founding secularism may no longer be in fashion—but nationalism is.

Warring generals look abroad for support as millions remain displaced.

The energy transition depends on building partnerships with African states.

Despite a strong foothold during the Cold War, Washington has since fumbled on the continent.

A new book shows its history as anything but sweet.

The ANC has forgotten that the outside world’s principled rejection of neutrality sustained the struggle against apartheid.

Sometimes you not only need to vote—you also need to vote with your feet.

Do South Africa’s denials that it supplied weapons to Russia ring true?

Erdogan’s better-than-expected showing is a reminder that hope isn’t analysis.

Wagner Group operations, disinformation efforts, and Western double standards are fueling Moscow’s popularity.

Washington’s Middle Eastern partners can help prevent Sudan from becoming another Libya.

Khartoum now faces civil war. What does the U.S. have to do with it?

Western leaders and filmmakers have long denied the link between modern Egypt and its ancient heritage.

Blanket bans on gas finance stifle development, hurt climate goals, and reek of hypocrisy.

Mohammed bin Salman’s middle finger to Washington is burnishing Riyadh’s image.

The East African country, once a beacon for change, now faces civil war.

The opposition could win. But what happens if Erdogan loses?

It ensured that even in the worst-case scenario, Iran would be proliferating from a lower baseline.

China, India, and the Gulf countries have pursued a combination of trade and aid the United States can learn from.

Greater ethnic diversity, debt burdens, and democratized politics have complicated Africa’s path to development.

But can they cooperate on trade while competing on investment?

The news on climate change is grim—but the Emirates’ hosting of COP28 could be a breakthrough.

Westerners should ask instead what kind of partnerships their own countries offer to the continent.

Rached Ghannouchi’s arrest and Ali Laarayedh’s imprisonment reveal the extent of Kais Saied’s attack on democracy.

A power struggle in the capital, Khartoum, could destabilize neighboring Chad and impact the entire Sahel region.

Lawmakers are worried about an Afghanistan repeat.

The fighting in Khartoum continues as embassies evacuate diplomats.

The system of government set up after 2003 has run its course.

Countries that prefer peace to chaos should hope for a quick army victory over the RSF.

How the reconciliation between Iran and Saudi Arabia could reorder the region.

Sudan’s power struggle is a textbook case of the credible commitment problem in international relations.

The top U.S. general is the latest to try to end the six days of fighting that has killed 300 people.

A misguided effort to integrate the RSF into the Sudanese Armed Forces led to a tragic but predictable conflict.

Some officials privately worry it’s too little, too late.

A third bailout package will not provide long-term assurances for Tunisia’s economy and will exacerbate inequalities.

Moscow’s weapons could sabotage the spirit of reconciliation rippling through the region.

Officials fear evacuations are easier said than done as fighting sweeps through Khartoum.

The long-brewing power struggle between Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo has plunged the country into civil war.

Personality rules in a country where political parties were once kingmakers.

Peace negotiations are picking up pace to end the deadly conflict.

After China’s crackdown, foreign education providers eye opportunities in countries such as Nigeria and Egypt.

Middle Eastern leaders are promoting interfaith initiatives to disguise harsh policies at home and abroad.

The battle for urban space in Kampala shows how Africa’s informal workers are rattling ruling regimes.

Its GDP has surged, but deep inequalities persist.

A state that considers equality an existential threat can never be a democracy.

Outside powers take a growing interest in this oil-rich African state where the U.S. Embassy has been closed since 2014.

The agreement is about far more than just normalizing ties with Riyadh.

Riyadh is shifting to non-alignment—and fighting to dominate oil markets again.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s effort to weaken Israel’s democracy—and the public’s stunning resistance—has unsettled the country.

The ideal vision for Iraq post-2003 did not materialize as foreseen, but this should not be the sole prism through which we judge the country now.

If Biden is genuinely committed to human rights, he won’t stand in the way of a bipartisan Senate resolution.

The attack in the Central African Republic may tie back to rebels—or Russian mercenaries.

Young militants are ditching old-style factionalism to fight Israel’s occupation.

The vice president’s trip is the latest effort to counter Moscow’s and Beijing’s influence on the continent.

The bureaucrats side with the protesters, forcing Netanyahu to delay a key vote.

Israeli protesters may not realize it yet, but the only way they can protect their own rights and democracy is by allying with Palestinians.

A former Israeli prime minister explains why he thinks people power will prevail.

In the 1980s, it had one of the most advanced economies in the Arab world.

Top generals worry about the fate of liberal democracy—and that the country’s enemies see mass refusal among reservists as an opportunity to strike.

Russian state-run media outlets have spread the Kremlin’s Ukraine war narrative effectively in the region.

The region once seemed a bright spot in the disorder unleashed by U.S. regime change. Today, things look bleak.

Cyclone Freddy displaced more than 400,000, confirming scientists’ worst fears about extreme weather caused by global warming.

More than a decade after the country’s plunge into chaos, there are two governments and little governance.

Saudi Arabia wants a formal alliance in exchange for normalizing ties with Israel, but the focus of any deal must be U.S. national interests, not an ally’s.

Anti-gay sentiment had previously existed on the continent, but white American religious groups have given it a boost.

The Wagner Group’s propaganda has a clear target: Paris.

The war’s legacy is 20 years of broken hopes and dreams. This government must do better.

Twenty years on, the war still shapes policy—mostly for the worse.

A concerted media campaign has not done much for Beijing’s image.

Divisive politics and historical power structures helped Bola Tinubu win.

Beijing will have a tough time balancing ties with Riyadh and Tehran.

Coup leaders’ moves could imperil democratic transition and further strain ties between African states and the West.

And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.

Anyone who believes we’re on the cusp of a golden era between Tehran and Riyadh should lie down until the feeling passes.

Washington should not engage with the country’s government unless it pursues accountability for war crimes.

The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.

The international community cannot afford to give up on Nigeria’s vast democratic promise.

If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.

The beleaguered Netanyahu government needs Washington’s backing on Iran—but unpopular judicial reforms and casual talk of ethnic cleansing could imperil it.

U.S. assistance in developing tech infrastructure could help achieve Washington’s strategic and diplomatic goals by countering Russia and China.

Regimes are rewarding economic insiders and ignoring outsiders at their peril.

The internal administration debate comes ahead of Blinken’s plans to visit Africa.

For the president-elect to make the next four years a success for Nigeria, he’ll have to create a new political ethos for his country.

Nigeria’s new president will immediately face pressures from within his party, the opposition, and the majority of voters who didn’t back him.

Kais Saied’s xenophobia against Black Africans has prompted many governments to charter flights to repatriate their citizens.

By joining hands with militias that target Fulani civilians, state forces risk sparking a wider conflict.

When and how Washington congratulates foreign leaders on contentious election victories matters.

Washington is right to counter Iran's brutality at home and abroad, but that shouldn't stop it from engaging with an adversary to preserve regional peace.

Despite fresh salvos of Western sanctions, Tehran and Moscow are buddying up on defense ties.

As the country’s financial crisis worsens and Saied’s popularity wanes, the president has decided to scapegoat Black migrants and condone violence against them.

The Israeli far right sees Washington’s refusal to get tough on Benjamin Netanyahu’s government as a green light for ethnic cleansing.

Centrist Israelis ignored the occupation and settlements for years, but they are up in arms about judicial reforms that threaten the economy—and their self-image.

Former President Obasanjo warns: “Danger looming ahead.”

Washington should do a better job exploiting it.

Peter Obi doesn’t want to be defined by his ethnicity. But in a country still haunted by the Biafran War, his election would be a symbolic milestone.

Those who once supported the president and his coup are starting to doubt his ability to rescue the country amid an economic crisis.

Protesters in Israel are rallying to oppose an extremist and fundamentalist government that is trying to change the status quo and reshape the country’s character.

Accepting U.S. failures doesn't mean giving dictators a free hand.

The country’s hope lies in the example of a rapidly reforming China at the turn of the 1980s.

The fault lines between the Turkish government and universities have increased the fallout from the country’s earthquakes.

Old enmities resurface as Netanyahu’s efforts for a diplomatic reset in Africa are tested.

A rise in worldwide consumption would test an industry built largely on exploitation.

In a country where poor transit has long been a barrier to equal opportunity, a new public bus project could prompt a broader shift.

The announcement of border openings is reversible, and it won’t stop the regime’s ongoing obstruction of aid to rebel-held areas.

Less than two weeks before the tightest presidential vote in Nigeria’s history, the country is running short on cash, gas, and patience.

What Netanyahu’s assault on the Supreme Court means for Israel.

The Fund's bailouts for Egypt had one big problem: they weren't designed by country experts.

Charity can’t be dependent on the whims of billionaires.

A new maritime deal with Israel could be an economic lifeline for Lebanon—if the government in Beirut can get its act together.

The Gulf Cooperation Council has maintained links to both Russia and the West.

For too long, the international community has ignored the Nigerian military’s abuses.

Colonial exceptionalism and a victim mentality are integral to Russia’s self-image.

But Joe Biden shouldn’t play along.

A landmark class-action lawsuit in South Africa could set a precedent for holding multinational corporations responsible for environmental damages.

Russia left the war-torn region with only a single border crossing—and it’s no longer open for aid.

Sisi’s mismanagement has plunged the country into crisis. Both political and economic reform is needed to save it.

West Bank coordination is vital to Mahmoud Abbas’s and the Palestinian Authority’s survival. It’s also hugely unpopular among ordinary Palestinians.

The U.S. Embassy in Sanaa relocated to Saudi Arabia after the Houthi takeover. Local workers who remained felt abandoned.

Jerusalem’s ties to Moscow are partly about security. They’re also about illiberalism.

Can Somalia finally defeat al-Shabab?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new right-wing government presents the Biden administration with some unpalatable and inconvenient choices.

Thirteen years of constant crisis is heading toward inevitable breakdown.

Low tax revenues, high-interest loans, and superpower squabbling over debt relief have made matters worse for African governments.

Stirring sectarian tensions in the country’s poorest province is a dangerous game.

Here’s why forced enlistment should not be a barrier to listing the Guard as a terrorist organization.

The Biden administration has a big decision to make about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s slide toward illiberalism.

Tunisians are taking to the streets—rather than voting—as the economy collapses, but they remain deeply divided.

The planned development will bring jobs, but raises questions about who speaks for Khoi and San peoples, what is sacred, and how to commemorate injustice.

Riyadh seeks to leverage ongoing anti-government protests to extract geopolitical concessions from Tehran—not effect regime change.

Several firms pull investments over Bibi’s plan to weaken the judiciary.

Moscow’s scramble for valuable resources has come at the cost of regional security.

Erdogan has focused on Stockholm’s stance toward Kurdish exile groups, but Ankara’s real demand is the end of U.S. support for Kurds in Syria.

Rolling power cuts, a failing grid, widespread coal theft, and corruption could pose a political threat to the African National Congress.

Mohammed al-Sudani’s public support of U.S. troops reflects a behind-the-scenes shift—and the continued threat from the Islamic State.

Whether armed or not, drones function as a form of psychological terror for those living underneath them.

Ethiopia can only recover morally and economically by welcoming refugees back.

FP convenes a discussion with four top global executives at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

As the Egyptian economy falters, Sisi is turning to the Chinese government for support.

Imperial powers didn’t just steal art and artifacts. They stole Africa’s future.

Many say the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement will threaten the regime this year. They’re wrong.

The kingdom’s transformation has huge implications for the United States and Middle East.

Iran and Israel may set Washington’s agenda for the next two years.

Governments must not limit their moral outrage to situations that serve their short-term interests.

Riding an energy export boom, the North African country is flexing its economic and diplomatic muscle.

Why the world’s eyes will be—or should be—on Nigeria in the coming weeks.

They’ve found common ground on the battlefield in Ukraine, but not everyone in Tehran is happy about it.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is still reverberating around the world—and setting the stage for more large-scale violence to come.

Nigeria’s pivotal elections and other trends that will shape the continent next year.

Why Iran’s Gen Z is protesting, and why the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps won’t back down. These articles explain Tehran’s difficult 2022.

Saturday’s poor voter turnout has cost President Kais Saied political capital at home and abroad.

Africa Brief’s year in review.

African leaders must be more imaginative and proactive in pooling their efforts and setting the agenda.

Without political reform, economic stability, and accountability, there is a risk conflict could resume.

Soaring demand for luxury furniture in Asia is decimating Ghana’s forests while creating a lucrative but environmentally destructive industry.

U.S. officials hatched a plan to smuggle Chad’s pro-democracy leader to safety—while Washington planned to fete his tormentor.

Athletes with “mission passports” are a symptom of the region’s erosion of citizenship rights.

For Saudis like me, nothing could be more disheartening than a divorce from the United States.

An opposition boycott of Saturday’s election may be too little, too late.

Skills training programs must target those under age 18 to reduce adolescent birth rates and unemployment.

From Equatorial Guinea’s leverage over Washington to Qatar’s scandal in Brussels, small resource-rich states are flexing their diplomatic muscle.

If showing up is half the battle, China may still have the advantage.

The World Cup is ending, but trouble is far from over for the families of guest workers.

Turkey’s president appears to be betting on conflict to bolster his political prospects in 2023.

Protests at the World Cup are basically meaningless on the ground, where a conflict exists that has no solution.

Natural gas has made Doha wildly prosperous, but can it last in the era of climate change?

The world’s longest-serving autocrat will be feted this week in Washington.

The U.S. counterterrorism strategy in Africa isn’t working, and it hasn’t for decades. It’s time for a new approach.

Washington should build on past three-way Turkey-U.S.-SDF arrangements to put a real offer on the table.

Rather than relying on tear gas, water cannons, and tanks, governments should implement greener counterprotest measures.

In today’s Cold War 2.0, not only will Saudi Arabia refuse to choose sides, but it’s also likely to move closer to Beijing and Moscow.

Mass protests create a favorable environment for intelligence agencies—but the CIA should tread carefully in China, Iran, and Russia.

The morality police force may have been disbanded, but enforced morality will remain.

Despite a scandal and damning report, Cyril Ramaphosa has managed to stay in charge of his party and the country.

Chad’s transitional government asserts its power with violent repression.

From the Baltic Republics to Crimea, Washington has opposed forcible annexation—and the Golan Heights should be no exception.

As uprisings happen in China and Iran, it’s no accident the United States hasn’t been involved.

In a U-turn from the Trump administration, Team Biden wants to court African nations without talking about Beijing.

Tehran has been eager to make up for Russia’s newfound absence in the South Caucasus.

A NATO ally once again looks like a frenemy.

Robert Malley on the stalled nuclear deal and Washington’s plan to help Iran’s protesters.

Global tax reforms resisted by richer nations could reduce reliance on tax havens and bring much-needed revenue to African governments.

Off the playing field, Iran’s protests and ongoing uranium enrichment have heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran.

Post-apartheid South Africa remains steeped in the “rainbow nation” ideals of reconciliation and forgiveness—but it has never truly reckoned with accountability.

Migrant workers from South Asia and Africa have suffered for years under the Gulf nation’s kafala system. They deserve compensation for wage theft, injuries, and death.

Deep in the Algerian desert, a Sahrawi-run event puts Western Sahara’s struggle for liberation on the big screen.

Justice is unattainable without evidence. Documenting abuses by gathering and archiving this evidence must be a priority.

Critics of the World Cup host nation overlook the reforms the government has undertaken.

After a surprise peace deal in Ethiopia, there is hope for progress in talks between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda.