MidEast Brief::Development

Recurrent destruction of trees, private homes and public infrastructure, as well as settlers' encroachments on private land create a permanent state of insecurity that deters Palestinian investment in Area C. At the same time, the land use and planning regulations in effect in Area C have less obvious consequences but are no less detrimental to Palestinian economic development.

Palestinian Economic Prospects: Aid, Access and Reform

Economic Monitoring Report to Ad Hoc Liaison Committee

World Bank - September, 2008

The events of the past months have yielded several conclusions. First, any effort at revival that excludes Gaza is likely to lead to partial results. Secondly, the more the Gazan and West Bank economies diverge, the harder it will be to reconcile. Thirdly, aid and reform without access are unlikely to revive the Palestinian economy. As such, international manifestations of support towards a viable Palestinian state and institutions are incomplete insofar as they do not tackle Israeli economic restrictions in parallel.

Strengthening MENA's Trade and Investment Links with China and India

World Bank - September, 2008

China and India's spectacular economic rise over the last two decades has accelerated their trade with Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Their demands for oil, gas, and other natural resources have been driving new relationships with MENA countries based not only on energy but on trade, investment, and political ties.

Egypt: Will the Dam Burst?

The Economist - September, 2008

The fact is that most of Egypt's 75m people struggle to get by, their ambitions thwarted by rising prices, appalling state schools, capricious judges, a plodding and corrupt bureaucracy and a cronyist regime that pretends democracy but in fact crushes all challengers and excludes all participation. The visitor might well conclude that by damming up the normal flow of politics, Egypt's rulers risk bringing on a deluge.

Kuwait: Rentierism Revisited

Riad Al Khouri

Arab Reform Bulletin, Carnegie Endowment - September, 2008

While Kuwait is a rentier state where petroleum accounts for over 90 percent of government income, its politics are atypical of rentierism. Lively parliamentary elections give rise to a collection of disparate political actors; May 2008 elections produced a 70 percent turnout, colossal compared to turnout in some Western democracies.

Economic Reform and Political Openings: Lessons from Algeria

Mohamed Ratoul

Arab Insight - August, 2008

Since independence in 1962, Algeria has had many economic, social, and political turmoil as well as begun to implement new reforms. Mohamed Ratoul analyzes and discusses these problems and reforms paying close attention to market reforms and liberalization.

Failed Responsibility: Iraqi Refugees in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon

International Crisis Group - July, 2008

And while exact numbers are uncertain, the scale of the problem is not in dispute: today, Iraq's refugee crisis -- with some two and a half million outside the country and the same number internally displaced -- ranks as the world's second in terms of numbers, preceded only by Afghanistan and ahead of Sudan. While the security situation in Iraq shows progress, the refugee crisis will endure for some time and could worsen if that progress proves fleeting.

2008 MENA Economic Developments and Prospects: Regional Integration for Global Competitiveness

World Bank - June, 2008

The Food Price Crisis in the Arab Countries: Short Term Responses to a Lasting Challenge

Ibrahim Saif

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace - June, 2008

E.U. and U.S. Free Trade Agreements in the Middle East and North Africa

Riad al Khouri

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace - June, 2008

Youth in the Middle East and North Africa

Series of articles

Financial Times - June, 2008

The Costs of Youth Exclusion in the Middle East