International Relations

Arab World in Transition?

“The attitudes of the publics in the Middle East and North Africa are changing remarkably. Today, 13 percent of the population classify themselves as “not religious”; among young Arabs, the proportion is even higher with 18 percent. This is the result of a recent study by Arab Barometer, a research network for  survey research in the Middle East and North…

As the U.S. and Tunisian delegations meet, anti-Americanism is on the rise

Can the U.S. keep its close relationship with Tunisia amidst changing public opinion? Tomorrow, the United States and Tunisia will hold their third Strategic Dialogue, chaired by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Tunisian Foreign Minister Khemaies Jhinaoui, the latest in a series of high-level diplomatic moves meant to publicly express U.S. support for the world’s youngest democracy. The Strategic…

Survey: More Than Half of Arab World’s Young Adults Want to Leave

Lack of trust in Islamist governments, spike in non-religious identity are among chief reasons, report finds The results of a recent survey in the Arab world show that more than half of the region’s young adults are considering emigrating, and an increasing number of people are identifying as “non-religious.” The Big BBC News Arabic Survey, a joint assessment by BBC…

Poll: Trump Disliked in The ME

  Saudi Arabia’s King Salman may consider US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo a “dear friend,” but it turns out the US isn’t winning any popularity contests outside the royal palace. Pompeo is in the region to meet with what he described as America’s “great allies,” Saudi Arabia and the UAE, to build a “global coalition” for the faceoff with…

Erdoğan dwarfs Trump, Putin in Mideast approval rating

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan enjoys a significantly more positive perception from people in the Middle East than other major world leaders such as his American and Russian counterparts, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, respectively. According to a survey by Arab Barometer researchers for BBC News Arabic, 51% of the people surveyed in 11 Middle Eastern countries have a positive view…

Erdoğan most popular world leader among Arab youth

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is the most popular world leader for Arab youths, according to the results of a recent poll. Carried out by the Arab Barometer research network for BBC News Arabic, the survey polled the opinions of 25,000 youths across the Arab world on a wide variety of subjects.