International Relations

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.

State-led security responses and violent extremism: a comparative analysis of Libya, Egypt and Tunisia

“This article investigates the link between the deterioration of state-society relations and the increase in state-sponsored violence in the MENA region in the aftermath of the Arab Uprisings. It does so to address the question of whether state-led security responses are directly related to the perceived proliferation of violent extremism networks. Relying on the comparative analysis of Libya, Egypt and…

Muslim Attitudes Towards the European Union

“How do Muslim citizens across the globe perceive the European Union? And what factors influence their EU attitudes? This book offers the first systematic theoretical and empirical analysis of Muslim citizens’ EU attitudes in and outside the European Union. Using the best empirical data available, the book demonstrates that Muslim citizens’ attitudes are not shaped by their denomination and religious…

Self-expression values, loyalty generation, and support for authoritarianism: evidence from the Arab world

“This study examines the micro foundations of political support in Arab polities. Most Arab states rank highly in aggregate human development or economic wealth, but they lag behind in democracy defying the predictions of modernization theory. Modernization and human development perspective implies that increased resources and self-expression values will induce critical political outlooks toward the regime. This study questions the…

The Inconvenient Facts Hindering a New Approach to Refugee Assistance Program — the Labor Potential of Syrian Refugees in Jordan

“Due to the ongoing conflict, most Syrian refugees have fled to countries that neighbor Syria and the governments of these developing countries are now the principal entities for implementing Syrian refugee policies. These policies accommodate refugees in camps or provide refugees with residency in urban areas, but impose severe restrictions on their employment. Betts and Collier, professors at the University…