Introduction The exit of Donald Trump from the White House is being welcomed by many as a return to normalcy in US politics. However, what exactly that normalcy is, and how useful it is, depends on whether you look inside or outside the US. Trump, in many ways, has exemplified many long-term modes of seeing the world that have characterised…
International Relations
What Happens Next in the Middle East?
A survey conducted by Arab Barometer suggests that people across the Middle East and North Africa doubt whether a Donald Trump or Joe Biden presidency will have any positive effect on the region. Conducted before the election on 3 November, the survey found that more people responded that they didn’t know or that a new US president would make no…
Some Middle East leaders have a big stake in US election
While the majority of people in the Middle East favour a Biden victory, strongmen across the region are hoping for a Trump re-election While the world is closely watching the US election, the leaders of some Middle East countries have a lot riding on who wins the race for the White House. Across the region, surveys have shown that the majority…
Political experts share views on effect of US election result on foreign policies in MENA
As the world watches the 2020 US presidential election, political experts weighed in on how the result of the race between President Donald Trump and former Vice-President Joe Biden will affect US policies in the MENA region and vice versa in a joint webinar hosted by the Brookings Doha Center and Arab Barometer on Monday. Titled ‘How Will the 2020…
Why Do They Hate America(ns)?
In reaction to the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers on September 11, public debates droned an ongoing refrain of ‘why do they hate us?’. Consequently, although obviously not every Arab person who dislikes America commits or even supports terrorist attacks, September 11 brought about a surge in scholarly attention to the causes of anti-Americanism. Generally, it is argued that we…
The Second Libyan Civil War and the Russia Connexion with Mohamed Abufalgha
ABOUT THIS EPISODE Tom and Matt have the great opportunity to speak with Libyan national Mohamed Abufalgha and expert on the conflict that has been going on for several years now in this oil-rich, war-torn country. Mohamed helps us unpack the Russian-Libyan connection and exactly how many countries have their fingers–and fighters–in Libya.
Is the ‘Abraham Accord’ already unravelling?
This month’s announcement by President Donald Trump that diplomatic relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will be normalised took the world by surprise, not least because it was a well-kept secret in a usually leaky White House. Horrified traditionalists in the Arab world suspect many of their forefathers will be turning in their graves on seeing this…
Trump is threatening to snapback Iran sanctions because his supporters are terrified of a Biden win
Faced with the prospect of a likely defeat in November, says Borzou Daragahi, the administration is desperately seeking to sabotage the remnants of the Iran nuclear deal. Many nations have doubts about the expiring United Nations Security Council arms embargo on Iran. It is set to be lifted in October as part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action(JCPOA), the…
Arab Barometer: MENA Residents Have an Increasingly Favorable View of China
A new survey published by Arab Barometer, a Princeton University-affiliated non-partisan quantitative research institute, reveals increasingly favorable public perceptions of China in many countries throughout the Middle East and North Africa. “In nine of 12 countries surveyed as part of the Arab Barometer’s fifth wave, roughly half or more favor stronger economic relations with China,” said the group’s director, Dr….