In this article Ahmad Abdel-Rahman looks at the outlook for Open Banking in MENA. At the beginning of 2021, fintech quickly grew in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). "The region is no stranger to this sector", says Shaimaa Al-Nazer, a researcher at the College of Computing and Information Technology at Taif University in Saudi Arabia. The wo...
New Zealand PM bows out
Here's an article from The Economist which, while talking about John Key's resignation, states that NZ is "one of the most successful countries in the world. While this is debatable, there is no doubt that Key has had successes- namely international recognition- along with failures, housing, immigration and the environment. We have yet to see whether the new Prime Minister, John English, will have the same success.
Israel and Iran are getting closer, with greater co-operation between the two countries. Turkey, at the behest of Israel, is stopping terrorists in the country – but not enough to stop a threatened attack on Israeli tourists there. Turkey is a favourite holiday destination for many Israelis. At the same time, the shortage of grain and wheat is hitt...
The Maghreb is important strategically to Europe and to North America, Ahmad Abdel-Rahman explains the role of the region and its strategic importance. Theorists of international relations differ about the importance and role of geography in shaping foreign policy. However, they all agree that space plays an influential and decisive role. This is t...
I read this article on desalination in the UAE with a great deal of interest. That's because it was a huge problem when I lived and worked there. The economics of water did not make sense then; it still doesn't. It seemed that locals enjoyed the benefits of highly subsidised water, while foreigners had to pay much higher prices. My bill from the Du...
The Middle East could form new alliances in the coming months, writes Ahmad Abdel-Rahman. The Middle East is going through structural transformations that will impact the direction of how the region interacts with other countries, said Mahmoud Fahmy, vice president of the National Center for Middle Eastern Studies and Professor of Political Sc...
Political stalemate threatens to deepen the division and prolong the conflict in Libya, says Ahmad Abdel-Rahman. Libya is not making progress politically and is in a state of political stalemate. With the election of Fathi Bashagha as second prime minister alongside Abdel Hamid Dabaiba, the country appears to be going back to the past. But it needs...
The United Nations is unable to find a solution to the tragedy in Syria, writes Ahmad Abdul-Rahman. In a desperate attempt to resolve the complex Syrian situation, in October last year the United Nations dispatched its Special Envoy Geir Pedersen to Syria to revive the so-called Constitutional Committee from its two-year slumber. The Committee, whi...
Ahmad Abdul-Rahman writes about the challenges facing the Egyptian economy and the prospects for sustainable growth. All economic sectors in Egypt are growing strongly, reducing the unemployment rate. However, many weaknesses such as high prices and high debt, along with many obstacles facing facing the private sector, are creating great challenges...
Ahmad Abd u l-Rahman writes about the challenges facing the Egyptian economy and the prospects for sustainable growth this year. All economic sectors in Egypt are growing strongly, reducing the unemployment rate. However, many weaknesses such as high price sand high debt, along with many obstacles facing the private sector create great challe...
Will the estrangement between the US and Saudi Arabia push it to settle with Iran ? Ahmed Abdul-Rahman investigates. As the Gulf Arab states lose faith in the US commitment to their security, they are trying to solve their problems with Tehran, Iran's capital, on their own, as shown by talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran. On Monday, April 25,...
International financial institutions confirm the soundness of the Egyptian economy and praise the government's handling of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis. Ahmad Abdul-Rahman writes. The Egyptian Cabinet's Media Center published a report that included data confirming the soundness of its economy. The report stated that the country has strengthened the...
There are potential security and geopolitical repercussions of a failed state in Afghanistan, writes Ahmad Abdul- Rahman . The rapid and unorganised US withdrawal from Afghanistan has pushed the country into chaos and a devastating, catastrophic situation that could lead to civil war. This has regional and international security and geopolitical r...
There is a promising future for open banking services in the UAE, writes Ahmad Abdel-Rahman. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) seeks to establish itself as a major digital hub in the Middle East. The UAE, with its young, tech-savvy and entrepreneurial community, is leading the way in financial technology and digital-based companies. The UAE is aware t...
Ahmad Abdel-Rahman investigates what countries could fill the gap in the Middle East after the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. It seems history is repeating itself. In 1968, when British troops withdrew from the Persian Gulf the US filled the strategic vacuum in the Middle East. Now the Americans are exiting the regio...
In the global oil and gas war, the Middle East is caught between geopolitics and economics, writes Ahmad Abdel -Rahman. Today, major oil and gas producers are facing difficulty in determining and stabilising oil and gas prices globally. This is in addition to the noticeable shortage of supplies to Europe due to the Russian-Ukrainian war and the Rus...
The subject of refugees is always controversial. People often don't like refugees because they feel they take homes and jobs away from locals. It's probably not true but that's the way people think. Is it where refugees come from? Or do they have to look the same as locals? Lucia Dore discusses this issue. Refugees are back in the news. This time i...
Countries in the Middle East are walking a tightrope between the war in Ukraine and the talks in Vienna about the nuclear deal with Iran, according to Ahmad Abdel-Rahman. Where is the Middle East heading in light of the escalation of the war in Ukraine? And what are the repercussions for the region? Russia has strengthened its military presence in ...
The five largest Arab economies in 2021 continue to do well. Saudi Arabia and the UAE at the forefront, writes Ahmad Abdul -Rahman. Saudi Arabia ranked first, with its gross domestic product (GDP) expected to reach USD 804.9 billion at current prices by the end of 2021, according to the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) estimates. This is in spit...
We've run a number of articles recently talking about the affects of the Ukraine-Russia War on the Middle East, primarily involving the effects of wheat and grain prices. Here is an article on Iraq that talks about that. By Ayser Jabber for Al Monitor. The global economic crisis due to the Russian-Ukrainian war has led to price hikes in Iraq. This ...
The reality of Arab attitudes towards the war in Ukraine and the US administration is discussed by Ahmad Abdul-Rahman The most that can be said about Arab attitudes towards the war in Ukraine is that their response has been slow and deliberate. Saudi Arabia has not abandoned the OPEC Plus strategy with Russia, despite the American demand to increas...