Search results

Labour protests in Iran will gain momentum

Location:

IRAN

Workers’ protests in Iran have been growing due to the impact of sanctions, economic mismanagement, low and unpaid wages, inflation, increasing poverty levels and corruption. The…

Turkey’s president will eye Istanbul battle

Location:

TURKEY

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is determined to win the city back from the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP). With a population of over 16 million, Istanbul accounts for…

Saudi social reforms will create economic openings

Location:

SAUDI ARABIA

The rapid social changes under way, such as letting women drive and reopening cinemas, largely focus on creating new economic opportunities. They also serve a political purpose…

Beleaguered Jordan will squeeze opposition space

Location:

JORDAN

This comes following high tensions with teachers, who engaged in a series of widespread protests after the Attorney-General ordered the closure of the Teachers' Union and forcible…

Strikes will increase political pressure on Rabat

Location:

MOROCCO

There have been protracted negotiations following strikes by teachers last year. Concerns over continued disruption to education and possible contagion to other sectors are…

Lebanese protest leaders will struggle for control

Location:

LEBANON

On the previous day, an all-party meeting called to manage the fallout from earlier protests in mid-June that turned into sectarian clashes failed because it was boycotted by key…

New Moroccan premier may fail to set the agenda

Location:

MOROCCO

Morocco’s new coalition government is struggling to address the unrest. The new coalition is unwieldy: it has 39 ministerial posts and includes six political parties. The make-up…

Amman will quietly boost cooperation with Damascus

Location:

JORDAN/SYRIA

The US-Russian-Jordanian July 9 agreement on a ceasefire in southern Syria has achieved calm in the area for now. The southernmost ‘de-escalation zone’ on the Syria-Jordan border…

Iran may abandon austerity to pacify protesters

Location:

IRAN

Beginning in the conservative city of Mashhad, the mostly small-scale and leaderless demonstrations spread across many provincial towns over several days, sometimes turning…

Iran will struggle to create a ‘resistance economy’

Location:

IRAN

The Iranian budget.