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There is a reason why the European Union picked Morocco as the first North African country to begin its free trade agreement negotiations with last week. CONTINUE READING

There is a reason why the European Union picked Morocco as the first North African country to begin its free trade agreement negotiations with last week. CONTINUE READING

Mbenoist / Foter.com / CC BY-SA

Mohsan’ / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND

While neighboring regimes crashed and burned, the Algerian government remained largely unmoved and continues its firm grip on the country. CONTINUE READING

Morocco, Egypt, Libya and Algeria are at high risk to a Eurozone meltdown, but Gulf states hardly have reason to be complacent, according to new research. CONTINUE READING

Unemployment and corruption persists in Tunisia, with religious tensions also coming to the fore. But is the world expecting too much, too soon from Tunisia? And can Libya’s reconstruction needs give Tunisian economy a fillip?… CONTINUE READING

It’s such a waste: enough sunlight reaches the earth in 90 minutes to provide the entire planet’s need for one year, according to the International Energy Agency.

And even though the Middle East is awash with sunshine virtually all year around, it has taken a while for solar to start gaining traction. CONTINUE READING

It’s such a waste: enough sunlight reaches the earth in 90 minutes to provide the entire planet’s need for one year, according to the International Energy Agency. READ  MORE HERE

Pink Sherbet Photography / Foter

By Alon Ben-Meir

Due to a host of common denominators in the Arab world including the lack of traditional liberalism, the tribes’ power, the elites’ control of business, the hold on power by ethnic minorities, the military that cling to power, and the religious divide and Islamic extremism, the Arab Spring could sadly turn into a long and cruel winter. These factors are making the transformation into a more reformist governance, slow, filled with hurdles and punctuated with intense bloodshed. At the same time, each Arab country differs characteristically from one another on other dimensions including: history and culture, demographic composition, the role of the military, resources, and geostrategic situations. This combination of commonality and uniqueness has had, and will continue to have, significant impacts on how the uprising in each Arab country evolves and what kind of political order might eventually emerge.

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Whether western countries and ME liberals like it or not, Islamic parties have emerged victorious in elections in North African states. Before typecasting and dismissing them, Islamic parties deserve to get a fair chance at leading their people.

The Western world and media are terrified of the rise of Islamic parties in Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco. READ MORE HERE

Arab countries that have recently been liberated from the clutches of their dictators are searching for a path to prosperity. For many, the political and social and economic achievements of Turkey is worthy of emulation. Indeed, the Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is somewhat seen as a rock star among the youth of the Arab world.

But a new study by Legatum Institute, focused on the prosperity of nations, wonders whether Arab countries could consider alternative growth models. READ MORE HERE