…… Yet this is slowly changing. Younger Algerians are more educated, more urbanized, more connected both internally and externally through digital technologies, more demanding of opportunities, and more determined to be less acquiescent than the older generations in challenging government policies. The report does a good job of enumerating the various means for encouraging the current regime to realize that…
Saudi Arabia: No Country for Bold Women
THE LATEST PHASE OF BIN SALMAN’S ONGOING CRACKDOWN ….It is hard to overstate the chilling effect of the arrests and other recent acts of repression on public discourse within the Kingdom, which is already highly constrained. Even in 2010, well before the political rise of bin Salman, barely 15 percent of respondents to an Arab Barometer poll felt they could…
Tunisia’s first post-uprisings local elections are Sunday. Can they bolster citizens’ belief in governance?
…. What voters want Economic justice was a central demand of the 2011 uprising, and public opinion data from the Arab Barometer collected in 2011, 2013 and 2015demonstrate that the economy remains at the forefront of Tunisians’ minds. When asked, “What are the most two important challenges your country is facing today?” nearly 75 percent of respondents listed the economic…
Lebanon’s political system leads to paralysis and corruption
“IT is difficult to escape the grip of religion in Lebanon. The rules that govern marriage, property rights and inheritance are administered by religious courts. Well-to-do secular Lebanese can fly to Cyprus to marry in civil ceremonies. But once back home, if their relationship goes sour, Muslims still have to deal with religious judges, who rule on divorce, alimony and…
Al-Sisi poised for empty victory in Egypt as signs of unrest grow across the region
“Egyptians are voting in presidential elections on March 26-28. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who grabbed power in 2013, is set to win another term by a landslide. Yet this is far from a sign of strength: opposition candidates have been silenced, and even pro-government media are being purged of the slightest undertone of dissent. Al-Sisi’s grip on power may appear firm,…
The False Assumptions Fueling America’s Endless War
….Terror Recruitment Fueled by U.S. Military Strikes As part of the war on terror, America has conducted military operations in at least eight Muslim-majority countries: Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Somalia, and Niger. Polling clearly shows the use of U.S. military force has inflamed grievances among Muslims. A survey of 11 Muslim-majority populations, for example, found that more respondents…
Scaling-up the Inclusive Growth Agenda in the Arab Region
… 1. The Region Needs Inclusive Growth Now More Than Ever Since our last conference in Amman in 2014, countries in the region have placed job creation and inclusive growth at the heart of their reform agendas. There has been progress – though not enough. Many are clearly struggling with “how” to scale up reform implementation, and turn these priorities…
A Marrakech, Christine Lagarde plaide pour “plus d’infrastructures, plus de dépenses sociales…”
…Selon une note du FMI sur le sujet, « les citoyens de la région s’inquiètent du fait que les opportunités et l’accès aux services publics ne sont pas les mêmes pour tous. D’après l’enquête Arab Barometer, 70 % des citoyens estiment que les efforts gouvernementaux pour réduire l’écart entre les riches et les pauvres sont peu, voire très peu, efficaces…
Le FMI pointe du doigt la montée des “frustrations”
…“Les citoyens de la région s’inquiètent du fait que les opportunités et l’accès aux services publics ne sont pas les mêmes pour tous”, note le FMI. D’après l’enquête “Arab Barometer”, effectuée pour la période 2012-2014 dans 12 pays dont l’Algérie, 70% des citoyens estiment que “les efforts gouvernementaux pour réduire l’écart entre les riches et les pauvres sont peu, voire…