Eight countries in the Middle East and North Africa have monarchs as their heads of state – Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Jordan and Morocco. There are several factors that allow for monarchies to continue in the region, and others that actively challenge their existence. Monarchies in the region have […]
The 2014 documentary “A Siege of Salt and Sand” looks at Tunisia during protests that led to the removal of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and the ways that climate issues impacted the country during that time. During class when we had group discussions about the availability of food and water in certain countries, […]
The Middle East and North Africa have a unique reliance on oil compared to the rest of the world. Out of the 15 states most reliant on oil for their economy, 10 of them are in the region. Given this reliance, many states in the region are often described as rentier states, meaning they generate a […]
In her 2006 piece “Searching Where the Light Shines: Studying Democratization in the Middle East,” Lisa Anderson looked at the ways that political scientists have tried to understand the Middle East in regards to the development (and lack thereof) of democracy in the region. Her biggest concerns are in relation to the manner the region’s […]