Egypt

Israel

Jordan

Palestinian Territories

Saudi Arabia

China

Military & Security

Politics

China hosted top diplomats from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority and Indonesia in Beijing to discuss ways to end the Israel-Hamas war, Bloomberg reported on Nov. 20.

China, MENA: China Looks to Align With Arab States on Gaza

Economics

The International Monetary Fund's managing director said on Nov. 17 that the fund was "seriously considering" augmenting Egypt's loan in response to the economic impacts of the Israel-Hamas war, Reuters reported the next day.

Egypt: IMF Considering Loan Increase in Response to Israel-Hamas War

Lebanon

Energy

U.S. energy giant Chevron Corp. announced that it resumed supplying customers from Israel's Tamar natural gas field, whose platform had been shut down after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack for precautionary reasons, Reuters reported on Nov. 13.

Israel: Chevron Resumes Gas Supply From Israel's Tamar Gas Field, Easing Egypt's Gas Crunch

Turkey

The head of the Sovereign Fund of Egypt announced that the state would sell seven hotels in Egypt by the end of 2023, Reuters reported on Nov. 9.

Egypt: Government Will Sell State Assets, Expand Trade to Curb Economic Crisis

A limited number of individuals were able to leave the Rafah border crossing after a Qatar-brokered deal between Egypt, Israel and Hamas that enables foreign passport holders and critically injured individuals requiring medical care to cross into Egypt, Reuters reported Nov. 1.

Egypt, Israel: First Evacuees Depart Gaza for Egypt

Yemen

Two projectiles caused explosions in Taba and Nuweiba, two Egyptian cities near the Israeli border, causing injuries but no fatalities, Reuters reported Oct. 27.

Egypt: Projectiles Hit Two Cities Near Israeli Border

Iraq

Around 800 supporters of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces, an Iranian-backed militia also known as PMF, blocked oil tankers from crossing the Iraq-Jordan border on Oct. 25, Reuters reported the next day.

Jordan, Iraq: Protestors Temporarily Block Iraq's Oil Exports to Jordan Over Israel

United States

Morocco

The Israeli National Security Council warned Israeli travelers against traveling to Egypt and Jordan, and it also warned against nonessential travel to Morocco amid a growing threat of attacks on Israelis across the region, Al Jazeera reported on Oct. 21. 

MENA: Israel Advises Against Travel to Egypt and Jordan as U.S. Evacuates From Iraq

Assessments

Argentina

Japan

Europe

An Israeli tank on Oct. 20, 2023, at Kibbutz Beeri near the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip. igh-level representatives from the Gulf and other Arab countries, Turkey and Europe plus U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres among others will meet Oct. 21 in Cairo to discuss the ongoing Israel-Hamas War and humanitarian crisis.

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: A Summit in Egypt as Israel Prepares to Invade Gaza, Argentines Head to the Polls

Bahrain

Kuwait

Oman

Qatar

Syria

Tunisia

United Arab Emirates

Students from the American University of Beirut (AUB) rally in support of Palestinians outside the main gate of the university in the Lebanese capital on Oct. 9, 2023. 

Social Issues

Israel's likely ground invasion in Gaza will alienate many Muslims in the Middle East, pressuring their governments to respond in support of Palestinians.

Gauging the Regional Response to the Gaza Conflict

Snapshots

Smoke billows Oct. 10, 2023, from the Gaza Strip's Rafah border crossing with Egypt during an Israeli airstrike. Cairo will face a domestic backlash for its ties with Israel, and faces the prospect of an additional backlash in the event of an influx of Palestinian refugees into Egypt.

Cairo will face a domestic backlash for its ties with Israel, and faces the prospect of an additional backlash in the event of an influx of Palestinian refugees into Egypt.

How the Gaza War Will Impact Egyptian Politics

A missile explodes over Gaza City during an Israeli air strike on Oct. 8, 2023. 

In response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, Israel is widely expected to launch an incursion that could spark another bloody intifada, along with widespread unrest across the region.

The Implications of an Israeli Ground Invasion in Gaza

Two pairs of U.S. hundred dollar bills and Egyptian hundred pound notes are held before a window showing the skyline of Egypt's capital Cairo and the Nile River on Jan. 16, 2023.

As Egypt's economic crisis worsens, the IMF delays aid disbursements and domestic discontent grows.

Opposing Forces Ensure Egypt's Economic Reforms Remain Lukewarm

Iran

Iran’s foreign minister (right) poses for a picture with his Saudi counterpart on June 17, 2023, in Tehran.

The detentes that have emerged between long-standing rivals have made the region more peaceful, but old wounds could still reopen.

In the Middle East, Shared Interests Are Turning Former Foes Into Friends -- For Now

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi addresses those participating in his government's national dialogue event via video conference on May 3, 2023. 

The government's tightly-controlled dialogue may leave room for minor economic reforms, but it's unlikely to produce the serious political changes more Egyptians are demanding.

In Egypt, a National Dialogue in Name Only

Russia

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is seen on the sidelines of the COP27 summit on Nov. 11, 2022.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The scheme highlights the tricky balancing act Cairo finds itself in, as it tries to reduce its reliance on Washington without jeopardizing its access to vital U.S. aid.

The Significance of Egypt’s Scrapped Plan to Make Rockets for Russia

Angola

Mozambique

Republic of the Congo

Algeria

Libya

Cyprus

Italy

Ukraine

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (2nd L) and Libya's Tripoli-based Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah (3rd L) attend an agreement-signing ceremony between Italian multinational oil and gas company Eni and the Libyan National Oil Corporation in Tripoli, Libya, on Jan. 28, 2023.

As Europe turns away from Russian energy, Italy positions itself as a natural gas conduit between the Continent and Africa.

With Energy Deals in Africa, Italy Positions Itself as Europe's Next Gas Hub

Media

Podcasts

RANE Senior Middle East and North Africa Analyst Emily Hawthorne discusses the challenges and potential opportunities amid Egypt's currency crisis.

Essential Geopolitics: Egypt's Currency Crisis

Nigeria

Venezuela

France

United Kingdom

A supporter of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela waves the flag of Venezuela on Jan. 10, 2022, in Barinas, Venezuela. The four major political parties that comprise Venezuela's opposition coalition will vote Dec. 29 on a motion to eliminate the country's interim government.

The Weekly Rundown: Venezuela's Opposition Votes to Oust Guaido, Christmas Brings Currency to the Middle East

Ethiopia

South Africa

Egyptian pounds on Aug. 25, 2022.

The Weekly Rundown: An Egypt-IMF Meeting, South Africa Votes on an Impeachment Inquiry

Located in the northeast corner of Africa, Egypt lies at the heart of the Arab World. Comprised of mostly uninhabitable desert, 99 percent of the country's 93 million people live along the banks of the Nile River. This region, from the Aswan High Dam to the Mediterranean shore is Egypt's core.    The Nile, while not commercially navigable, forms the basis of Egypt's irrigation-dependent agricultural sector. The long, narrow stretch of population requires expensive infrastructure development — especially related to transportation, straining the capital-poor government's resources.     The desert topography demands a great deal of investment on a national scale necessitating a strong central state, helping to explain Egypt's history of authoritarian regimes beginning with the pharaohs.     Egypt's main geographic challenge has been to develop beyond the narrow Nile corridor and project power eastward. The Saharan desert has largely insulated the Nile core from its western flank and contained Egypt's westward expansion.    Egypt has been able to translate its strong central government and border with Israel into developing a relationship with the United States, the key foreign backer protecting the Suez Canal and the northern coastline. This area contains the majority of Egypt's offshore hydrocarbon reserves.    The Sinai Desert has traditionally been the overland route of foreign invasion, but its more manageable geography also accommodates Egyptian attempts to interact with the Levant and Arabian Peninsula and competition with Saudi Arabia for the role of regional Arab hegemon.

The Difficulties of North African Reform

Egypt's Uphill Battle

The U.S. and the Balance of Power

Rebalancing Power in the Middle East

SITUATION REPORTS

China, MENA: China Looks to Align With Arab States on Gaza

Egypt: IMF Considering Loan Increase in Response to Israel-Hamas War

Israel: Chevron Resumes Gas Supply From Israel's Tamar Gas Field, Easing Egypt's Gas Crunch

Egypt: Government Will Sell State Assets, Expand Trade to Curb Economic Crisis

Egypt, Israel: First Evacuees Depart Gaza for Egypt

Egypt: Projectiles Hit Two Cities Near Israeli Border

Jordan, Iraq: Protestors Temporarily Block Iraq's Oil Exports to Jordan Over Israel

MENA: Israel Advises Against Travel to Egypt and Jordan as U.S. Evacuates From Iraq

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