Broken Contracts in the Middle East

To attract more foreign workers into its waning labor market, Emirati leaders have introduced reforms that risk alienating -- and angering -- their native citizens.

With its citizens balking at austerity, the coastal emirate is placing the onus of reforming its economic structure on the country's millions of foreign workers.

The U.S. sanctions against Iran include a demand that Iraq cut off the energy imports that have helped its troubled power sector keep its head above water.

Rising protest movements from nationalists and the economically aggrieved are pressuring Jordanian King Abdullah II to adopt policies that his foreign benefactors are sure to oppose.

The insular kingdom wants to bring in more foreign direct investment, but opening up its tourism sector will require it to grapple with its reputation, regional competitors and infrastructure shortfalls.

Haider al-Abadi steps away from the fray after the country's top Shiite cleric dismisses him as a contender. Meanwhile, parliament prepares to convene amid uncertainty about who controls a majority.

Concerned about contagious economic problems and Iranian influence, the island nation's wealthy neighbors can be expected to ride to the rescue, eventually.

As the Saudi and Emirati governments work to diversify their economies, they are taking a close look at the business of ports. But social modernization efforts could hinder economic success for shipping and its related industries in these countries.

Two years into the massive reform effort, critics are wondering if Riyadh has already started faltering. But when it comes to revitalizing an entire country's social and economic structure, the answer isn't a simple yes or no.

As the Iranian economy continues to suffer in the wake of U.S. sanctions, the country's population has begun protesting President Hassan Rouhani's approach to the situation, opening up space for various political factions to sow division.