Two bankers have informed Reuters that, in response to an unprecedented spate of hold-ups by angry depositors wanting access to their cash, Lebanese banks have decided to permanently seal their doors to customers. According to the two individuals cited by the news organization on Friday, banks will keep performing emergency client services and back-office services for businesses but will keep front-office services on hold. Last month, similar conditions forced banks
After the OPEC+ group of nations agreed to its most significant supply reduction since 2020 in advance of European Union energy embargoes against Russia, the global oil supply is expected to tighten, heightening fears of surging inflation. The action has exacerbated the diplomatic chasm between the Saudi-backed bloc and Western nations, which are concerned that increased energy prices would harm the weak global economy and impede efforts to deny Russia
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The exhaustion of the air fleet of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army and the lack of up-to-date weapons in air operations and reconnaissance in the IRGC Aerospace Force have encouraged these two forces to use drones more in recent years. Iran has increased
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Demonstrations that started in Iran after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was taken to
In the parliamentary elections held in Iraq on October 10, 2021, Shiite
The ongoing power struggle between rival Shia factions turned into bloody street
Abdennour Toumi: The latest trip of President Biden to Israel and Saudi Arabia left a sour taste in the mouths of analysts. However, it did break the old tradition of US Middle East policy. What are your thoughts? Massoud Maalouf: I personally think that President Biden did not do himself any favor with his trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia. Israel and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) were the big winners. Palestinians were disappointed. Biden was harshly criticized, even
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Abdennour Toumi: The media played a key role in mobilizing the first wave of Arab uprisings between 2010 and 2011 but played a far more negative role in the transitions which followed. What went wrong? David Powell: The mainstream Arab media, particularly the pan-Arab regional media, certainly played a role in promoting the astonishing spread of uprisings and revolutions that started in Tunisia in later 2010 and spread to several Arab countries the following year. In Tunisia, the protests against
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Abdennour Toumi: Energy policies in the MENA region are witnessing historic and important transformations. What are the repercussions of these developments on the geopolitical situation in the MENA region and on the economic relations with the major global and regional powers, such as the US, China, Russia, and the EU? Dr. Carole Nakhle: Any oil and gas producer ought to feel the pressure from the intensifying global fight against climate change, since to achieve the scientifically recommended reduction in carbon
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Abdennour Toumi: With the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, could you tell us how the relations between Moscow and Beijing would go from China’s perspective? Prof. Hanns Maull: China seems to have been surprised by the war and its dimensions, and it will find this conflict uncomfortable. China has a strategic partnership with Ukraine, which also takes part in its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Therefore, China would like to see this war end with a stable peace settlement, but it has
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Abdennour Toumi: Twenty days have passed since the war between Russia and Ukraine broke out. What is your take on the geopolitical and geoeconomic impacts of this conflict on the neighboring countries and the rest of the world? Prof. Don McLain Gill: The unfolding situation in Ukraine has numerous political and economic impacts on the strategic calculations of states in the international system. The crisis has shown how many states in Asia, Africa, and Latin America continue to demonstrate their
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Two bankers have informed Reuters that, in response to an unprecedented spate of hold-ups by angry depositors wanting access to their cash, Lebanese banks have decided to permanently seal their doors to
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Syrian state media said that U.S. special forces conducted a rare operation in a government-held town in the northeast, killing one individual and capturing others. Thursday’s operation took place in a region
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After the OPEC+ group of nations agreed to its most significant supply reduction since 2020 in advance of European Union energy embargoes against Russia, the global oil supply is expected to tighten,
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On Thursday, diplomatic sources said that Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Çavuşoğlu had nominated several new ambassadors and permanent representatives to Türkiye’s’ diplomatic posts overseas. Sakir Ozkan Torunlar has been chosen as the
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An Iranian American man, 85 years old, jailed by Iran on globally criticized espionage allegations, has departed for Oman, authorities reported, as pressure intensified to rescue him despite his ill condition. The
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Iran summoned the British ambassador for a second time since statewide protests erupted last month, Iranian media said on Wednesday, intensifying claims of Western interference in ongoing unrest started by the death
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Booking.com’s announcement last month that it would label Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank as “occupied territory” and warn of “an increased risk to safety and human rights” was applauded as
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An energy consultant at the Danish Energy Agency (DEA) said Tuesday that Turkey and Denmark had completed the last step of an energy cooperation deal to increase trade and climate cooperation. During
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The exhaustion of the air fleet of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army and the lack of up-to-date weapons in air operations and reconnaissance in the IRGC Aerospace Force have encouraged these
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US Vice President Joe Biden stated that his government would impose “additional consequences” on anyone guilty of violence against Iranian demonstrators, who have been on the streets for over two weeks in
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On Tuesday, Iranian state media said the government had launched a satellite tug into space. The Defense Ministry, according to state TV, launched the Saman test spacecraft on Monday after it was
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On Tuesday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry stated that statements made by Greece and the EU about Turkey’s new hydrocarbon agreement with Libya had “no significance or value for our nation.” “Objecting to
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According to information from the security forces, demonstrators lit a government building on fire on Monday in the governorate of Dhi Qar in Iraq. According to the sources, a group of guys
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On Monday, a high-level Turkish team arrived in the capital of Libya for an official visit. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Donmez,
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