The Middle East and North Africa Programme, headed by Dr Claire Spencer, undertakes high profile research and projects on political, economic and security issues affecting the Middle East and North Africa.
Download flyer about the Programme (pdf) 

New Economic Actors

Economics of the Arab Spring

Jane Kinninmont offers a comparative analysis of the economic and political role of entrepreneurs in various North African countries, and that entrepreneurs are playing in the transition.
More on Economics of Arab Spring >> 

Syria

Future Scenarios

Experts examine future scenarios for Syria and international policy options, including Claire Spencer who writes that influence over the future of the Middle East is at stake.
More on Syria >> 

Iran

Embargo on Oil Sanctions

The US should persuade the EU to extend sanctions to financial transactions; an oil embargo alone cannot succeed, writes Paul Stevens.
More on Iran >> 

Arab Spring

The Next Fight will be Among the Islamists

After the uprisings, and the subsequent electoral campaigning, Islamist movements' history of building grassroots support has paid off, writes Jane Kinninmont.
More on Egypt >> 

Palestinian Refugee Question

Implementing a Settlement

International support will be critical to address the moral, legal and material aspects of the refugee question, says this paper.  
More on Palestinian Refugees >> 

Areas of Work:

Country/Region:

• Bahrain and the Gulf
• Egypt
• Iran
• Iraq
• Libya
• Syria and Lebanon
• Yemen

Theme:

• Economics of the Arab Spring
• Palestinian Refugees
• Young Arab Analysts Network International (YAANI)
• Youth Movements in Egypt and Yemen

To complement our research, the MENA programme runs a variety of events which seek to inform and broaden current debates about the region and about UK and international policy.

We also produce a range of publicly available reports, books and papers.

Arabic

A number of our publications are available in Arabic.

Support

The MENA Programme welcomes support and input from organizations and individuals who recognize the importance of independent policy-orientated research. We fundraise for 100 per cent of our activities and costs, including salaries. More.