Blog | Ishtar MENA Analytics

Maxim Savinykh

May 122 min read

New Power Brokers of Global Politics? The Unexpected Role of the Gulf Monarchies in Ukraine War Negotiations

by Maxim Savinykh For at least the past two decades, the dominant Arab monarchies of the Gulf, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), the...

Iran's Gaza Gambit: Strategic Choices Between Diplomacy and Riptides in the Middle East

Shari Goy

Jan 3114 min read

Iran's Gaza Gambit: Strategic Choices Between Diplomacy and Riptides in the Middle East

In the complex tapestry of Middle Eastern geopolitics, the recent meeting on the 24th of January between Turkey's President Recep Tayyip...

Between Prosperity and Publicity - A Retrospective on COP28

Gian Maria Bordin

Jan 158 min read

Between Prosperity and Publicity - A Retrospective on COP28

A month ago, the 28th annual Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) wrapped up in the...

Israel-Russian Relations and the Recent Escalation in the Middle East Conflict

Maxim Savinykh

Jan 820 min read

Israel-Russian Relations and the Recent Escalation in the Middle East Conflict

On 7 October Hamas, also known as the “Islamic Resistance Movement”, started what they called “Operation al-Aqsa Flood”, which resulted...

Nagorno-Karabakh: Historical analysis of a dynamic conflict at the fringes of the MENA-region

Matthew Bryant

Oct 30, 20239 min read

Nagorno-Karabakh: Historical analysis of a dynamic conflict at the fringes of the MENA-region

I: Intractable Conflicts Fought with the Sword At the current moment the Armenian Crisis regarding Nagorno-Karabakh is in an extreme...

Saudi Arabia’s Re-positioning in International Affairs – The Jeddah Peace Conference

Robin Moore

Sep 26, 202310 min read

Saudi Arabia’s Re-positioning in International Affairs – The Jeddah Peace Conference

Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic prowess was on full display as it hosted a major international peace conference on the Russia-Ukraine war at...

A Shaky “Grain Deal” and the Turkish Elections

Maxim Savinykh

Jun 15, 20239 min read

A Shaky “Grain Deal” and the Turkish Elections

Russian dissatisfaction Since the establishment of the “Grain Deal”, Russia often expressed skepticism and criticism regarding this...

Captagon – Giving the region a diplomatic high?

Elsa Scholz

May 31, 20236 min read

Captagon – Giving the region a diplomatic high?

From opium in Afghanistan, to cannabis in Morocco and heroin in Turkey, drug trafficking and use in the Middle East, North Africa and...

One Year In – The Effects of the Ukraine War on the MENA Region

Gabriele Guzzi

Feb 23, 20235 min read

One Year In – The Effects of the Ukraine War on the MENA Region

Exactly one year after Russia’s fatal invasion of Ukraine, the global geopolitical and economic landscape has changed perhaps...

Harka – Is it Tunisia’s Season of the Migration to the North?

Damian Berger

Feb 20, 20238 min read

Harka – Is it Tunisia’s Season of the Migration to the North?

Ali shivers from desperation. As an illegal petty petrol dealer, he sleeps on a construction site, lives from hand to mouth. Years of...

Palestine: The 'Native Problem' – 75 Years of Colonial Discourse

Allis Crusoe

Jan 31, 20237 min read

Palestine: The 'Native Problem' – 75 Years of Colonial Discourse

The last weekend has seen an extreme escalation of violence between Palestinian and Israeli factions. On Thursday, the 26th of January,...

Ishtar Diplomatic Series: A Spotlight on Jordan - Japan Relations

Koki Toyama

Jan 23, 20237 min read

Ishtar Diplomatic Series: A Spotlight on Jordan - Japan Relations

With the start of the new year, Ishtar MENA Analytics is exited to introduce its new diplomatic blog series. Designed to provide...

Power, Politics and Polarisation – An Analysis of post-election Israel

Gian Maria Bordin

Dec 9, 202210 min read

Power, Politics and Polarisation – An Analysis of post-election Israel

On November 1st, Israel elected its 25th Knesset. After previous elections in April and September 2019, March 2020 and March 2021, it was...

Maxim Savinykh

Nov 14, 202216 min read

Who is China in the MENA?

General context Since the 1980s, the main concept of the Chinese foreign policy was Deng Xiaoping’s formula “hide your ambitions and...

Historic maritime agreement between Lebanon and Israel, but peace still far off

Ilaria Bertocchini

Oct 25, 20225 min read

Historic maritime agreement between Lebanon and Israel, but peace still far off

On October 11, 2022, the final approval of the draft of the agreement between Lebanon and Israel was announced and its signing should be...

Al-Shabaab – Between Global Jihad and Local Statehood

Mir-Ali Askerov

Oct 6, 202210 min read

Al-Shabaab – Between Global Jihad and Local Statehood

Al-Shabaab spokesmen Ali Mahmoud Raghe. Source: Mir-Ali Askerov On the evening of August 19, 2022, al-Shabaab militants attacked the...

The Beneficiaries of Western Crisis: Aramco and The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abdullah al-Wandawi

Sep 8, 20226 min read

The Beneficiaries of Western Crisis: Aramco and The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

“Global crude oil prices remained exceptionally strong in the second quarter of 2022, driven by low crude oil and refined product...

Egypt’s New Administrative Capital – Urban Miracle or Megalomaniac Vanity?

Gian Maria Bordin

Sep 1, 202210 min read

Egypt’s New Administrative Capital – Urban Miracle or Megalomaniac Vanity?

The Mogamma is no more. Famous to some, opprobrious to others, the Tahrir Complex with its thousands of offices has become a ghost. As of...

The Astana Summit - An Anti-Western Axis in the Making?

Maxim Savinykh

Aug 7, 202212 min read

The Astana Summit - An Anti-Western Axis in the Making?

The presidents of Iran, Russia and Turkey met within the framework of the Astana format in Tehran on July 19. This arrangement was formed...

Salwa Akhannouch, A New "Amazon", And The Latest Instalment Of Cronyism In Contemporary Morocco

Damian Berger

Jul 18, 20227 min read

Salwa Akhannouch, A New "Amazon", And The Latest Instalment Of Cronyism In Contemporary Morocco

A ghost is roaming Moroccan social media these days – the ghost of Wa-Sal marketplace. Flamboyantly advertised as the new local challenge...