Economics

FOOD AND THE ARAB SPRING

By David Rosenberg October 27, 2011

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has been experiencing deteriorating parameters for both food production and consumption for some time. Agricultural output is constrained by limited water resources, diminishing arable land, and poor public policy. Consumption is driven by high population growth and subsidies that encourage waste. The region is food insecure, both on the level of the individual consumer (high rates of poverty) and on a national level (reliance on imports). Rising food … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Economics, MERIA Journal Volume 15, Number 03 (September 2011), Regional , U.S. Policy on the Middle East

SAUDI ARABIA’S ECONOMIC NEEDS AND THE PRICE OF OIL

By December 6, 2010

INTRODUCTION Between 2003 and 2008, the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil spot price increased by 300 percent. However, the economic crisis that befell the world and reached its peak in December 2008 sent prices back to below the 2004 average. In reference to the crisis, the Saudi Arabian monarchy stated that the drop in the price of a barrel of oil to below $50 to $55 was damaging to its economy and that a continuing drop in prices would be detrimental to the growth the country … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Economics, MERIA Journal Volume 14, Number 04 (Dec 2010), Saudi Arabia

THE POLITICS OF PRIVATIZATION IN IRAN

By Shirzad Azad December 5, 2010

Aside from the controversial presidential election in June 2010 and the ensuing political turmoil, privatization has been one of the most debated topics about Iran in both domestic and foreign circles. The Islamic Republic has embarked on a large-scale privatization effort and now competes not only with Middle Eastern countries but also with Western European nations in terms of selling off state assets. Despite the shift toward economic liberalization, privatization in Iran is not new; … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Economics, Iran, MERIA Journal Volume 14, Number 04 (Dec 2010)

THE ISRAELI ECONOMY: AFTER THE FINANCIAL CRISIS, NEW CHALLENGES

By David Rosenberg March 6, 2010

The most severe economic crisis of the post-World War II era is doing much to recast the world economy both ideologically and in terms of the balance of power. The so-called “Washington consensus” that emphasized the centrality of free markets and smaller government has been undermined by the evident failure of financial markets to assess and regulate risks on their own. China’s status as a rising economic power has been confirmed while the United States and Europe are … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Economics, Israel, MERIA Journal Volume 14, Number 01 (Mar 2010)

French Trade and Sanctions Against Iran

By Michel Makinsky March 9, 2009

The French economic presence in Iran changed direction after the passage of the Iran-Libya Sanctions Act (ILSA) by the United States in 1996. In 2006, this act was subject to two major changes: first, sanctions against Libya were lifted; and second, the legislation was extended until 2011 under its new title, the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA). The new act implemented progressive sanctions against businesses investing in major Iranian sectors, in particular the energy sector. These sanctions included … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Economics, Europe, Iran, MERIA Journal Volume 13, Number 01 (Mar 2009)

Demography in the Middle East: Population Growth Slowing, Women’s Situation Unresolved

By Patrick Clawson March 4, 2009

In the Middle East, as in much of the world, the demographic story of the past 50 years was rapid population growth, which placed a heavy burden on economies. Yet that is coming to an end, in no small part because of social changes, especially the modest progress toward women’s empowerment. The Middle East is now making a “demographic transition” that offers the prospect of twin “demographic dividends” if governments can create the right environment--first the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Economics, MERIA Journal Volume 13, Number 01 (Mar 2009), Regional

The Iran-Syria Alliance: The Economic Dimension

By June 6, 2008

Volume 12, No. 2 - June 2008, Total Circulation 25,000 Article 6 of 7 THE IRAN-SYRIA ALLIANCE: THE ECONOMIC DIMENSION Nimrod Raphaeli and Bianca Gersten* An examination of Syrian-Iranian economic relations reveals that, beyond their propaganda value, these relations are of small benefit to Syria and of negligible benefit to Iran. The alliance between the two countries is driven first and foremost by … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Economics, Iran, MERIA Journal Volume 12, Number 02 (Jun 2008), Syria

Impediments to Stability in Iraq: The Elusive Economic Dimension

By March 3, 2008

IMPEDIMENTS TO STABILITY IN IRAQ: THE ELUSIVE ECONOMIC DIMENSION Robert Looney* *The following article is an extract from Barry Rubin (ed.), Iraq After Saddam (Sharpe, forthcoming). Of the major contributors to stability in Iraq--military, political, and economic, the economic dimension has received the least attention from both the United States and the Iraqi authorities. In turn, the country's failed economy has undermined efforts in the other … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Economics, Iraq, MERIA Journal Volume 12, Number 01 (Mar 2008)