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The Middle East and North Africa

The conflicts and crises in the Middle East and North Africa are central themes in NUPI research on the region.

What roles do the emergent big powers play in these conflicts? How do great-power politics influence regional dynamics? These are central question that affect relations elsewhere around the globe, especially as regards energy issues. Developments in individual countries like Egypt, Syria and Iran are also followed closely by NUPI researchers, as are questions of the security situation in the area and how this is affected by actors and conflicts elsewhere in Africa.
Publications
Publications
Niagalé Bagayoko, Mahamoudou Savadogo

L’architecture de sécurité intérieure burkinabé face à la gestion d’une crise multidimensionnelle

The military response has been the main focus to address the multidimensional crisis that the Sahel has been going through since 2012. However, it is equally important to look at the internal security forces' role in addressing insecurity. In this regard, Burkina Faso represents a particularly interesting field of lessons. Faced with the spillover of the Malian crisis on its soil and the emergence of endogenous violence, Burkina Faso is faced with substantial security challenges. Therefore, the country has been forced to rethink its approaches to defence policy, fight against terrorism and sub-regional security, and its conception of public security in a context where threats are now both local and external. Community policing has been placed at the core of Burkina Faso’s security approach.

  • Defence
  • Security policy
  • Terrorism and extremism
  • The Middle East and North Africa
  • Africa
  • Conflict
  • Fragile states
  • Insurgencies
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  • Defence
  • Security policy
  • Terrorism and extremism
  • The Middle East and North Africa
  • Africa
  • Conflict
  • Fragile states
  • Insurgencies
Publications
Publications

Climate, Peace and Security Fact Sheet: Iraq

• Increasing temperatures, decreasing water availability and greater inter-annual variability in rainfall negatively affect agriculture, reduce household income and food availability, and exacerbate livelihood insecurity. Women and girls are disproportionately affected by the adverse effects of climate change, due to pre-existing gender norms and persisting inequalities. • Low agriculture yields and loss of livelihoods contribute to increased urban migration, with urban challenges including the risk of social unrest and protests in host cities. • Armed groups and militias leverage the economic hardships, further exacerbated by the compounding effects of climate change, for recruitment and support. Weak governance increases the opportunities for elite exploitation and corruption, which leads to further marginalization and exclusion that feed grievances and drive instability.

  • The Middle East and North Africa
  • Peace operations
  • Conflict
  • Climate
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  • The Middle East and North Africa
  • Peace operations
  • Conflict
  • Climate

Climate change, peace and security in Afghanistan

How does climate change affect peace and security in Afghanistan? NUPI and SIPRI, under the Climate-related Peace and Security Risks project have published a new fact sheet on this topic. Read it here.
  • The Middle East and North Africa
  • Africa
  • Climate
  • United Nations
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Climate, Peace and Security Fact Sheet: Afghanistan

Afghanistan is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change: rising temperatures, changing precipitation patterns and increasingly frequent extreme weather events. Currently, Afghanistan is experiencing its worst drought in 27 years, which, compounded with COVID-19 and the economic contraction that followed the takeover of the government by the Taliban in August 2021, has significantly increased livelihood and food insecurity and contributed to a growing humanitarian emergency.
  • The Middle East and North Africa
  • Africa
  • Conflict
  • Climate
  • United Nations
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Tinatin  Osmonova

Tinatin Osmonova

Former employee

Tinatin Osmonova was a Visiting Research Fellow at NUPI in 2022.

  • International economics
  • Economic growth
  • Development policy
  • Europe
  • Russia and Eurasia
  • The Middle East and North Africa
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • North America
  • South and Central America
  • The Arctic
  • The Nordic countries
  • Oceania
  • Climate
  • Energy
  • Governance
  • International organizations
  • International economics
  • Economic growth
  • Development policy
  • Europe
  • Russia and Eurasia
  • The Middle East and North Africa
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • North America
  • South and Central America
  • The Arctic
  • The Nordic countries
  • Oceania
  • Climate
  • Energy
  • Governance
  • International organizations
Publications
Publications
Scientific article

On digital media in Lebanon's political crisis

The technology-driven transformation of the media environment is changing politics worldwide. Yet everywhere is not the same. The digital revolution yields different results in different political contexts. This policy brief analyses digital media’s role in the political crisis unfolding in Lebanon – a weak, divided and contested state. It discusses the implications for Norwegian development aid to the country. Part 3 of 4 in the series: Digital technology and international politics

  • Defence and security
  • Cyber
  • Diplomacy and foreign policy
  • Development policy
  • Regions
  • The Middle East and North Africa
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  • Defence and security
  • Cyber
  • Diplomacy and foreign policy
  • Development policy
  • Regions
  • The Middle East and North Africa
Publications
Publications
Chapter

Ali Hosseini Khamenei: Routinizing Revolution in Iran

This chapter analyzes how Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei consolidated his rule and the political consequences of his survival strategy. The author argues that Iran’s long-serving leader capitalized on the institutional and ideological legacies of his predecessor, Ayatollah Khomeini, as well as on the high potential for repression in revolutionary regimes. Khamenei has invested in nonelected and parallel revolutionary bodies, maintained strong emphasis on the Islamic Revolution’s ideology and recruited a new generation of followers to the ruling coalition. This essay outlines the tensions arising from Khamenei’s reliance on the organizational structures, aims, and elite selection mechanisms of the revolution and the wish of the Iranian population to change the political course of this important Middle Eastern country.

  • Regions
  • The Middle East and North Africa
  • Peace, crisis and conflict
  • Conflict
  • Global governance
  • Governance
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  • Regions
  • The Middle East and North Africa
  • Peace, crisis and conflict
  • Conflict
  • Global governance
  • Governance
Publications
Publications
Scientific article

Ad Hoc Crisis Response and International Organisations (ADHOCISM)

International organisations (IOs) are created with the aim of solving collective action problems when a crisis arises. Yet, member states have repeatedly established ad hoc crisis responses in situations where IOs might be expected to play a central role. ADHOCISM asks what is the impact of ad hoc crisis responses on international organisations? In this way, ADHOCISM wants to contribute to filling this knowledge gap through a systematic study of ad hoc crisis responses in two policy domains: security and health. With this paired comparison, ADHOCISM wants to tap into a broader empirical governance phenomenon. Ad hoc crisis responses are here understood as loose groups of actors that agree to solve a particular crisis at a given time and location outside of an existing international organisation in the same policy domain. Ad hoc crisis reponses can, in the short-term, lead to more rapid and effective crisis responses among like-minded states, but if international organisations are no longer seen as the principal instruments to confront global challenges, the risk is also that the relevance of these international organisations will diminish, and similar trends may unfold in other domains.

  • Defence and security
  • Security policy
  • Terrorism and extremism
  • NATO
  • Diplomacy and foreign policy
  • Regions
  • The Middle East and North Africa
  • Africa
  • Peace, crisis and conflict
  • Fragile states
  • Insurgencies
  • Global governance
  • International organizations
  • The EU
  • United Nations
  • AU
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  • Defence and security
  • Security policy
  • Terrorism and extremism
  • NATO
  • Diplomacy and foreign policy
  • Regions
  • The Middle East and North Africa
  • Africa
  • Peace, crisis and conflict
  • Fragile states
  • Insurgencies
  • Global governance
  • International organizations
  • The EU
  • United Nations
  • AU
Anne  Funnemark

Anne Funnemark

Former employee

Anne Funnemark was a Junior Research Fellow at NUPI. She was a part of the Climate-related Peace and Security Risks (CPSR) project and the MCDC Cl...

  • Defence
  • Security policy
  • The Middle East and North Africa
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Peace operations
  • Humanitarian issues
  • Conflict
  • Climate
  • Human rights
  • United Nations
  • Defence
  • Security policy
  • The Middle East and North Africa
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Peace operations
  • Humanitarian issues
  • Conflict
  • Climate
  • Human rights
  • United Nations
Articles
Analysis
Articles
Analysis

On digital media in Lebanon’s political crisis

The technology-driven transformation of the media environment is changing politics worldwide. Yet everywhere is not the same. The digital revolution yields different results in different political contexts. This policy brief analyses digital media’s role in the political crisis unfolding in Lebanon – a weak, divided and contested state. It discusses the implications for Norwegian development aid to the country.
  • Cyber
  • Development policy
  • The Middle East and North Africa
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