Category Archives: Analysis
#Egypt: Investing in Infrastructure Isn’t a “Fool/Full Proof” Plan
From March 13th to 15th , Egypt hosted a two-day economic summit to present its business case as THE emerging economy in the Mediterranean and African region. Meanwhile, the U.S. Government Accountability Office reported on the status of the U.S.-Egypt … Continue reading
How do you increase GDP by 20% in MENA region? #IWD2015
If, during the next 15 years, the participation of women in the workforce across the Middle East and North Africa simply reaches that of two-thirds of men—around 60 percent—it has the potential to spike regional GDP by 20 percent or … Continue reading
Reducing Freedom Through #AutocraSisi #BloggerFlogger #OilSpoils … and torture
Freedom includes many things: freedom from autocracy and/or flogging. (The autocratic practices in Egypt, by, say, President Sisi, is what prompted us to coin the term “autocrasisi”. We are also a bit worried about the “blogger flogger” phenomena in Saudi … Continue reading
“Breaking the Cycle: Creating Solutions for Water Security in the Middle East”
In 2010, the U.S. World Threat Assessment listed water scarcity in MENA as a global threat. Source: U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence The Hollings Center for International Dialogue asked: How to create solutions for water security in the Middle … Continue reading
Libya and #AlgerianAftermath
Libya’s and Algeria’s aftermath since Gaddhafi’s removal includes a shared border. In Washington, DC, the Arab awakening and uprising discussions primarily focus on Tunisia and Egypt…and sometimes Libya. Yemen’s successful ouster of its leader, President Ali Abdullah Saleh, has largely … Continue reading
Which Country Earned ‘Most Improved Nation’ in 2010 for #HumanDev? #OmanSymposium
Dear Pitaconsumers, Which country earned ‘Most Improved Nation’ in the 2010 Human Development Report? The country whose major art display reflects on how trade ties go as far back as linking Mesopotamia’s civilization with the Indus civilization. And who also … Continue reading
Round 2 of Tunisia’s Presidential Election: December 28th, 2014
Sometimes, we wish the U.S. offered as many presidential candidates on the final ballot– like some Arab countries demonstrated in the last four years. We are not kidding or being facetious. Why? Tunisian voters aren’t yet stuck with the two-party … Continue reading
Middle East Institute 68th Annual Conference: “Navigating the Storm” #MiddleEast
“What’s happening in the region is renegotiation of social contracts.”~ Randa Slim, Director for Initiative for Track 2 Dialogues at Middle East Institute This bodes true for countries that are in the middle of transitioning power… and can be argued … Continue reading
Tunisia Elections: Historic Process, or Event?
What makes Tunisia’s elections historic: its process or ‘E-day’? The Tunisian elections witnessed some historic developments. We are not just talking about the election event moment, but the overall process. The election event moment was when The Nidaa Tounes Party, … Continue reading
Filed under Analysis, Politics, Technology
USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives Celebrates 20th Anniversary
Office of Transition Initiatives is often referred to the first line of development in #USAID. OTI is an incubator”.~USAID’s New Deputy Administrator, General Lenhardt Washington, DC- On October 20th, the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Office of Transition Initiatives … Continue reading
