https://www.jacobinmag.com/2022/03/eu-germany-energy-green-hydrogen-repowereu-western-sahara The EU has started to turn away from Russian fossil fuels as part of their transition to green energy. The plan to transition means heavier reliance on Morocco and the Western Sahara for imports. Since the Ukrainian invasion, the EU has slashed Russian gas imports by 2/3. Europe also plans to stop using all Russian oil and gas by… Read more »
https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-business-africa-religion-middle-east-30a631e524483223ea1ede82ccb599ed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has sent food and energy prices skyrocketing, and in the Middle East, prices are at an all time high. The price of bread has skyrocketed in the Arab world, as global wheat prices have risen because of the invasion of Ukraine, as both Ukraine and Russia are some of the world’s biggest wheat producers. The… Read more »
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/29/hold-us-moves-to-shore-up-unhappy-allies-on-north-africa-visit US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken recently visited Morocco and Algeria, looking to bring the them closer to the US, and closer to each other. The Biden Administration has been disconnected to North Africa for the most part since the start of the administration. Algeria has been concerned over the US’ refusal to recognize Moroccan sovereignty over the highly… Read more »
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-arabia-uae-leaders-mbs-mbz-reject-call-biden The US has failed to reach a phone call conference with Saudi and UAE crown princes in recent weeks. This comes after the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the high rise in oil and gas prices. The rejection comes after Saudi and Emirati officials criticized US policy in the Gulf recently. Both countries are concerned over Iran’s current… Read more »
https://allafrica.com/stories/202202250013.html Russia has had an important role in Africa through aid, military training, trade, and paramilitary security. Those roles and relationships are being put to the test currently as Russia continues it’s invasion of Ukraine. Regardless of the success of the invasion, Africa and Russia’s relations will have changed. The continent of Africa will feel the repercussions from Russia’s invasion… Read more »
https://ecfr.eu/article/unsettled-the-impact-of-the-russia-ukraine-crisis-on-the-middle-east-and-north-africa/ The current conflict in Ukraine could have severe impacts on Europe’s interest in the Middle East and Northern Africa. It could disrupt energy supply lines, create food shortages, and cause states in the region to build up leverage over Europe and the USA. Since Russia has invaded Ukraine, the effects of the war will not just affect Europe, but… Read more »
North African countries and Israel have had their tiffs. When the Jewish State of Israel was formed in 1948 none of the Northern African countries would recognize it. In October of 2020, Sudan became the first North African country to recognize Israel. Recently, Morocco has recognized Israel as the third North African state to recognize them. The second was Egypt… Read more »
On January 17th, Abu Dhabi came under attack by Houthi troops in Yemen. That was the second attack in the span of a week. Emirati air defenses intercepted incoming missiles, but a separate drone strike ended up killing 3 civilians. Analysts state that the attack was in response to battlefield setbacks for the Houthis. The Houthi have caused issues in… Read more »
On February 3, U.S. special forces conducted a raid in Syria, killing ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi. No U.S. troops were injured, but 13 civilians were killed, including children. U.S. official said Qurayshi detonated a bomb before U.S. troops entered, killing himself and his family on detonation. There are roughly 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria. The… Read more »
