Including Iraq .. Agency predicts the fate of countries "chaotic" in 2019

Including Iraq .. Agency predicts the fate of countries "chaotic" in 2019



Twilight News

23 hours ago

The Associated Press published an analysis of the possible situation in the Middle East over the next year based on what happened in 2018.

Yemen: With the support of the Saudi-led coalition, the Yemeni government has made some progress with the Huthis associated with Iran towards a UN-sponsored peace deal last week, the first after 4 Years of fighting that have killed at least 60,000 people and pushed the country to the brink of abyss and famine.

A new round of talks is scheduled for January, with US pressure on the Gulf states expected to bring further calm.

Saudi Arabia: Trump's strong support for Saudi Arabia is expected to continue, because the alliance with Riyadh is a means of putting pressure on Iran. However, Washington lacks a clear policy toward Syria. Where Trump's positions on whether he wants US troops to stay in Syria have changed.

SYRIA: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been able to help Russia and Iran crush the seven-year-old opposition. Despite the end of the war and fighting that continues in the rebel-held north, the inner circle of Assad and his allies sees they make a fortune Of rebuilding the shattered country.

Iraq: Almost a year has passed since the government announced its victory over a nascent organization, but there are still challenges, including the rebuilding of devastated cities. Anti-corruption riots and poor services in the oil-rich south of Basra have shown the urgency of tackling Iraq's economic problems.

Libya: Competing governments in the East and West agreed to meet at a national conference in early 2019 to pave the way for a general election. Oil production remains below pre-2011 levels, and insecurity continues to prevent foreign investment and economic growth.

Iran: Tehran has been hit hard by US sanctions, which have been imposed again, and the currency was very volatile, but Tehran did not witness violent protests only at the beginning of the year. Although the US withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal ended multi-billion dollar deals for aircraft and automobile manufacturers, Washington allowed many countries to continue importing Iranian oil at the moment. This has led to lower oil prices and tension in Gulf economies. Qatar: The boycott imposed by the Arab quartet (Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE and Egypt) will not end anytime soon, especially as Qatar withdraws from the Saudi-controlled Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

Egypt: The Middle East's largest country with a population of 100 million, with job creation lagging behind. But investor confidence is improving, although inflation has exceeded targets set by the International Monetary Fund.

Lebanon: A politically volatile atmosphere due to Hezbollah and decades of mismanagement, it has $ 84 billion in debt, raising fears of imminent economic collapse.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Israel continued to build settlements in the West Bank, and Hamas led mass marches on the border against a 10-year siege on the Gaza Strip and Palestinians launched sporadic attacks against Israelis. Dozens were killed in 2018 due to the conflict, the vast majority of whom were Palestinians.

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