Addressing the Deepening Socioeconomic Crises
Mediterranean Platform Conference
Mediterranean 2028: Envisioning the Medium-term Future of the Broader Region
School of Government, Luiss Guido Carli University
Rome 20-21 November 2023
The Covid-19 pandemic and the consequences of the Ukraine war have hit the MENA and broader Mediterranean region unevenly. Amid several economic crises, it remains unclear how the strategies of Gulf countries and supporting states might evolve in the MENA region. While Arab Gulf countries are benefiting from the oil price bonanza and pushing forward on their economic diversification strategies, they are increasingly looking east to China and Asia for their economic future and expanding their reach into Europe and Africa. These countries’ interest in the MENA is waning as is their willingness to bail out or invest the troubled countries or the region. Western donors are also constrained by shrinking financial capacities and the lack of a clear strategy on how to confront the intensifying crises.
Bad by design, not by accident. In MENA countries, bad governance is not by accident but by design. Many of the regimes benefit from the type of governance in the region.
29 July 2024
4 June 2024
28 May 2024