Turkey lifts veil on unemployment data, revealing bigger army of jobless A new, broader set of labor statistics has exposed a big gap between Turkey’s official unemployment rate and the actual joblessness in the crisis-hit country. Turkey
Rights group criticizes Jordan over debt imprisonment Human Rights Watch has highlighted the plight of poor Jordanians imprisoned for failing to pay back loans taken out to meet basic needs. Jordan
COVID accelerates evolution of Gulf economies The economic policy response to COVID-19 is an acceleration of specific trends already underway across the Gulf Cooperation Council members, variously affecting tax policy, labor market regulation and immigration policy. Saudi Arabia
Iran receives COVID-19 vaccine from Cuba Iran enjoys warm relations with the Latin American state and the two countries are also developing a coronavirus vaccine together. Iran
Israel Subsidizes High-Tech Firms, With Mixed Results Intel Israel received outstanding grants from the state but has not generated the much-awaited change in the socioeconomic structure of nearby towns, nor a revolution in their education systems. Israel
Gulf Cities Have Long Way to Go Before Leading Arab World The author takes issue with Sultan Al Qassemi's article calling the Gulf cities the new centers of the Arab world. United Arab Emirates
Middle East Water Initiative Based on Rhine River Model The "Blue Peace in the Middle East" initiative seeks to examine how the multinational cooperation around the Rhine River might inform similar water agreements in the Middle East. Pan Arab
Turkey Goes Ballistic for China The whole episode has become an oxymoron of noisy speechlessness. Turkey
Pass the Sugar: Turkey, Middle East Need a 'Tea Party' The region needs more openness and dialogue, and less conspiracy, around its tea culture. Turkey
Tribes Still Rule in Yemen The Yemeni revolution did not overturn the influence of tribes on Yemen politics. Yemen
Chinese Billionaire Invests In Israeli Tech Institute The $130 billion donation by Li Ka-shing to establish a joint Israeli Technion-Chinese research center is just the first step toward unlimited technology cooperation between Israel and China. Israel
Sex Trafficking Open Secret In Northern Cyprus A lawmaker reignites a debate on white-slavery trafficking in Turkish Cyprus, where the smoke screen of the “Las Vegas” myth obscures abuse and suffering. Turkey
Iran Shifts to Lower Gear In Privatization A change of management at the Iran Privatization Organization is the reason for a new focus geared to improved productivity and efficiency. Iran
Natural Gas Resources May Be Backstory in Syria War The Syria war, like many of the region's other conflicts, has an important oil and gas angle. Lebanon
New Fast-Food Chicken Franchise Opens in Algeria Chicken Cottage, a popular British competitor to the US' KFC chain, is a stark contrast to most similarly priced restaurants in Algiers. Culture & Society
