A seminar about the geopolitics in North Africa

Five years after the start of the so-called Arab Spring in North Africa, the region still faces some challenges. Tunisia, the most promising model, is undergoing an uncertain transition. Not only are the socio-economic and political conditions rather worrisome, but also the country’s security situation is threatened by events in neighboring failed state Libya.  Algeria has been at the forefront of the war on terrorism in the region, but its domestic situation faces various challenges: drops in oil prices, unemployment among youth, and political instability. Morocco is also suffering from unpredictable socio-economic and political conditions. The problems of the region have been aggravated by the continued war in Mali, despite France’s intervention in 2013. Furthermore, the absence of Maghreb integration has added to an already complex situation. The emergence of these new trends in the geopolitics of the MENA region—particularly the slow demise of IS and the escalating power competition between the US and Russia—will have an historic impact on the future order of this region.

Yahia H. Zoubir is a Professor of International Relations and International Management, and Director of Research in Geopolitics at the Kedge Business School in Marseille, France and currently a visiting professor at PKU. Prior to joining Kedge in September 2005, he was a managing and academic director of the US Campus, Thunderbird Europe, France. He has also served as a visiting faculty member in numerous universities and business schools for the last 30 years, notably in China (Renmin University, Shanghai Jiatong University, and Shanghai University of Finance and Economics), and the United States.

Gong Zheng is an Assistant Researcher at the Institute of Middle East Studies at China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR). He joined CICIR in 2011, focusing on Israel-Palestine relations, the Syrian crisis, and the politics of Jordan and Lebanon. He received his Master’s in International Politics at Peking University.

Originally found on Legation Quarter