The Syrian regime is acting as if it will survive forever and is seeking to cement ties with its allies for numerous objectives—none of which are positive.

Within the framework of the upcoming Country Partnership Strategy for Iraq, we reflect on the Social Protection challenges in Iraq, starting with a look at Iraq’s social safety nets, to be followed by subsequent blogs on labor/employment and social insurance.

The world’s driest region, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), is getting drier at an alarming rate.
And yet, despite massive population growth (the Middle East’s population grew 61 percent from 1990 to 2010 to 205 million people)* predictions of so-called “water wars” have failed to materialize.

Iraqi authorities must tackle underlying political issues to curb violence that has killed more than 600 people in May, and avoid approaching it as just a security problem, experts and officials say.

During our research for a report on climate change in the Arab world which released in Doha , I travelled the region extensively.

Times of transition can be defining moments for social welfare systems. This is when these systems that are designed (or should be) to help the poorest and most vulnerable citizens come under scrutiny, a real stress test as to whether they can respond to those in need.

Food security in Iraq has improved in the last decade, as the American-led invasion brought an end to sanctions and a resumption of open relations between Iraq and the rest of the world.