Tag - environment of the Middle East - The Century Foundation

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Order from Ashes Podcast: Nature and National Security in the Middle East

CAIRO, EGYPT - DECEMBER 15: City buildings are seen in front of the famous Giza Pyramids on December 15, 2016 in Cairo, Egypt. Since the 2011 Arab Spring, Egyptians have been facing a crisis, the uprising brought numerous political changes, but also economic turmoil, increased terror attacks and the unravelling of the once strong tourism sector. In recent weeks Egypt has again been hit by multiple bomb blasts, the most recent killed 26 Christians inside the St Peter and St Paul Church during Sunday mass. As Christians took to the streets chanting anti-government slogans, fears grow of an escalation in militant activity which would further deal damage to a country trying to rebuild. In recent months protests against rising fuel and food prices, calls for mass anti-government demonstrations and the continued terror attacks have seen Egyptian president Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, suffer a significant drop in popularity. Mr. Al-Sisi has promised change, fearing anger and desperation could lead to popular unrest, however inflation currently sits at the highest level in seven years, jobless rates are above 13percent and more than 90million people are said to be living in poverty. The outlook forced the government to seek a $12 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund, pushing the country to float the Egyptian pound to qualify for the loan. The move led to a sharp devaluation of the Egyptian pound which now sits at 18EGP to the dollar. The turmoil is affecting not only the poor but both the middle-class and the wealthy as food and commodity prices skyrocket. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

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Middle Eastern Environmentalists Need a Seat at the Table

GAZA CITY, GAZA - AUGUST 30: A man leaves after closing his cafe on the corniche of the Gaza Strip, due to the coronavirus lockdown on August 30, 2020 in Gaza City, Gaza. Fears are growing that the already crippled health care system will not be able to cope, as coronavirus cases continue to rise throughout the Gaza strip. In the past weeks Israel has responded to incendiary balloons launched from Gaza, with airstrikes and further blockade restrictions adding to the pressure on residents already struggling with just four hours of electricity a day. In the past week, the Ministry of Health and Security Services in the Gaza Strip have issued strict lockdown and movement restrictions, to try to contain the rising infections. On August 31, Hamas agreed to temporarily end hostilities with Israel in exchange for a cash infusion from Qatar and an agreement with Israel to once again allow fuel to Gaza’s power station in a bid to calm the ongoing situation and deal with the latest coronavirus outbreak. Since March, there have reportedly been over 500 coronavirus cases with 5 confirmed deaths in the Gaza strip. (Photo by Fatima Shbair/Getty Images)

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Saving Gaza Begins with Its Water

BSHARRI, LEBANON - MAY 1948: A view of cedar trees on the hills of Bsharri, Lebanon. (Photo by Ivan Dmitri/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

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Bringing the Natural World into America’s Middle East Policy: Averting a Crisis Foretold