Middle East & North Africa Archive

The massive, exhilarating protests in Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen mark a sea change for the better in the Arab world. But the implications of the uprisings for women in these countries have not yet been fully analyzed. All of the countries currently experiencing upheaval have made significant progress for women — progress that could be swept away very easily, as it was in Iran in 1979, never to be regained. Tunisia promulgated one of the most-enlightened personal-status codes for women in the Arab world in 1956, under Habib Bourguiba. Polygyny, the taking of multiple wives, was outlawed; men could no […]

India’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), announced in late December that it would no longer allow Indian importers to trade with Iran using the Asian Clearing Union (ACU), saying it wanted to explore an alternate means of facilitating trade-related payments. The move came as something of a surprise, even though the U.S. had been pushing India to take this measure for quite some time. For its part, Iran did not welcome the move and initially put the onus on India to find an alternative mechanism. Talks are currently underway to resolve the issue. Nevertheless, the episode has […]

With unrest shaking the Arab world, this World Politics Review special report examines the politics and policies of Tunisia, Egypt and Yemen through articles published from April 2010 to January 2011. Below are links to each article in this special report, which subscribers can read in full. Subscribers can also download a .pdf version of this report from our document center. Not a subscriber? Subscribe now, or try our subscription service for free. Regional Overview Middle East Heralds New Year With Winter of DiscontentBy James M. DorseyJan. 10, 2011 The Battle for Islam’s SoulBy Thomas P.M. BarnettJan. 24, 2011 Egypt: […]

Recep Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister, has called on Hosni Mubarak, Egypt’s president, to listen to the calls for change from Egyptian people.