Valdai Club

The October Sochi meetings between the Russian, Ethiopian and Egyptian leaderships, if they lead to agreements about the use of the Nile water, would improve the future of the nations of Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt.

Algeria is witnessing one of the largest popular mobilizations of its modern history. Fears about the future, discontent with the political and economic lethargy, and a general fatigue with the ruling clan’s corruption formed an explosive mixture. It is possible, moreover, that some clans inside Algeria’s power circles have backed these demonstrations, especially via media and social media.

Jamal Khashoggi’s murder is one of the most mediatized cases in modern history. Rarely did a man’s fate provoke such an international uproar, taking up the attention of the US president for weeks and pushing western capitals to treat Saudi Arabia almost like a rogue state. The reaction surprised the Saudi leadership and tarnished its image abroad but it is unlikely to alter the policies of its de facto ruler, crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS).

The end of ISIS will be remembered by the propagandists of the next ISIS as one more historical defeat by the stronger “non-believers”, and it will contribute in the narrative of victimization. This will be confronted from the “non-believers” side by innate hostility and excessive violence that will perpetuate the scenario again and again.

The time has come to give the United Nations more prerogatives in order to coordinate efforts and address the issue of terrorism from a global and more benevolent angle, Valdai Club expert Youssef Cherif believes.

Freeing Raqqa from ISIS in October was widely welcomed by western media and capitals, but it received a cold response from Damascus and Teheran, as well as accusations of "barbaric bombing" from Moscow. Russia's Defence Ministry even compared the air campaign to the 1945 Allied Forces bombing of Dresden.

Since the Era of Independence Arab politics was orchestrated by expansionist powers led by charismatic strongmen. The vacuum left by their eventual disappearance allowed for new types of hegemons to appear, just as destructive as their predecessors,

The old Arab political system’s restoration is a Pyrrhic victory. A considerable effort was spent to stop the Arab Revolution – which may have well ended in violence and chaos anyway – but no viable alternatives were offered. Quite often, the remaining energy is diffused in quixotic battles.