The United Nations report World Urbanization Prospects 2018 describes a megacity as a city of 10 million or more inhabitants.[1] By that definition, the number of megacities will increase from 10 in 1990 to an estimated 43 in 2030 globally, hosting nearly 9 percent of the world’s population.[2] Spanning five continents, megacities present numerous economic, demographic,…
In all six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries[1], the bulk of government revenues comes from hydrocarbons. Despite the recent rise in the price of oil, some countries in the GCC face a harsh economic outlook due to unemployment, high debt levels, and strained financial markets. In addition to the socioeconomic challenges, GCC countries are likely…
Today, the Middle East in North Africa (MENA) region faces the great challenges of social integration and economic diversification. According to an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development report on youth in the MENA region, “young men and women in the MENA region face the highest youth unemployment levels in the world. With the share…
American attention in the Pacific region has shifted to northeast Asia because trade and security disputes with China and North Korea have become the focal point of U.S. foreign policy in the region. As a result, Southeast Asia has received secondary attention from the United States and may even be considered through the lens of…
The workshop was organized by the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC), the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), and the Hollings Center for International Dialogue to explore cross-border quality assurance of higher education specifically in Malaysia, Oman, and the United States and more generally in the Arab region and in Southeast Asia. The purpose was…
The political landscape of the Middle East and North Africa in 2018 is a terrain deeply hostile to nurturing the seeds of democracy planted so spectacularly just seven years prior during the momentous events of the Arab Uprisings. The region today seems characterized above all by violence, instability, social tension, renewed authoritarianism, and humanitarian crisis….
The Middle East and North Africa region urgently needs ethical and sustainable solutions for the plethora of challenges it faces, including the pressure of displaced populations, growing unemployment, armed conflict, environmental concerns, and lack of food or water security. Multiple previous Hollings Center dialogue programs have noted the important need for sustainable economic growth and…
Africa in recent years has attracted the attention of new global actors such as Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and other Gulf states, due to its growing markets, vast natural resources, and geostrategic importance. Non-state actors from the Middle East have also taken an interest in Africa by establishing religious and…
Numerous studies and efforts seek to understand the conditions in which Da’esh ideology and message spreads, in other words the “root causes” of extremism. Despite these efforts, there is room for more dialogue regarding how communities, civil society, and state apparatuses deal with these root causes. Looking at community-based, local solutions to radicalization as well…
The Middle East and North Africa region faces growing pressure on its water systems due to population growth, socio-economic development, security issues, urbanization, and environmental degradation. Some of these issues were discussed during the Hollings Center’s May 2014 dialogue conference, High and Dry: Addressing the Middle East Water Challenge. The dialogue, which was cosponsored by…
