The fractured geo-political landscape of the Middle East and North Africa region has witnessed major conflicts and violence over the past decades. During the 1946–2015 period, 12 out of 59 conflict episodes in the MENA region lasted more than eight years, and in about half of these episodes the ensuing peace lasted less than 10 years, according to the 2016 International Monetary Fund paper. It has been a traumatic seven years and counting since the Syrian civil war began: over 5.6 million people have fled Syria since 2011, with a further 6.6 million internally displaced, according to UNHCR numbers. In Yemen, some 8 million people are on the brink of famine, not to mention facing the worst recorded cholera epidemic in history. As we near the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting and undertaking of good deeds (thawab), it behooves us to introspect, reflect on and commiserate with the suffering of refugees and the displaced, understand the economic and social implications of ongoing conflicts for the countries in turmoil and their neighbours, and find ways to support their stabilisation and recovery.
The escalation of conflicts since 2011 has resulted in a heightened incidence of terrorism, in addition to the humanitarian costs, deaths, displacement of populations, destruction of capital and dramatic reduction of gross domestic product. The World Bank estimates that disruptions to economic organisation were about 20 times costlier than capital destruction in the first six years of the Syrian conflict: think of the breakdown of law and order, reduced connectivity, higher transportation costs, and disruptions in supply chains and networks. It will take years, if not decades, for the war-torn nations of Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Sudan and others to return to their pre-crisis state.
Syrian refugees are scattered across the globe, but the majority seek safety in neighbouring countries, namely Turkey (3.6 million), Lebanon (986,000), Jordan (666,000), Iraq (250,000) and Egypt (129,000). In addition to the recorded refugees, there are countless millions internally and externally displaced. Spillovers from the conflicts extend to the neighbouring nations that accept the refugees: decline in output, strain on physical infrastructure, pressure on government budgets, spikes in inflation, higher current account deficits, in addition to increased poverty and social, economic and political tensions from a large influx of refugees and the displaced. Refugees and the displaced put a strain on limited domestic resources, including health, education, water, electricity and transport systems; not to mention their inability to adequately police the refugee camps or integrate the refugees living outside the camps in urban areas. The crisis is unsustainable and needs to be addressed.
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Read more:
UNHCR hopes Lebanon's Bassil will unfreeze work permits
Lebanese foreign minister battles UNHCR over refugee policy on return
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What can be done to support the refugees?
First and foremost, humanitarian aid or financial support. For example, the UN has received less than one-third of the funding it needs to support Syria’s 5.6 million refugees, let alone the displaced. The support should be directed towards food security, core health needs, and lifting those living way below the extreme poverty line: the annual Vulnerability Assessment of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon reveals that 58 per cent of households live in extreme poverty – on less than $2.87 per person per day and that food insecurity affects around 91 per cent of households to some degree.
Two, use modern technologies as an integral component of support to refugees and the displaced. A major issue facing refugees is the loss of ‘identity’ (including loss of identification papers) and community when they are displaced. Refugees can easily spend a third of their meagre disposable income on staying connected – be it for connecting with their family and friends, to contacting people-smugglers.
We should develop and implement an “e-refugee” concept. The United Nations should provide a secure electronic identity to refugees and the displaced using Blockchain technologies. The e-refugee identity would permit the delivery of aid using biometric data (iris scans, fingerprints) to avoid potential fraudsters, grant access to the financial system allowing financial inclusion, allow refugees to earn income by providing digital services (e-commerce, e-services), as well as enable connectivity with family, friends and community. Access to the internet and refugee dedicated networks would also support education through digital classrooms, as well as access to health and medical care online. The e-refugee identity would be particularly helpful for women who face discrimination by enabling them to provide services and gain an independent source of income. The e-refugee identity would also enable greater mobility for refugees who are typically severely restricted in their ability to move.
Three, refugees and the displaced should be formally integrated into local labour forces. This would allow them to earn income, become productive and pay taxes reducing the burden on host countries, local communities as well as aid agencies and organisations. The alternative is that a whole generation is unemployed, cannot build their human capital and will suffer a lifetime of deprivation and poverty. Extremism, violence and Daeshism are likely to resonate to the unemployed, marginalised, disenfranchised youth, particularly young men. Allowing refugees and the displaced to work would also allow them to build the skills and knowledge they would need to support in the reconstruction of their own countries post-conflict. Jordan provides a good example: in February 2016, the government announced that it would provide 200,000 jobs over five years for Syrian refugees. Jordan’s Labour Ministry has issued over 87,000 work permits for Syrian refugees in Jordan since 2016 (as of February 2018).
Four, rebuilding and re-developing the countries destroyed by war and violence (Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Libya, and Sudan) provides an investment opportunity in excess of $1.3 trillion and rising. The international community and countries of the region should rally together for the reconstruction of the war-torn countries: this would be a growth-lifting, job-creating strategy for the region and internationally. Integrating their rebuilt infrastructure into neighbouring countries would reduce costs, increase efficiency and result in economies of scale. The building blocks for this cooperative effort would be a regional security agreement and the setting up of an Arab Bank for Reconstruction and Development funded and led by the GCC, with participation by the European Union, China, Japan, the US, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and international financial institutions.
Nasser Saidi is the former chief economist of DIFC and has served as Lebanon’s economy minister
SPIDER-MAN%3A%20ACROSS%20THE%20SPIDER-VERSE
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COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
Switching%20sides
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WORLD CUP SEMI-FINALS
England v New Zealand (Saturday, 12pm)
Wales v South Africa (Sunday, 1pm)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
THE SPECS
2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid LE
Engine: 1.8 litre combined with 16-volt electric motors
Transmission: Automatic with manual shifting mode
Power: 121hp
Torque: 142Nm
Price: Dh95,900
The specs: 2018 Maserati Levante S
Price, base / as tested: Dh409,000 / Dh467,000
Engine: 3.0-litre V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 430hp @ 5,750rpm
Torque: 580Nm @ 4,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.9L / 100km
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
Friday's schedule in Madrid
Men's quarter-finals
Novak Djokivic (1) v Marin Cilic (9) from 2pm UAE time
Roger Federer (4) v Dominic Thiem (5) from 7pm
Stefanos Tsitsipas (8) v Alexander Zverev (3) from 9.30pm
Stan Wawrinka v Rafael Nadal (2) from 11.30pm
Women's semi-finals
Belinda Bencic v Simona Halep (3) from 4.30pm
Sloane Stephens (8) v Kiki Bertens (7) from 10pm
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”
Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
Personalities on the Plate: The Lives and Minds of Animals We Eat
Barbara J King, University of Chicago Press
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Turning%20waste%20into%20fuel
%3Cp%3EAverage%20amount%20of%20biofuel%20produced%20at%20DIC%20factory%20every%20month%3A%20%3Cstrong%3EApproximately%20106%2C000%20litres%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAmount%20of%20biofuel%20produced%20from%201%20litre%20of%20used%20cooking%20oil%3A%20%3Cstrong%3E920ml%20(92%25)%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ETime%20required%20for%20one%20full%20cycle%20of%20production%20from%20used%20cooking%20oil%20to%20biofuel%3A%20%3Cstrong%3EOne%20day%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EEnergy%20requirements%20for%20one%20cycle%20of%20production%20from%201%2C000%20litres%20of%20used%20cooking%20oil%3A%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%96%AA%20Electricity%20-%201.1904%20units%3Cbr%3E%E2%96%AA%20Water-%2031%20litres%3Cbr%3E%E2%96%AA%20Diesel%20%E2%80%93%2026.275%20litres%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
