A new cruise terminal in Dubai should significantly boost cruise traffic and tourism in the Middle East. Dubai already has a cruise terminal that regularly receives cruise ships, but the Emirate recently announced plans for a new terminal, expected to open in late 2020, that developers hope will create a “maritime hub” in the region.… Continue Reading
As Middle Eastern cities rise from the desert and economic growth facilitates new and innovative building design, architecture is becoming a means for the region to express its identity, culture, and relationship with history. Building design and urban growth in the Middle East can reflect the tension between historic preservation, how cities are responding to… Continue Reading
While the Middle East has long been known as a major exporter of fossil fuels thanks to rich oil reserves, the region is also embracing renewable energy to provide cheaper, more efficient power to its people. As the population—and energy consumption—grows in the Middle East, innovative companies are challenging nations’ reliance on oil with large-scale… Continue Reading
Unreliable electricity was once a long-standing problem in the Middle East, particularly in the 1990s when random power outages were frequent, and customers never knew if or when they would have electricity. The GCC Interconnection Authority, which was established by six Middle Eastern countries in 2001, has led to significant changes in the way that… Continue Reading
While war has subsided in northern Iraq, officials say a new battle is beginning: that to rebuild the country. At a recent three-day donor conference in Kuwait, leaders met to discuss aid for Iraq, which officials believe needs about $88 billion to reconstruct schools, infrastructure, and other losses after years of conflict. While donors had… Continue Reading
A long-delayed pipeline that will cross four Asian countries broke ground in Afghanistan in late February 2018, signaling a significant development in regional cooperation and the economic future of Central Asia. The Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India pipeline, also known as TAPI, is a 1,814-kilometer pipeline that will transport about 33 billion cubic meters of natural gas each year… Continue Reading
Supplying food to desert regions where populations are increasing and water is scarce has become a significant challenge. Desert conditions, which can be extremely hot, windy, and bug-ridden, make growing most plants impossible. Greenhouses have long been a solution for growing produce in difficult climates, but they most often are used to keep plants warm… Continue Reading
As Afghanistan continues to address the negative effects of decades of conflict, recovery efforts are rebuilding and strengthening the country’s infrastructure. Ongoing conflicts have left many of Afghanistan’s rural residents without accessible, clean water, and irrigation systems have been decimated by bombing and shelling. Afghanistan’s mountainous terrain has sustained damage from war and weather, which… Continue Reading
Being surrounded by land can make economic progress especially difficult for developing countries. With no direct access to a port, landlocked countries can fall behind coastal neighbors that reap the significant economic benefits of maritime trade. Abid Amiri, a director in Afghanistan’s Ministry of Finance, recently published an essay about Afghanistan’s plans to overcome its… Continue Reading
Saudi Arabia has taken its first major step toward large-scale renewable energy with its announcement that the government is taking bids for the Sakaka utility-scale solar energy project. The project is part of the government’s proposal to generate more than 9.5 gigawatts of electricity a year from renewable sources. “The whole idea of this is… Continue Reading