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The MED This Week newsletter provides expert analysis and informed insights on the most significant developments in the MENA region, bringing together unique opinions on the topic and reliable foresight on future scenarios. Today, we turn the spotlight on the Emirates, which celebrated the 50th anniversary of its foundation at a time of vibrant diplomatic dynamism at both the regional and international levels. Nonetheless, despite this new emphasis on promoting dialogue, several vital economic and security challenges are likely to remain at the top of the country's agenda.

It is an acquired truth that Libya as a country, or better, a single entity did not come into being until 1934. Back then, the regions that composed Libya were assembled by the newly appointed Italian governor Italo Balbo into one whole unit to be administered. This period was cut short by Italy’s defeat in WWII: the country’s “liberation” resulted in its splitting into different areas, each under a European country’s mandate.

When Libya goes to the polls next, a key question will regard the number of youth that turn up to vote. Over a decade after the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi, the country’s chaos and dysfunction has resulted in interrupted lives, dashed hopes, and diminished prospects for the generation that has come of age in the post-Gaddafi period. More than half of Libya’s population is under 30 years of age. It’s a youth bulge that presents both challenges and opportunities. It’s also a demographic few Libyan political leaders have seriously engaged with up to now. 

The unfolding humanitarian and political crisis in Ethiopia has left many observers pessimistic about the likelihood of an inclusive and peaceful solution to the protracted conflict. After months of fighting between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s central government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the Ethiopian state is at real risk of collapse.