Podcast: EU works to maintain trade with Iran, Qatar’s Emir visits Lebanon, Tunisia gets a new party

This week, European Union diplomats and Iranian representatives adopt a new mechanism to maintain trade as Iran works to comply with the nuclear deal in the face of US sanctions. Qatar’s Emir travels to Lebanon for a financial conference, pledging funds for the country’s economy and appearing to step into the Lebanese political arena. And in Tunis, Youssef Chahed leads Tahya Tounes, a party breaking from the ruling Nidaa Tounes over economic policy and political infighting.

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The IMF and economic injustice in Tunisia

When Tunisians took to the streets in protest in early January, the target of popular anger seemed clear: the democratically-elected Tunisian government, which had voted in December to pass the controversial 2018 Finance Law that went into effect on January 1. Most saliently, the public was becoming increasingly aware that the Finance Law was not crafted solely by Tunisia’s elected representatives – the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which has loaned Tunisia massive sums of money since 2011, contributed heavily to the legislation.

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WATCH: Q & A with Hicham Alaoui

Hicham Alaoui, Visiting Fellow at Harvard’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs and D.Phil. Candidate at Oxford University, sat down with JMEPP Lead Editor Anna Boots to discuss current trends in North African politics, including Tunisia’s nascent democracy, North Africa’s unique position in the Middle East region, and ongoing protests in Morocco’s Rif.

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