MENA inquiry continues with focus on Levant and North Africa
The Foreign Affairs Committee continues its inquiry into the UK’s engagement with the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), with a session focused on the Levant and North Africa, taking place at 14.00 on Tuesday 26 March. Expert witnesses – including Jonathan Wilks, former UK Ambassador to Qatar, Iraq, Oman and Syria and academics from the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Royal United Services Institute – will give evidence.
Meeting details
The first panel focuses on developments in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Iraq, exploring recent conflicts, economic collapse and the activities of Iranian proxies and allies. Topics likely to be covered include Kurdistan – and Turkey’s relationship with Kurdistan – and the threat of outside powers including Russia, China and Iran.
The second panel examines Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Libya. It will include discussion of whether the development of democracy has stalled in recent years, particularly in Tunisia and Morocco, and whether the Sahel coups have had an effect on North Africa (and vice versa). Questions are also likely to focus on desertification and migration from North Africa.