The RAND Blog This blog-post from The Rand Blog identifies challenges in COVID-19 responses faced by Lebanon amid the current political and economic crises. The authors also highlights the country’s successes and innovations in combating those challenges. Article
Read MoreBMC Public Health This article evaluates and compares public opinion on the governmental measures to control the spread of COVID-19 of high, low and middle-income countries in the Middle East. When benchmarked with international levels of satisfaction, GCC countries scored highly whereas Lebanon scored poorly. Journal Article
Read MoreDoctors without Borders This article from MSF reports on the failure of the COVID-19 vaccine Humanitarian Buffer (HB) in its mission to support populations hit by the pandemic and struggling to have access to immunization. The HB is part of the COVAX mechanism from the WHO and aims to assist populations who do not have…
Read MoreMondoweiss The article provides COVID-19 data in Palestine and Israel in a tabular form. It studies the pandemic through aspects of military occupation, structural impoverishment, limited mobility and a blockade for the 15th year in Gaza. Article
Read MoreAmnesty International Amnesty International reports on many barriers preventing residents from getting their vaccines in a mountainous area by the Tunisian-Algerian border where the organization has conducted field research. They say that the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the weakness of right to health protections in Tunisia and particularly when it came to vaccine rollout programs and…
Read MoreArab Barometer This article describes the results of surveying Iraqi attitudes vis-à-vis living conditions and other metrics amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings of this survey display public discontent over political life, dissatisfaction with education and health systems and economic performances, and concerns about civil liberties. Article
Read MoreSKY News Arabia This article follows judicial developments in Morocco seeking to assess whether the COVID-19 pandemic qualifies as a reason to break legal contracts as a force majeure. Article
Read MoreMiddle East Critique This article discusses how the Palestinians approached the pandemic within the context of occupation, and how they used their power to reproduce what Henri Lefebvre called heterotopic spaces. The aim is to shed light on the evolving role of civil society to support local action in dealing with a pandemic and to…
Read MorePolicing: A Journal of Policy and Practice This article studies the role of media in the police response in relation to COVID-19 risk management in the UAE. The findings suggest pre-defined conducive legislative and institutional structure, professionalism of media and police, and collaborative approaches among implementing agencies contributed to the success of the early phase…
Read MoreProject on Middle East Political Science This article shows the different ways that GCC countries have shaped their foreign policy during and/or because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The author gives examples from the GCC’s humanitarian diplomacy with Syria and Iran and their gradual resuming of relations with Qatar during the pandemic. Working Paper
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