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[Publication] Is Re-Calibration Feasible in Turkey-Egypt Relations? Limits and Possibilities

• Is Re-Calibration Feasible in Turkey-Egypt Relations? Limits and Possibilities

[Project] Development of social requirements for concentrated solar power (CSP) plants in the MENA region

• Solar thermal power plants in North Africa have the potential to satisfy the growing demand for energy. But these innovations come at a price—for example, in the form of the redistribution of resources such as land and water. BICC is studying the potential for conflict and socio-economic consequences of solar thermal power plants in Morocco and Egypt in a research project funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

[Publication] Allies or competitors: The economic interests of the armed forces and the Muslim brotherhood in Egypt (Paper prepared for the...

• Allies or competitors: The economic interests of the armed forces and the Muslim brotherhood in Egypt (Paper prepared for the Annual Middle East Association (MESA) Convention).

[Project] Economic interests and actors in Arab countries and their role during and after the Arab Spring

• The pilot study sets out to clarify whether economic driving factors have guided the behavior of actors during the 'Arab Spring' and in the following political processes. Within the framework of authoritarian political systems in the Arab world, certain political elites had acquired crucial roles in the domestic economies and in socio-economic development and consolidated these roles, generating comprehensive patronage networks. The focus of research will be on the economic positions and interes...

[Publication] Businessmen in arms: How the military and other armed groups profit in the MENA Region

• The Arab Uprisings have brought renewed attention to the role of the military in the MENA region, where they are either the backbone of regime power or a crucial part of patronage networks in political systems. This collection of essays from international experts examines the economic interests of armed actors ranging from military businesses in Egypt, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Jordan, Sudan, and Yemen to retired military officers’ economic endeavors and the web of funding of non-stat...

[Staff] Ahmed Khalifa

• Associate Researcher
• Ahmed holds an MA in Political Science and Psychology from the University of Duisburg-Essen and worked as a (Photo-)Journalist during the Egyptian Revolution of 2011. At present, he is lecturing about the Egyptian Transformation process at the University of Witten/Herdecke. 

[Publication] No place for refuge and no place for (eventual) return of Palestinians in Gaza

• After Hamas launched an unprecedented bloody terrorist attack inside Israel on October 7, 2023, which caused a high death toll and involved hostage-taking, Israeli forces responded harshly through indiscriminate, “incessant bombardment of Gaza” and then launched a ground invasion. The UN High Commissioner of Human Rights noted that “there is no safe place in Gaza and there is no way out… The humanitarian and human rights consequences will be devastating and long-lasting. Thousands have alre...

[Staff] Dr Birgit Kemmerling

• Senior Researcher
• Birgit has a PhD in human geography and several years of professional experience in humanitarian aid. For the past fifteen years, she has been researching and working on various countries in the MENA region and sub-Saharan Africa, mainly on food (in)security and sustainable resource management. She joined bicc in November 2019 as a senior researcher for a project on sustainable transformation processes in rural Morocco (I-WALAMAR). For three years, she explored the socio-economic sustainability ...

[Press] BICC Commentary \ “The Libyan Civil War: Shining a Spotlight on a Problematic Arms Export Policy"

• The German government always emphasises its "restrictive arms export policy". However, the states in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA region) are among the biggest customers of German arms producers. In their comments, Max Mutschler (BICC) and Simone Wisotzki (HSFK) criticise in particular German arms exports to states which—as in the case of Libya—violate UN arms embargoes.
• Monday, 15 June 2020: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) are among the top 10 recipients of German arms exports in 2017, and Turkey is also a regular buyer of German weapons technology. An expert report on the implementation of UN Resolution 1973 names the recipient countries UAE, Turkey and Jordan, among others, as states that supply equipment and weapons to various warring parties in Libya. In doing so, they are breaking the UN arms embargo imposed since 2011 (https://undocs.org/S/2019/914). International rules on the ...

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