Decipher Index

Armed Conflicts continues to maintain itself as the predominant theme across the Middle East and Africa as violence in the West Bank intensifies. The fatal shooting of three Israelis at the West Bank-Jordan border and the IDF’s accidental killing of a Turkish-American activist highlight the civilian cost of the larger Israel-Hamas conflict. Israeli airstrikes in Syria have also killed at least a dozen as the IDF targets Iran-linked facilities alleged to produce chemical weapons. Further, in Sudan, shocking videos of Sudanese rebels depicting torture, arson, and other war crimes have sparked furor in the western region of Darfur as the nation grapples with a deadly civil war. As has been the case since October of last year, Armed Conflicts is likely to remain the top theme across the Middle East and Africa for the foreseeable future.

Calls by Saudi Vice Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture to develop regional cooperation for environmental challenges boosts Sustainability and Environment which is up five spots this period. As efforts to create alignment on environmental issues for states in the Gulf Cooperation Council highlight environmental issues, the UAE is concurrently pushing plans to increase recycling and women-led initiatives on Climate Change goals. With the Middle East poised to be a leader in creating smart cities, Sustainability and Environment are likely to be at the forefront of development in the Middle East.