Shahmahmood Miakhel

Over the past century, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has undergone huge changes. According to 2007 estimates, its population has risen from less than 50 million a century ago to over 331 million, and is expected to reach some 385 million people by 2015. During this same period, the environment has deteriorated and natural resources have dwindled due to development patterns which were largely unsustainable. In most cases, policies were overwhelmingly sets of provisional short-term measures, meant to tackle momentary challenges rather than engage in long-term planning.

Soil and groundwater salinity has emerged as the most significant agricultural problem facing the Sultanate of Oman. Scant rainfall, coupled with high temperature, is always conducive to the accumulation of salts in soils. These conditions are predominant in Oman. Secondary soil salinity has increased at a very rapid rate due to the persistent use of saline groundwater, which, over time, has become more concentrated due to increased pumping by farmers in the Batinah region – the country’s most important agricultural area.

Oman is an arid country where the pressure on freshwater reserves is as severe as that of any other arid or semi-arid country in the world. Increasing water availability by treating and reusing wastewater, particularly for irrigation, is a government policy in Oman. Identification of alternative sources of water and development of appropriate technology to harness them in order to reduce pressure on freshwater reserves and production capacity in Oman is a priority.

The environmental degradation process in the Maghreb is mainly of natural origin, but has been accelerated by human activities. The most dangerous threats caused by environmental degradation are soil degradation and desertification, pollution, droughts, floods, and water scarcity.

Action is urgently needed to return lands to their original vocation, to implement large-scale reforestation, to rehabilitate the steppe and oasis, and to ensure the stability of rural communities. But what kind of action, and action by whom?

Egypt has had more than four decades of intensive natural gas exploration and development activities, which have become the main focus of the country’s hydrocarbon industry.

We are entering the era of water scarcity throughout the world. Water scarcity is different from mined resources that become scarce when the lode runs out. Water is almost always renewable. The scarcity applies to expansion. For thousands of years, supply has been expanded through engineering. Nowhere is that more obvious than in Egypt, where water demand has been met by increasing supply. Expansion accelerated during the 19th and 20th centuries, but has now ground to a halt as there is no more water to collect, store, and distribute.

Environmental Challenges for the Countries of the GCC

If the current crisis in Egypt is to be resolved peacefully, the Egyptian military will play a central role. Few, if any outside the Egyptian armed forces, however, truly understand the Egyptian military. The following is an attempt to begin the process of better understanding this crucial institution.

*A longer version of this article first appeared as a Special Commentary on the Jamestown Foundation's website, February 2, 2011.

The Middle East Institute is proud to host Amb. Alan Goulty and Amb. Edward Walker for an examination of the unrest roiling Tunisia and Egypt and its implications for the region at large. Between them, Goulty and Walker have more than 60 years of experience serving in the Arab world. They will draw upon their unique experience and understanding of the region to examine the evolving crises in Tunisia and Egypt, the impact of the street protests on regional governments and the role that Western governments can play during this period of transition.

Israeli politics is notable for its wide array of parties and unstable coalition governments. The main institutional cause of this chronic instability is the system of nationwide proportional representation, which gives disproportionate influence to minor parties. This instability limits the ability of Israeli governments to pursue coherent long-term strategies and leads to policies that address the concerns of minority groups at the expense of the national interest.

This Commentary first appeared in the American Interest's Middle East Blog on January 31, 2011.

The end is now at hand for the government of Hosni Mubarak, ruler of Egypt for the last thirty years. Two outstanding questions face us now: What will the army do? And how should the United States react?

The Middle East Institute is pleased to invite you to a lecture and discussion with Andrew Exum, Fellow at the Center for A New American Security, assessing the possibility of a new Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan and its ramifications for U.S. strategy there. The past six months have seen some remarkable successes in southern Afghanistan. But if hard-won security gains collapse in the face of a renewed Taliban offensive in 2011, the NATO strategy to secure Afghanistan will be in grave danger.