Online conference by Youssef Cherif, Deputy Director of Columbia Global Center in Tunis and Tunis-based political analyst specializing in North African affairs. Introduced by: Adrià Rivera, IBEI Predoctoral Fellow FPU.

Covid-19 in the Maghreb

Algeria is currently the worst hit country in the Arab world, with hundreds of deaths and thousands of confirmed cases. But Libya remains the big unknown, with its deficient health system and ongoing civil war. And whilst Tunisia and Mauritania, and to certain extent Morocco, seem able to contain the pandemic, the future is gloomy. How will the relation between state and citizen develop in the Maghreb in light of Covid-19? And what future is there for democracy in this context?

The Maghreb as a Battle-Ground of the Intra-Sunni Cold War

The Arab Spring is often described as a struggle between citizens and oppressive rulers, but it is also a cold war between Sunni Arab states. Hence, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar have been waging a proxy war in different regions of the world, including North Africa. Libya, Egypt’s immediate neighbor, is the epicenter of this conflict, with money and weapons flowing-in from all sides. But the repercussions are felt as far away as Mauritania, on the edge of West Africa. What is the situation today? And what predictions can we make in light of the Covid-19 pandemic?

This event is part of the 2019-20 edition of the conference cycle Aula Mediterrània, which the IEMed co-organizes for the fifth year in a row, with different masters from Catalan universities, such as the IBEI's Master in International Relations, to which this conference corresponds.

Check all the conferences of this cycle