MIDDLE EAST IN THE FACE OF OLD PROBLEMS AND NEW CHALLENGES

Abstract

The region of the Middle East and North Africa with its numerous political, socio-economic problems and multilevel conflicts together with the rest of the world faces a new crisis – the COVID-19 pandemic. In the war-affected countries and areas of the region, there are in fact no adequate health care systems, professional medical personnel capable of providing effective assistance to the population in the situation when the pandemic continues to spread. The Arab Spring uprisings and new civil wars have only worsened the situation in the region. Apart from that, nowadays we are witnessing other negative phenomena – global warming which leads to the shrinking of agricultural lands, the deterioration of the quality of food, shortage of water resources, uncontrolled fertility and massive radicalization of the marginalized groups of the Muslim population which has strengthened the ranks of supporters of violent extremism, namely, takfirism and jihadism. The article attempts to answer the following questions: what are the political and economic consequences of the pandemic for the region? How realistic is it now to transform the political systems of Arab countries and ensure their socio-economic revival? Is there now a real possibility of reincarnation of the terrorist Islamist potential in MENA? The world community should not remain indifferent to the regional problems. Compassion must be shown to the millions in need, and the financial and humanitarian assistance they require provided. We should understand that COVID-19 is ignoring borders and, if we do not combat this evil everywhere, it can easily be transferred to all continents of the world by millions of migrants, pushed out of their home failed states by hopelessness and frustration. Israel as a Middle East enclave of the developed world is analyzed separately.