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Coping with Corona in the Middle East

(Institute for National Security Studies-Tel Aviv University) Itai Brun and Sarah J. Feuer - The Middle East is poised to experience a severe outbreak of the coronavirus, given the population density in certain cities and the millions of refugees scattered throughout the region. The virus is likely to severely disrupt even states that enjoyed relative stability prior to corona. States that were engulfed in armed conflict are the most handicapped, and the least transparent, in responding to the virus. The same can be said for states with large concentrations of refugees, such as Lebanon and Jordan. In countries that have experienced mass protest movements since last year, congregating in large groups suddenly posed a health risk and, by now, most protests have dissipated, offering governments a temporary reprieve. The remaining states may be marginally better equipped to handle the outbreak. Still, even in sturdier countries like Turkey and Morocco, the very integration with the global economy facilitating that stability will make them all the more vulnerable to economic shocks reverberating from containment measures. Brig.-Gen. (ret.) Itai Brun is Deputy Director for Research and Analysis at INSS, where Sarah J. Feuer is a Research Fellow.
2020-03-27 00:00:00
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