Integration
BUSINESS
Rails Across Continents: The Orient Express and Hejaz Line Revived
Two legendary railway lines, one in Europe and one crossing the Middle East, are being restored in 2025, proving that infrastructure can tell stories across time.
PODCASTS
Another One On the List: What is the EU-UAE CEPA?
DET’s Mariem Dekhili and ORF Middle East Fellow, Mahdi Ghuloom, discuss the EU-UAE CEPA, stalled EU-GCC talks, and prospects for Gulf regional integration.
WORLD
US Eyes Mauritania-Israel Deal as New Sahel Foothold
As Western flags are lowered across the Sahel in Mauritania, Washington is eyeing a new kind of foothold, one built through peace than military bases.
BUSINESS
France Out, Africa In: Senegal, ECOWAS, and Sahel Integration
As French troops pack up their bases in Dakar, could Senegal hold the key to healing West Africa's fractured regional order?
BUSINESS
From ASEAN Aspirations to Political Crisis: ECOWAS Turns 50
Fifty years of ECOWAS, and the biggest achievement might be teaching the Sahel countries exactly how not to run a regional economic bloc.
Popular
France: The End of Macron’s Middle Ground
The tallies from the municipal ballots gave the political fringes a triumph that the French establishment had not planned for.
Gulf War Dismantles the West’s Russia Sanctions Regime
The Iran war gave Moscow oil revenues, diplomatic standing, and the quiet satisfaction of watching Washington undo four years of sanctions.
Three Forgotten Islands Could Decide the Strait of Hormuz
Iran warned this week that any attack on its Hormuz islands would turn the Gulf bloody, as the UAE signalled it now sees a chance to reclaim them.
Stuttgart Voters Punish Merz as Energy Prices Surge
In the industrial heart of Germany, rising energy costs and a sudden war have triggered a surprise election win that hints voters are reaching a breaking point.
Trump Doubles Down on Regime Change in CubaÂ
The White House is placing a risky bet on toppling the regime in Cuba as an expensive war in Iran and a restless electorate threaten GOP 2028.
