This week on Babel, Jon talks with Robert Springborg, a long-time scholar of the Middle East who has advised governments and international organizations working in the region for decades on issues of economics, politics, and foreign assistance. We discuss shared aspects of political economy in the Middle East, how political economies of the region differ, and institutional obstacles to reform in the Middle East. Then, Jon, Will Todman, and Caleb Harper discuss regional cooperation and integration.

Jon Alterman, Natasha Hall, and Will Todman, "Sustainable States: Environment, Governance, and the Future of the Middle East," CSIS, April 2021.

Hicham Alaoui and Robert Springborg, "Education in the Arab World: A Legacy of Coming Up Short," Wilson Center, April 5, 2021.

Robert Springborg, Political Economies of the Middle East and North Africa, (Cambridge, UK ; Medford, MA: Polity, 2020).

Transcript, "The Middle East's Political Economies" CSIS, November 2, 2021.