Indeed, any predictions for what awaits the Middle East and North Africa, and the rest of the world, will be influenced mostly by simultaneous recovery efforts — from the pandemic itself and the economic fallout it induced. Third, the Sahel and North Africa are slowly drowning under multiple crises from the devastating civil war in Libya, a coup in Mali, the threat of a new conflict over the Western Sahara and climate change. The only difference will be the tenor in which developments occur, favoring discourse and rapprochement instead of messy proxy battles. In the end, what awaits the Middle East and North Africa in 2021 is more of the same — except it will be less deliberate and more polite. Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect Arab News' point-of-view

Source: The North Africa Journal January 02, 2021 14:13 UTC