The UK Parliament has begun an inquiry into the country’s relations with the Middle East and North Africa as well as the challenges the region poses to its foreign policy. Committee chairwoman Alicia Kearns said the UK government’s Integrated Review of security, foreign policy and development acknowledges the importance of the region to the UK. “The Middle East and North Africa is a diverse and culturally rich region, the birthplace of some of the world’s major religions and the cradle of civilisation. “Some of the most extreme effects of climate change will be felt in the Middle East and in North Africa, where water and food are already scarce and temperatures already high,” she added. In a recent report, the committee accused the UK government of having a “dismal” lack of understanding about the threat posed by the Wagner Group.

Source: The North Africa Journal July 31, 2023 17:16 UTC