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Geopolitics Simplified by Arezki Daoud
by Arezki Daoud
These are simplified commentaries and analyses on geopolitical issues, prioritizing Africa and the Mid-East. Hosted by Arezki Daoud of MEA Risk LLC
Episodes
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Sahel: Niger Emerges as Key Battleground as JNIM and Islamic State Sahel Province Collide
A defection, a blood feud, and overlapping territorial ambitions are pushing JNIM and the Islamic State Sahel Province into direct competition across western Niger. The outcome around the region of Dosso could determine whether Sahelian jihadist violence stays fragmented — or consolidates into a...
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Egypt's Damietta Port Drone Strike: A Regional Warning
A drone strike hit Egypt's Damietta Port on July 29, setting fire to the U.S.-owned Energos Winter floating storage and regasification unit and the nearby GasLog Salem. Security sources examining the wreckage say at least two drones were involved, penetrating several layers of Egypt's air…
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It's hot in here: North Africa is baking this summer
In my trip to Europe last month, I complained a lot about theheatwave I experienced in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. No AC in many places, even in some of the famed establishments. But where I was born and raised, North Africa, the region is living through one of its harshest...
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Nigeria: Beyond Trump's Narrative, Who's Really Targeted Nigeria violence?
In less than five minute, Arezki Daoud explains why violence in Nigeria cannot be understood through a single religious lens. Christians are targeted, but so are Muslims and many other communities facing insurgency, criminal gangs, and local conflicts. The video provides a factual, balanced…
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Russia Evolving Position in Mali: Wagner Out, Africa Corps. In
In this episode of Flashpoint, we go beyond the headlines to explore Russia’s quiet shift from Wagner to the Africa Corps in Mali. Under pressure from Algeria, Moscow is phasing out mercenaries in favor of a state-run military presence — a move that is raising alarm among Tuareg leaders in the...
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Ethnic Targeting in West Africa and Sahel: The Forgotten Plight of the Fulani
What’s happening to the Fulani in the Sahel isn’t just war — it’s collective punishment. This is the story no one wants to tell.#SahelCrisis #FulaniUnderAttack #WestAfricaConflicts #HumanRightsCrisis #Pulaaku #BurkinaFaso #Mali #EthnicCleansing #Fulani #Mali #Sahel
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Sahel, North & West Africa This Week: Security Moves, Energy Strains, and Policy Crossroads
Week ending 31 May 2025: This week’s roundup covers key developments across North and West Africa: Russia phases out Wagner in Mali, Haftar gains ground in Libya, Mauritania cracks down on migration with EU backing, Guinea cancels over 100 mining permits, Senegal faces record fuel prices despite...
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Is Morocco Quietly Preparing for Royal Succession?
With Morocco's King Mohammed VI facing health issues, the topic of royal succession has come to the forefront. This video delves into Morocco's succession process, the King's health challenges as reported by foreign media, and the rising prominence of key figures like Crown Prince Moulay Hassan,...
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The US Africa Policy: Don't Expect Anything New
U.S. administrations, whether Republican or Democrat, have historically shown limited focus on Africa, prioritizing counterterrorism over development. With recent geopolitical shifts, some are calling for a more balanced approach, emphasizing stability and economic growth over military presence.
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Mali: The Failing Campaign of Wagner in Mali Presages Trouble for the Junta in Bamako
There have been more chatter and speculations about the activities of Russia’s mercenaries, formerly known as the Wagner Group, now reportedly called the Afrika Corps in the Sahel. It is unclear if the name “Afrika Corps” is official, but if so, it certainly confirms that the Russian outfit’s...
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Libya: As Crises Pile, Libya has no Clear Path to Stability
Libya is back in the news again, and it is not good news. At the center of it all, once again, are the two types of power struggles we are witnessing. On the one hand, there is a permanent conflict between Libya's rival governments, and on the other hand, there is an intense competition for...
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Elections in North Africa
A preview of what to expect in the upcoming presidential elections in fall in Algeria and Tunisia.
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Libya’s Abnormal New Normal
Since 2011, Libya has been engulfed in a bloody civil war after the death of Muammar Gaddafi. Over the years, it was easy to identify the problem: too many foreign regional players and global powers meddling in Libya’s affairs, explicitly or implicitly seeking to impose their vision on what Libya...
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US-Niger relations face uncertainty, with Niamey’s pivot to Russia
The visit a few days ago of a US government delegation to Niamey, the capital of Niger, did not go down well with the ruling junta there. Clearly as the junta is paving the way for the Russian military to enter Niger and expand their presence in the Sahel, the Americans are starting to lose...
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The Sahel is the Next Big Geopolitical Crisis. Foreign Meddlers are Already There
The #Sahel is now clearly the next big event in Africa's geopolitics. After the complete destruction of #Libya, the same foreign powers that paid for the killing of a nation are now shifting their attention to the Sahel, establishing the bases of another sizeable crisis that will take decades to...
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Africa 2024 Elections Preview
2024 should be a record election year for Africa. Twenty countries, accounting for 346 million voters will be called to participate to elections that will mostly be rigged and decided in advance. In this podcast, Arezki Daoud argues that African elections have no democratic content and standards…
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Russia-Africa: From weapon sales to economic ties
Has the war in #Ukraine deter #Russia from engagement in #Africa? Certainly not! We know that on the #security front, a growing number of #African states are turning to Russia to supply them with #military equipment and security services, judging by the presence of official and non-government...
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Russia to experience boost of its influence in the Sahel
#Russia’s influence in the #Sahel is about to expand further with more cooperation deals announced by #Niger and Russia during the ongoing visit to #Moscow of Niger’s Prime Minister and other senior officials. Speaking to Russian media, Niger’s Defense Minister Salifou Mody said joint projects…
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Egypt’s economy hit hard by Houthis’ attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea
The #US and the #UK hitting #Houthi targets in #Yemen is largely the result of a sense of panic taking place in commercial and business circles. The #Houthis have clearly identified that there is a choke point that they can squeeze even more to get their positions heard. And what is happening up...
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Egypt: 2024 Outlook
In this podcast, Arezki Daoud gives an overview of ongoing problems in #Egypt and what we should expect in 2024.
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The Sahel Region: 2024 Outlook
#Christmas in #Africa this year has been gloomy to say the least. There was not much to cheer for. The political, economic, social and security environments in many #African nations have been experiencing the worst-case scenario, so much so that 2024 is likely to bring more bad news for millions…
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Rising Storms: The Pact Uniting Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger Against Jihadists and Isolation
Rising Storms: The Pact Uniting #Mali, #Burkina Faso, and #Niger Against #Jihadists and Isolation: In this brief, #ArezkiDaoud of #MEARisk and the #NorthAfricaJournal addresses the challenges facing the new alliance formed by the three troubled #Sahel nations.
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Nigeria: Is President Bola Tinubu headed the wrong way?
#Nigeria: Is President Bola #Tinubu headed the wrong way? After being elected president in early 2023, #Nigeria's #Bola #Tinubu decided to cancel fuel #subsidies, setting the stage for a deterioration of prices across the board. For now, #Nigerians are experiencing high prices, high inflation, a...
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Egypt’s economy hit hard by Houthis’ attacks on commercial vessels
The #US and the #UK hitting #Houthi targets in #Yemen is largely the result of a sense of panic taking place in commercial and business circles. The #Houthis have clearly identified that there is a choke point that they can squeeze even more to get their positions heard. And what is happening up...
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Egypt: 2024 Outlook
In this podcast, Arezki gives an overview of ongoing problems in #Egypt and what we should expect in 2024.
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North Africa and Sahel: And Now the Environment is Major Factor of Instability
As we reach the end of the third quarter 2023, about to enter the tail-end of the year, it is difficult to see a bright horizon for the northern half of #Africa. Two major natural disasters, magnified by poor governance and bad infrastructure, caused the death of at least 7,000 people in the...
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Mali: New Tuareg Rebellion in Northern Mali, Al-Qaeda Attack on Government Forces
Mali’s new junta managed to topple a weak president. But governing is turning out to be difficult with the regime battling on multiple fronts. With bad policies, the military junta has forced the ethnic Tuaregs in the north to take up arms after years of a halt in hostilities, promising months,...
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Libya's epic freak floods. The big picture
The unfolding #environmental disaster with major #floods that are taking place in eastern #Libya, may be of #biblical proportion and the death toll there can surpass that of #Morocco and by far. Arezki Daoud provide a brief update of this big #disaster.
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Sports Diplomacy and Competition in the Arab World
.Learn how #SaudiAarabia, #Qatar and the #UAE are competing in the #sports world in anticipation of dropping #oil and #gas income in the future
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Earthquake in Marrakesh, Morocco
Morocco had a devastating earthquake just as people prepare for the weekend. Here is how the North Africa region has always prone to quakes.
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Sahel: Mali's new constitution paves the way for more instability ahead
#Sahel: #Mali's new #constitution paves the way for more instability ahead. The Tuareg community in northern Mali has rejected the latest constitutional referendum imposed by the ruling military junta in #Bamako, while conservative clerics decry the mention of Mali as a #secular nation....
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Does Saudi Arabia matter? An unscripted discussion between Arezki Daoud and Giorgio Cafiero
Saudi Arabia has been making big moves lately. A detente with Iran, a re-engagement with Syria, a potential diplomatic path to solve the Yemeni crisis and more. Domestically, its top leader Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS), has been pushing for deep reforms that required the neutralizing of the...
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10 countries in 10 minutes: Brief commentaries on 10 countries by Arezki
10 countries in 10 minutes: Brief commentaries on 10 countries by Arezki Daoud. Just what you need to know about #Turkey, #Senegal, #Caneroon, #USA, #Nigeria, #Lebanon, #Sahel, #Florida, #SouthAfrica, and #Egypt.
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Latest big geopolitical issues affecting North Africa as of 10 June 2023. Podcast by Arezki Daoud
Latest big geopolitical issues affecting North Africa as of 10 June 2023. Podcast is hosted by Arezki Daoud and focuses on the five of North Africa, namely Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.
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Can foreign and regional powers give Libya a break?
Foreign meddling may have been even more troubling than any other source of instability. Governments in Russia, the UAE, France, Turkey, etc.. have been central in preventing the Libyans from negotiating a future that works for them. But Arezki Daoud argues that the shifting global geopolitics…
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North Africa and the Sahel week-in-review | 20 May 2023
Welcome to this episode of North Africa and the Sahel week-in-review, for the period ending Saturday, 20th of May. Today is the 22nd of May and greetings to all. So the week in the northern half of Africa ended with a lot of political tension in the Maghreb region, consisting of countries located...
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The Fleecing of Libya: Billions of Dollars Missing and Everyone is at Fault
In the post-Gaddafi era, Corruption in Libya is endemic and metastasized. The culture of corruption is so ubiquitous and widespread that Transparency International ranks Libya third before last in the MENA region, doing only better than Syria and Yemen. In this podcast, Arezki looks at how the...
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A world turned on its head: Egypt's loyalty to the US in question
In Egypt, a country that gets substantial military and economic aid from the United States, General Abdelfattah el-Sissi has allegedly ordered the manufacture of 40,000 rockets for the benefit of Russia, in the midst of the war in Ukraine. Leaked documents apparently say Egypt would deliver...
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A close look at South Africa today: achievements and challenges
In this podcast, Arezki Daoud of MEA Risk and of The North Africa Journal, reports on his thoughts on South Africa, after a 10-day visit in April 2023.
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Mali’s painful post-colonial transition.
The nation of Mali in the Sahel is headed toward an even more painful period. Bad governance, catastrophic environment, deadly terrorism, and a war between the west and Russia starting on its territory are conspiring to make Mali of the most unstable nations in the world. In this episode, Arezki...
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Audio podcast: Sahel collapsing with the Jihadists, Russia and France in a bitter fight over control
In this audio podcast, Arezki Daoud is sharing an update on the situation in the Sahel, specifically in Mali and Burkina Faso, two countries that have been torn apart by outside forces, be they the Jihadists, or some western powers, and now by the Wagner Group, a mercenary group that represents...
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North Africa / Sahel Week in Review: Mali and Tunisia remain center stage
Welcome to this week-in-review episode where we look at some of the key events affecting the geopolitics of North Africa and the Sahel. Your host in Arezki Daoud, principal analyst at MEA Risk LLC and editor of The North Africa Journal. In the Sahel, the general state of insecurity, as well as…
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Instability and Coups in Sahel Nations
In this brief episode, Arezki Daoud reports on the latest attempts to topple regimes in the Sahel and that more of there are expected.
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Sahel and North Africa week in review 7 Jan 2023
Greetings to our second episode of Week in Review and a quick summary of what we are tracking in the Sahel and in North Africa. Today is Saturday, the 7th of January 2023. This past week was somewhat subdued in the region largely due to the year-end holiday season and the shift to 2023. But…
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The Sahel and North Africa this week: Mali-Ivory Coast crisis, Burkina vs. the UN, terrorism in Egypt, rivalry in Libya and more. Week ended 30 Dec. 2022
In this week's review of events in the Sahel and North Africa, Arezki Daoud addresses the major factors affecting the region as the year draws to an end.
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North Africa - Sahel week in review 1 - Week ending 23 December 2022
This podcast hosted by Arezki Daoud of MEA Risk LLC focuses on some of the most important events in North Africa and the Sahel that we are monitoring as of Friday, 23rd of December 2022. So this is a sort of week in review. This week was dominated by a couple of big events, the first is the...
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Can Algeria and Africa deliver more natural gas to Europe
Winter is near and Europe is facing an energy crisis after Russian attacked Ukraine. The EU and its member-countries have been looking for natural gas everywhere they can but the prospect of replacing Russian gas supplies on short notice will be difficult. Can Algeria and Africa fill the gap? In...
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Food shortages in Tunisia: brief explainer.
Arezki Daoud of MEA Risk and The North Africa Journal visits Tunisia this November and is bringing better understanding on the challenges facing the Tunisians in their day-to-day living.
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Russia's War on Ukraine: North African Nations' Positions
The Maghreb’s biggest nations and regional rivals, Algeria, and Morocco, so far have refrained from choosing a side in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. For its part, Tunisia has had ambivalent positions due to a number of factors, which we will cover in a moment. In general, though, these nations...
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Algeria-Russia: Deconstructing Algeria’s relationship with Russia: Not as rosy as you think
The visit of President Emmanuel Macron to Algiers at the end of August shook up and challenged the Algerian authorities in their once again excellent relations with Russia. The French security and ministerial deployment that accompanied the trip of the French president and the most recent visit…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
These are simplified commentaries and analyses on geopolitical issues, prioritizing Africa and the Mid-East. Hosted by Arezki Daoud of MEA Risk LLC
HOSTED BY
Arezki Daoud
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These are simplified commentaries and analyses on geopolitical issues, prioritizing Africa and the Mid-East. Hosted by Arezki Daoud of MEA Risk LLC
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Geopolitics Simplified by Arezki Daoud has 59 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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Geopolitics Simplified by Arezki Daoud is created and hosted by Arezki Daoud.
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