Middle East and North Africa explained

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA), also referred to as West Asia and North Africa (WANA)[1] or South West Asia and North Africa (SWANA),[2] [3] is a geographic region which comprises the Middle East (also called West Asia) and North Africa together. However, it is widely considered to be a more defined and apolitical alternative to the concept of the Greater Middle East, which comprises the bulk of the Muslim world. The region has no standardized definition and groupings may vary, but the term typically includes countries like Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, the UAE, and Yemen.

As a regional identifier, the term "MENA" is often used in academia, military planning, disaster relief, media planning (as a broadcast region), and business writing.[4] [5] Moreover, it shares a number of cultural, economic, and environmental similarities across the countries that it spans; for example, some of the most extreme impacts of climate change will be felt in MENA.

Some related terms have a wider definition than MENA, such as MENASA or MENAP .[6] The term MENAT explicitly includes Turkey, which is usually excluded from some MENA definitions, even though Turkey is almost always considered part of the Middle East proper. Ultimately, MENA can be considered as a grouping scheme that brings together most of the Arab League and variously includes their neighbors, like Iran, Turkey, Israel, the Caucasian countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and a few others.

Definitions

The Middle East and North Africa has no standardized definition; different organizations define the region as consisting of different territories, or do not define it as a region at all.

United Nations

There is no MENA region amongst the United Nations Regional Groups, nor in the United Nations geoscheme used by the UNSD (though the latter does feature two subregions called 'Western Asia' and 'Northern Africa', see WANA). Some agencies and programmes of the United Nations do define the MENA region, but their definitions may contradict each other, and sometimes only apply to specific studies or reports.

MENA definitions by United Nations agencies and programmes
Country or
territory		World Bank
MENA 2003		FAO
MENA 2015		UNAIDS
MENA 2019		UNICEF
MENA 2021		UNHCR
MENA 2010		IMF
MENA 2003		UNSD
WA+NA
Afghanistan
Algeria
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Bahrain
Cyprus
Djibouti
Egypt
Georgia
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Jordan
Kuwait
Lebanon
Libya
Malta
Mauritania
Morocco
Oman
Pakistan
Palestine
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Somalia
Sudan
Syria
Tunisia
Turkey
United Arab Emirates
Western Sahara
Yemen

Other definitions

Historians Michael Dumper and Bruce Stanley stated in 2007: 'For the purposes of this volume, the editors have generally chosen to define the MENA region as stretching from Morocco to Iran and from Turkey to the Horn of Africa. This definition thus includes the twenty-two countries of the Arab League (including the Palestinian Authority enclaves in the West Bank and Gaza Strip), Turkey, Israel, Iran, and Cyprus.' They stressed, however, how controversial and problematic this definition is, and that other choices could also have been made according to various criteria.[14]

For its December 2012 global religion survey, the Pew Research Center grouped 20 countries and territories as 'the Middle East and North Africa', namely: 'Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, the Palestinian territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Western Sahara and Yemen.'[15]

For the Global Peace Index 2020, the Institute for Economics & Peace defined the MENA region as containing 20 countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.[16]

WANA

Due to the geographic ambiguity and Eurocentric nature of the term "Middle East", some people, especially in sciences such as agriculture and climatology, prefer to use other terms like "WANA" (West Asia and North Africa)[17] or the less common NAWA (North Africa-West Asia).[18] Usage of the term WANA has also been advanced by postcolonial studies.[19]

The United Nations geoscheme used by the UN Statistics Division for its specific political geography statistics needs, does not define a single WANA region, but it does feature two subregions called Western Asia and Northern Africa, respectively:[20]

In a 1995 publication, the then-Aleppo-based International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) defined its West Asia/North Africa (WANA) region as 25 countries, including: 'Afghanistan, Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey and Yemen.'[21] It noted that CGIAR's Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) excluded Ethiopia, Sudan and Pakistan from its 1992 WANA definition, but otherwise listed the same countries.[21] In a 2011 study, ICARDA stated 27 countries/territories: 'The WANA region includes: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gaza Strip, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.'[22]

WANA definitions by (mostly agricultural) organisations
Country or
territory		CGIAR
WANA 1992		ICARDA
WANA 1995		ICARDA
WANA 2011
Afghanistan
Algeria
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Bahrain
Cyprus
Djibouti
Egypt
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Georgia
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Jordan
Kuwait
Lebanon
Libya
Mauritania
Morocco
Oman
Palestine
Pakistan
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Somalia
Sudan
Syria
Tunisia
Turkey
U.A.Emirates
W. Sahara
Yemen

Other terms and definitions

Greater Middle EastIn a preparatory working paper for the June 2004 G8 Summit, the U.S. government (at the end of the George W. Bush administration's first term) defined the Greater Middle East as including the Arab states, Israel, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan.[23]
MENAPFrom April 2013, the International Monetary Fund started using a new analytical region called MENAP (Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan), which adds Afghanistan and Pakistan to MENA countries.[24] Now MENAP is a prominent economic grouping in IMF reports.[25] [26]
MENASAMENASA refers to the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia region.[27] Its usage consists of the region of MENA together with South Asia, with Dubai chosen by the United Nations as the data hub for the region. In some contexts, specifically the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania, the region is abbreviated as SAMENA instead of the more common MENASA.
MENATThe term MENAT (Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey) has been used to include Turkey in the list of MENA countries.[28] [29]
Near East

The term Near East was commonly used before the term Middle East was coined by the British in the early 20th century. The term Ancient Near East is commonly used by scholars for the region in antiquity. Some organisations and scholars insist on still using 'Near East' today, with some including North Africa, but definitions range widely and there is no consensus on its geographical application.

EMMEEMME refers to a grouping of 18 nations situated in and around the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East. The 18 nations in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East are: Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, UAE, and Yemen.[30]

Culture

See also: Culture of North Africa and Etiquette in the Middle East.

Human rights

See also: Human rights in the Middle East.

Religion

See also: Religion in the Middle East and Religion in Africa. Islam is by far the dominant religion in nearly all of the MENA territories; 91.2% of the population is Muslim. The Middle East–North Africa region comprises 20 countries and territories with an estimated Muslim population of 315 million or about 23% of the world's Muslim population.[31] The term "MENA" is often defined in part in relation to majority-Muslim countries located in the region, although several nations in the region are not Muslim-dominated.[32] Major non-Islamic religions native here are Christianity, Judaism, Yazidism, Druzeism, African folk religions, Berberism and other Arab paganism.

Migrant population, mostly within the Gulf nations, practice mostly the beliefs they follow to, such as Buddhism and Hinduism among South Asian, East Asian and Southeast Asian migrants.[33] [34]

Economy and education

See also: Economy of the Middle East and Economy of Africa.

The MENA region has vast reserves of petroleum and natural gas that make it a vital source of global economic stability. According to the Oil and Gas Journal (January 1, 2009), the MENA region has 60% of the world's oil reserves (810.98Goilbbl) and 45% of the world's natural gas reserves (2868886e9cuft).[35]

As of 2023, 7 of the 13 OPEC nations are within the MENA region.

According to Pew Research Center's 2016 "Religion and Education Around the World" study, 40% of the adult population in MENA had completed less than a year of primary school. The fraction was higher for women, of whom half had been to school for less than a year.[36]

Politics

Stability and instability in the region

See also: Democracy in the Middle East and North Africa, Water politics in the Middle East and Middle East and globalization. In its Global Peace Index 2020, the Institute for Economics & Peace stated that 'the Middle East and North Africa remains the world's least peaceful region, despite improvements for 11 countries'.[16] According to an in-depth multi-part study by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) published in April 2016, the factors shaping the MENA region are exceedingly complex, and it is difficult to find 'any overall model that fits the different variables involved'. It found that there were 'deep structural causes of violence and instability'. Wars and upheavals are partly 'shaped by the major tribal, ethnic, sectarian, and regional differences', by 'demographic, economic, and security trends', and by 'quality of governance, internal security system, justice systems, and [social] progress.' In some countries, the necessary societal factors for successful democratic change (often championed by some in the region and in the West to address various issues) are absent, and political revolutions may not always lead to more stability, nor solve the underlying problems in a given MENA country. However, it also found that 'the majority of MENA nations have remained relatively stable and continue to make progress'.[37]

Armed conflicts

See also: List of modern conflicts in the Middle East, List of modern conflicts in North Africa, List of Middle East peace proposals, United States foreign policy in the Middle East, British foreign policy in the Middle East and Soviet Middle Eastern foreign policy during the Cold War. During and after the decolonisation of Africa and Asia in the 20th century, many different armed conflicts have occurred in the MENA region, including but not limited to the Rif War; the Iraqi–Kurdish conflict; the Arab–Israeli conflict; the Western Sahara conflict; the Lebanese Civil War; the Kurdish–Turkish conflict (1978–present); the Iranian Revolution; the Iran–Iraq War; Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict; the Berber Spring; the Toyota War; the Invasion of Kuwait and the Gulf War; the Algerian Civil War; the Iraqi Kurdish Civil War; the rise of terrorism and anti-terrorist actions; the U.S.-led intervention of Iraq in 2003 and subsequent Iraq War. The Arab Spring (2010–2011) led to the Tunisian Revolution, the Egyptian revolution of 2011 and Egyptian Crisis (2011–2014), while also sparking war throughout the region such as the Syrian Civil War, the Libyan Civil War, the Yemeni Civil War and the Iraqi war against ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant). During the Sudanese Revolution, months of protests and a military coup led to the fall of Omar al-Bashir's regime and the initiation of the 2019–2022 Sudanese transition to democracy and the Sudanese peace process.[38]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Why WANA? . WANA Institute . 4 March 2024 .
  2. News: SWANA: What Do You Call the Cradle of Civilisation? . Celine . Semaan . . 8 April 2022 . 4 March 2024 .
  3. Web site: What is SWANA? . SWANA Alliance . 4 March 2024 .
  4. Web site: World Bank Definition: MENA. Worldbank.org. 28 November 2014. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20141029180410/http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/MENAEXT/0,,menuPK:247619~pagePK:146748~piPK:146812~theSitePK:256299,00.html. 29 October 2014.
  5. Web site: World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa, Marrakech, Morocco, 26–28 October 2010. World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa 2010 – World Economic Forum. 28 November 2014. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20120418221142/http://www.weforum.org/events/world-economic-forum-middle-east-and-north-africa-2010. 18 April 2012.
  6. Web site: The United Nations selects Dubai as the data hub for the MENASA region . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190518082155/http://www.tradearabia.com/news/HEAL_327752.html . 18 May 2019 . 14 May 2022 . tradearabia.com.
  7. Web site: Trade, Investment, and Development in the Middle East and North Africa . Dipak Dasgupta & Mustapha Kamel Nabli . documents1.worldbank.org . World Bank . August 2003 . 16 January 2021 . 22 January 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210122014805/http://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/675121468756587109/pdf/multi0page.pdf . live .
  8. Web site: Middle East & North Africa . data.worldbank.org . World Bank . 16 January 2021 . 22 January 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210122044848/https://data.worldbank.org/country/ZQ . live .
  9. Web site: The situation of stateless persons in the Middle East and North Africa . Laura van Waas . UNHCR . October 2010 . 16 January 2021 . 22 January 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210122012326/https://www.unhcr.org/uk/4ce63e079.pdf . live .
  10. Web site: Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia: Key trends in the agrifood sector . Nuno Santos & Iride Ceccacci . FAO . 2015 . 16 January 2021 . 23 January 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210123080807/http://www.fao.org/3/a-i4897e.pdf . live .
  11. Web site: Seizing the Opportunity: Ending AIDS in the Middle East and North Africa . Tamara Sutila . UNICEF . July 2019 . 16 January 2021 . 22 January 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210122015839/https://www.unicef.org/mena/media/5531/file/HIV%20MENA%2029%20Sep%202019%20FINAL%5B2%5D.pdf%20.pdf . live .
  12. Web site: Middle East and North Africa . unicef.org . UNICEF . 16 January 2021 . 27 November 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201127012815/https://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/northafrica.html . live .
  13. Book: George T. Abed . Hamid Reza Davoodi . Challenges of Growth and Globalization in the Middle East and North Africa. 2003. International Monetary Fund. 2. 978-1-58906-229-0. 16 January 2021. 16 March 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230316174534/https://books.google.com/books?id=kQTk34bsYecC&pg=PP8. live.
  14. Dumper, Michael, and Stanley, Bruce E., Cities of the Middle East and North Africa: A Historical Encyclopaedia , 2007, p. xvii.
  15. Web site: The Global Religious Landscape. Pewforum.org. https://web.archive.org/web/20170125173538/https://www.pewforum.org/files/2014/01/global-religion-full.pdf. 7 May 2020. 25 January 2017.
  16. Web site: Global Peace Index 2020 . Reliefweb . June 2020 . 17 January 2021 . 9 December 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201209192055/https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/GPI_2020_web.pdf . live .
  17. Web site: West Asia and North Africa: A Regional Vision. Worldbank.org. 28 November 2014. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20141027183217/http://www.worldbank.org/html/cgiar/newsletter/april97/8beltagy.html. 27 October 2014.
  18. Web site: Welcome. Agu.org. 28 November 2014. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20050430023759/http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/2003/2003GL017862.shtml. 30 April 2005.
  19. Book: Kohlenberg . Paul J. . Godehardt . Nadine . 2020 . The Multidimensionality of Regions in World Politics . Abingdon . Routledge . 86 . 978-1-000-16864-8 . 19 January 2021 . 16 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230316174548/https://books.google.com/books?id=ff3vDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT86 . live .
  20. Web site: Methodology: Standard country or area codes for statistical use (M49) . unstats.un.org . United Nations . the assignment of countries or areas to specific groupings is for statistical convenience . 17 January 2021 . 30 August 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170830170949/https://unstats.un.org/unsd/methodology/m49/ . live .
  21. Book: Nordblom . Thomas L. . Shomo . Farouk . 1995 . Food and Feed Prospects to 2020 in the West Asia/North Africa Region . Aleppo . ICARDA . 9 . 978-92-9127-033-0 . 17 January 2021 . 16 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230316174536/https://books.google.com/books?id=ELujpQ9KM1EC&pg=PT9 . live .
  22. Web site: Assessment of wheat yield gap in the Mediterranean: Case studies from Morocco, Syria, and Turkey . Mustafa Pala . Theib Oweis . Bogachan Benli . Eddy De Pauw . Mohammed El Mourid . Mohammed Karrou . Majd Jamal . Nusret Zencirci . ICARDA . 2011 . 18 January 2021 . Nov 23, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181123195338/http://geoagro.icarda.org:80/downloads/publications/geo/Assessment_of_wheat.pdf . live .
  23. Perthes, V., 2004, America's "Greater Middle East" and Europe: Key Issues for Dialogue, Middle East Policy, Volume XI, No.3, Pages 85–97.
  24. Web site: World Economic Outlook Database . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20141023211422/http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2013/01/weodata/index.aspx . 23 October 2014 . 28 November 2014 . Imf.org.
  25. Web site: World Economic Outlook Database . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20160421023851/http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2016/01/pdf/text.pdf . 2016-04-21 . 2016-04-23.
  26. Web site: MENAP . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20140819070817/http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/reo/2013/mcd/eng/pdf/menap1113_h.pdf . 2014-08-19 . 2016-10-03.
  27. Web site: 22 July 2017 . The UN selects Dubai as the data hub for the MENASA region . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220514062111/https://indianexpress.com/article/world/un-selects-dubai-as-data-hub-for-menasa-region-4762285/ . 14 May 2022 . 14 May 2022.
  28. Web site: MENAT Regional Council . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20160818165906/http://middleeast.syr.edu/aboutus/MENAT-regional-council.html . August 18, 2016 . June 14, 2016 . Syracuse University Dubai.
  29. Web site: About GE in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey (MENAT) . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20160804211613/http://www.ge.com/news/company-information/menat . August 4, 2016 . June 14, 2016 . General Electric.
  30. Web site: UN to support the new Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East Climate Initiative UNECE . 2023-03-18 . unece.org.
  31. Web site: Middle East-North Africa Overview. 7 October 2009. Pew Forum. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170128210559/http://www.pewforum.org/2009/10/07/mapping-the-global-muslim-population10/. 28 January 2017.
  32. Web site: Politics and Islam in Central Asia and MENA. 24 April 2012. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170206022201/https://intpolicydigest.org/2012/04/24/politics-and-islam-in-central-asia-and-mena/. 6 February 2017.
  33. Web site: The Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery reinforces the UAE's dedication to integrate minority communities. Bilal. Shadani. Khaleej Times. 3 December 2020. 31 January 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210131200740/https://www.khaleejtimes.com/the-mahamevnawa-buddhist-monastery-reinforces-the-uaes-dedication-to-integrate-minority-communities. live.
  34. Web site: Catch News: English News Paper India, Latest Breaking News Headlines. CatchNews.com. 3 December 2020. 17 April 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190417212658/http://www.catchnews.com/world-news/west-asia-temples-hindu-1439789867.html. live.
  35. Web site: International Reserves . . 2011-05-13 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20110513235602/http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/international/reserves.html . 2011-05-13 .
  36. Web site: About one-fifth of adults globally have no formal schooling. Masci. David. Pew Research Center. January 11, 2017. en-US. 2019-01-24. 25 January 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190125020622/http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/01/11/about-one-fifth-of-adults-globally-have-no-formal-schooling/. live.
  37. Web site: The Underlying Causes of Stability and Instability in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region. Analytic Survey and Risk Assessment . Anthony H. Cordesman & Abdullah Toukan . . 19 April 2016 . 19 January 2021 . 27 January 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210127232413/https://www.csis.org/analysis/underlying-causes-stability-and-instability-middle-east-and-north-africa-mena-region . live .
  38. News: Sudan's Hamdok takes office as new prime minister, vows to tackle conflicts and economy . 22 August 2019 . . . 22 August 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190822212934/https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/africa/Sudan-abdalla-hamdok-takes-office-as-new-prime-minister/4552902-5244866-pm0bowz/index.html . 22 August 2019 . live.

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