George Joffe is a research fellow at the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Cambridge and visiting Professor of Geography at Kings College, London University, specializing in the Middle East.
Analysis: A new force – in the guise of Algeria’s leading businessmen and industrialists – is emerging to replace the gerontocratic military and security elite
Comment: The Islamist party is looking to its long-term future within a democratic Tunisia, for which it believes it is crucial. Hence its move to bolster Nidaa Tounes, writes George Joffe.
Analysis: With a fast-growing population and depleting oil and gas reserves, Algiers believes fracking will save the day. But protests against the controversial extraction method have proven them wrong.
Analysis: Derna's reputation for extremism gave the Islamic State group its opportunity to establish in Libya, from where it has spread violence across the war-torn country, says George Joffe.
Analysis: Since decolonisation, France and Morocco have been close allies. In recent years, the relationship has strained owing to Morocco's prickliness over Western Sahara, and undiplomatic language by a French ambassador.
Comment: Libya’s descent into full-blown civil war – again – seems inevitable. The country has, to all intents and purposes split into two. Surrounding states are slowly being sucked in.
Tunisia's neo-liberal media and sports tycoon was offered a place at the top table of government - a deal that many in parliament, including Ennahdha, opposed.
Reactions across the Muslim world to the first issue of the French magazine Charlie Hebdo published after the massacre have been uniformly negative, but in Algeria anti-Charlie demonstrations summoned the spectre of the civil war.
The Ben Ali regime never succeeded in eliminating the Tunisian trade union movement or movements articulating popular protest over human rights and abuse of power. It was these very organisations that organised the demonstrations which destroyed the regime.
