Domestic Politics

Kazakhstan is exploring its options. The government has embarked on a series of reforms, as yet mainly in the economic sphere, although reforms in the governance sector are also inevitable. They include slimming down the bloated state bureaucracy and also slowly re-calibrating Kazakh foreign policy to make it less dependant on Russia. The Russians are not amused, says Dennis Sammut in this op-ed

Exhausted by a decade of conflict, Libyans have moved surprisingly fast to implement a peace deal that some thought impossible only a few months ago. Deep-rooted internal divisions, greed among leaders, and the shadow of external patrons, may yet frustrate the quest for peace. 

The brigade raided several hideouts for gangs that had been implicated in kidnapping and theft activities in Bani Walid. Creating a safe environment is one of the key priorities of the Libyan government. Brigade 444 had also released several Egyptian abductees in March. 

The European Union's big project of consultation with its citizens kicked off in Strasbourg on 9 May - Europe Day. The Conference on the Future of Europe is meant to provide an opportunity for all EU citizens to participate in the debate on how the EU should be shaped through a series of digital platforms and citizens' panels. Sunday's Strasbourg meeting was filled with big words by EU leaders. There was talk of "a new beginning", the "next generation of Europeans" and "a democratic wind". European Commission president, Ursula Von der Leyen, spoke of the opportunity "to simplify" the EU "and make it more 'down to earth' where necessary".

Alliances are being formed between Armenian political parties ahead of the 20 June parliamentary elections. Whilst they all claim to want to oust the current prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, they are all also busy competing against each other. Despite this, the next Armenian government is likely to be a coalition government, argues Benyamin Poghosyan in this op-ed for commonspace.eu

The Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, stressed in a speech yesterday evening (5 April) the importance that his country adheres to the democratic approach, and commits to meaningful dialogue. 

In a recent wide-ranging interview Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, appeared to be reinterpreting – if not exactly redefining – the relationship between state and religion in the Kingdom. This is highly dangerous and uncharted territory for a Saudi leader, but something that is absolutely necessary if the Kingdom is to reinvent itself as a modern progressive state, whilst respecting the religious foundations which are part of its legacy and legitimacy.