What Awaits the Middle East in 2023?

As the world says goodbye to the tumultuous year of 2022 and welcomes the upcoming year, the cover story delves into what awaits the Middle East next year.

Dalia Ziada says that individually and collectively, the countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have experienced a slew of concerns in 2022 as the world has shifted under the weight of superpower conflicts.

She adds that the unfathomable security and economic consequences of Russia›s invasion of Ukraine, Iran›s massive anti-regime protests, and the United States› withdrawal from Afghanistan were the defining aspects of MENA›s most pressing strategic concerns.

In the Politics section, Suzan Quitaz talks about Iran’s biggest fear, which is an independent Kurdistan.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has frequently violated Iraqi sovereignty by firing missiles and drones at a number of targets in Iraq’s semiautonomous northern Kurdistan region (KRG).

Esmail Qaani, IRGC’s Quds Force Commander and Iran’s man in Iraq, has also traveled to Iraq for high-level meetings, threatening and demanding of the Iraqi government that it disarm or relocate three Iranian Kurdish opposition groups that are based in Iraqi Kurdistan.

In the Economy section, Motasem Al Felou writes about the economic performance of Saudi Arabia during 2022

Al Felou said that Year 2022 has witnessed a great performance for the Saudi economy.

Kingdom Vision 2030 and the economic reforms have put the national economy on the right track, opening new horizons for growth and prosperity in the coming years, and paving the way for non-oil revenues to have an increasing weight in budget revenues.

Al Felou said that the financial policies have enabled the government to keep inflation rates as low as possible.

In the Sports section, Sara Gamal writes about the Arabian Gulf Cup which will return to Iraqi territory after a forty-four-year absence, thanks to Iraq’s successful bid to host the twenty-fifth edition in Basra in January 2023

The biennial tournament of eight nations concluded in December 2019 in Qatar, with Bahrain taking home the trophy. The 2021 version was delayed because stadiums and hotels in the southern Iraqi city had not yet been completed.

Read these articles and more on our website eng.majalla.com. As always, we welcome and value our readers’ feedback and we invite you to take the opportunity to leave your comments on our website.

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Dakar Rally 2023 in Saudi Arabia

This picture shows the sculpted logo of the 2023 Dakar Rally on the eve of the technical check-up, in the bivouac near the Red Sea town of Ynabu on December 28, 2022, ahead of the rally, which this year will take place in Saudi Arabia from December 31 to January 15. / AFP

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Red Square decorated for New Year

Children and their parents ride a carousel at a Christmas Market set up in Red Square decorated for New Year festivities with the St. Basil’s Cathedral in the background in Moscow, Russia, . The temperature in Moscow is around -6 degree Celsius (21.2 degree Fahrenheit) ./AP

EGYPT

Egypt has set a new international tender for oil and gas exploration rights in the Nile Delta and Mediterranean sea.

The tender was set for 12 blocks, split evenly between onshore and o shore, and the deadline for o ers in the bid round was set for April 30, 2023, the tender announcement showed.

In a statement, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek El Molla said the tender o ered by the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Co. is part of the ministry’s strategy to increase investment in the oil and gas sector. He pointed out that the strategy, which was launched in 2016, seeks to attract international companies to work in Egypt. It also aims to encourage existing companies to increase their investments.

LEBANON

The Lebanese army has arrested a suspect in the killing earlier this month of a U.N. peacekeeper from Ireland who died when his convoy was shot at in southern Lebanon, o cials said Tuesday.

The area of the Dec. 14 shooting attack, near the southern town of Al-Aqbiya, is a center of support for the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group, which has denied any role in the killing.

Hezbollah spokeswoman Rana Sahili said on Friday that the Lebanese army arrested the suspect “in cooperation with Hezbollah,” and that he wasn’t a member of the militant group.

SAUDI

Saudi Arabia of cooperation the circular clean hydrogen Energy Ministry The MoC was Prince Abdulaziz Industry Minister visiting the they both supporting through encouraging cooperation consumers, reported.

SAUDI ARABIA

Arabia and Japan signed a memorandum cooperation (MoC) on Sunday in the elds of circular carbon economy, carbon recycling, hydrogen and fuel ammonia, the Saudi Ministry said on Twitter. was signed by Saudi Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman and Japanese Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, who is the kingdom, after a meeting in which stressed the importance of supporting the stability of global oil markets encouraging dialogue and cooperation between producers and consumers, the Saudi state news agency (SPA)

IRAQ

A re at the Lanaz re nery in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil has been brought under control by civil defence teams, the state news agency INA reported on Tuesday.

The director of civil defence teams in Erbil said no casualties were reported.

Photos shared earlier by INA showed a big blaze and dark fumes at the Lanaz re nery, located on al-Kuwayr-Erbil road.

The cause of the re was not clear and no further information was immediately available.

UAE

Russia's dominant lender Sberbank will be forced to close its o ce in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) early next year, First Deputy Chairman Alexander Vedyakhin said on Monday, blaming sanctions pressure.

IRAN

Israel could attack Iranian nuclear sites in two or three years, its defense minister said on Wednesday, in unusually explicit comments about a possible timeline.

With international e orts to renew a 2015 nuclear deal having stalled, the Iranians have ramped up uranium enrichment, a process with civilian uses that can also eventually yield fuel for nuclear bombs - though they deny having any such design.

Experts say Iran could potentially raise the ssile purity of its uranium to weapons-grade in short order. But building a deliverable warhead would take it years, they say - an estimate echoed by an Israeli military intelligence general this month.

A WEEK ACROSS

BRAZIL.

U.S.

An arctic blast that gripped much of the United States on Saturday left more than 700,000 without power, at least 16 dead from weather-related car crashes and thousands stranded due to ight cancellations.

Plummeting temperatures were expected to bring the coldest Christmas Eve on record, and energy systems across the country were strained by rising demand for heat and storm-related damage to transmission lines.

Election-denying protesters camping outside Brazilian army bases have become “incubators of terrorism,” Brazil’s incoming minister of justice, Flavio Dino, said on Sunday, a day after police detonated an explosive device and arrested a suspect they accused of links to the Brasilia camp. “Yesterday’s serious events in Brasilia prove that the so-called ‘patriotic’ camps have become incubators for terrorists,” Dino wrote on Twitter. “There will be no amnesty for terrorists, their supporters and nanciers.”

Supporters of outgoing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro have been camped outside army bases in Brazil for weeks, urging the military to overturn the victory of Brazilian president-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who takes o ce on Sunday.

TUNISIA.

Tunisia's powerful UGTT union will hold mass protests and "occupy the streets" soon to show its rejection of next year's austerity budget, the leader of the union said on Monday, in its strongest challenge to the government of President Kais Saied yet. The union, with more than a million members, has proven able to paralyze the economy with strikes. It has at times backed Saied after he seized most powers last year, but on other occasions has voiced opposition.

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ACROSS THE WORLD

UKRAINE

President Vladimir Putin said Russia was ready to negotiate with all parties involved in the war in Ukraine but that Kyiv and its Western backers had refused to engage in talks.

Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine has triggered the most deadly con ict in Europe since World War Two and the biggest confrontation between Moscow and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

There is, thus far, little end in sight to the war.

The Kremlin says it will ght until all its aims are achieved while Kyiv says it will not rest until every Russian soldier is ejected from all of its territory, including Crimea which Russia annexed in 2014.

CHINA. INDIA.

India has mandated a COVID-19 negative test report for travelers arriving from China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Thailand, the health minister said on Saturday.

The United States will impose mandatory COVID-19 tests on travelers from China, U.S. health o cials said on Wednesday, joining India, Italy, Japan, and Taiwan in taking new measures after Beijing's decision to lift stringent zero-COVID policies.

The o cials told reporters that beginning on Jan. 5, all air passengers 2 years old and older will require a negative result from a test no more than two days before departure from China, Hong Kong or Macao.

Passengers who test positive more than 10 days before a ight can provide documentation of recovery in lieu of the negative test result, the federal o cials said.

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What Awaits the Middle East in 2023?

Weathering the Storm in the West

By Dalia Ziada

Individually and collectively, the countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have experienced a slew of concerns in 2022 as the world has shifted under the weight of superpower conflicts. The unfathomable security and economic consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Iran’s massive anti-regime protests, and the United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan were the defining aspects of MENA’s most pressing strategic concerns.

The Middle East region has been boiling with regional and domestic conflicts for decades. They range from tribal competitions to civil wars, geopolitical conflicts, and fighting against state-sponsored militia and ideological terrorist organizations. Many of these conflicts have been stuck at a stalemate for decades. Over time, the relatively stable countries in MENA learned to work their way around these regional conflicts to keep developing on the national level.

Nevertheless, the new conflicts on the world stage and those happening on the verges of the region, including the re-rise of Taliban in Afghanistan and the shaking of the Mullahled regime by popular protests in Iran, have forced MENA leaders to prioritize cooperation over rivalry.

As the year draws to a close, it appears that the region’s leaders have already figured out how to exit this internationally imposed state of emergency, promising a less stressful progression in 2023.

ECONOMIC CRISES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Economy-related mishaps were the overwhelming theme for the Middle East region, and the entire world, in 2022. The clash between western and eastern world superpowers, namely the United States and Europe on one side versus Russia and China on the other, is expected to continue throughout 2023. Russia does not seem disposed to withdraw its troops from Ukraine any time soon, while the United States is still pouring generous finances and military equipment into supporting the Ukrainian army. This simply means more economic shockwaves will continue to hit the fragile economies in MENA in the coming year.

The global standoff around the war in Eastern Europe is based on inflicting as much economic pain as possible on each other. In the process, several countries in the Middle East and Africa found themselves struggling with a cluster of crises ranging from the scarcity

of food commodities and energy resources to the uncontrollable rates of inflation and national currency depreciation. Most countries in North Africa, perhaps with the rare exception of Morocco, have been frying in this economic pan since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war in February.

In particular, Egypt is allegedly the MENA country that has been suffering the most from this war. Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus are top suppliers of grains and tourists to Egypt, which is one of the world’s top five importers of wheat. The Egyptian population of more than one hundred million citizens consumes an average of four million tons of wheat per year. At least 80% of this consumption is imported from Russia and Ukraine. Meanwhile, Egypt’s tourism sector, which represents more than 9% of Egypt’s GDP, is highly dependent on the Russian and Eastern European tourists who used to flood Red Sea resorts in the winter and spring seasons.

Notwithstanding the Egyptian state’s sincere efforts to control these massive economic losses, the Egyptian economy is heading into the new year with a load of uncertainties. Governmental initiatives to secure basic commodities, generous deposits from neighbors in the Arab Gulf, and a modest loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have kept the Egyptian economy barely standing during 2022. However, the purchasing power of the Egyptian Pound has severely declined because of the dollar scarcity and the rapidly spiking inflation. At the

Credit: pan demin / Shutterstock.

As the year draws to a close, it appears that the region’s leaders have already figured out how to exit this internationally imposed state of emergency, promising a less stressful progression in 2023.

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end of 2022, the inflation rate reached 21%. Egypt has not seen inflation at such a high dash since 1965 when the inflation surged to 26% causing a severe recession.

That being said, there are positive indicators that make Egyptians hopeful that the new year may be relatively less economically stressful, regardless of the outcome of the war in Ukraine. Official statistics show that Egypt’s volume of exports has increased by 12% in the last quarter of 2022 compared to the same period in 2021, and the GDP has increased to 4.4% in 2022 from 3.3% in 2021. In addition, the new discoveries of hydrocarbon resources in Egypt’s maritime zone in the Eastern Mediterranean, and Egypt’s ris-

ing profile as a hub for natural gas, are quite promising for the Egyptian economy in the medium term. In June, the European Union signed a landmark agreement with Egypt and Israel to import their liquefied natural gas production as a substitute for the sanctioned Russian gas.

RISING POWERS

Energy is one of the winning cards on the table of international conflicts. Saudi Arabia and the Arab Gulf countries, which owns a great portion of the world’s fossil energy resources, have cleverly used this card in 2022 to protect their economies from being dragged into the tug of war between the eastern and western superpowers. Saudi Arabia is the top producer of crude oil in the MENA region and the third in the world after the United States and Russia. Next to it, Qatar is the top producer of natural gas in the region, and the top third in the world after Russia and Iran.

For some reason, western leaders were thinking that they could use the petroleum wealth

The global standoff around the war in Eastern Europe is based on inflicting as much economic pain as possible on each other.

Iranian demonstrators taking to the streets of the capital Tehran during a protest for Mahsa Amini, days after she died in police custody. AFP - Getty images

People shop at an open market in Istanbul, Turkey, December 5, 2022. REUTERS/Dilara Senkaya

of Arab Gulf countries to manipulate the global energy market and protect Europe from paying the price for the sanctions they imposed on Russian natural gas. Senior politicians from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe visited the region in an attempt to convince the OPEC+ leaders in Saudi Arabia to increase the volume of oil production. On the flip side, China has been courting Saudi Arabia and Russia has been courting the UAE with the hope to align them with their camp.

However, the new strategy-oriented leaders of the region, especially the Saudi Crown Prince, have decided not to get involved in this international game. This wise strategic thinking has been keeping the Arab Gulf countries immune to the damaging effects of the Russia-Ukraine war and is believed to put the Gulf region in even more advanced economic and political positions in the coming year. As has been the case with all the major events that have been happening since the eruption of the Arab Spring, it seems that the Arab Gulf countries will continue to take the lead on most of the geopolitical and eco-

nomic issues that are expected to face the MENA region in the new year and for many years to come.

As part of the changing world order, it may not be surprising to see Saudi Arabia, with this strategic policymaking practice and economic influence, rising as a new superpower in the coming decade.

GEOPOLITICAL BALANCES

Concurrently, the global conflict between Russia and the West has offered Turkey a golden opportunity to prove itself as a geopolitical star in 2022.

Turkey has been playing a tremendous role on the economic, diplomatic, and military fronts, in mitigating the influence of the war in Eastern Europe on the rest of the world. Turkey has mediated talks between the Russians and Ukrainians, safeguarded the Black Sea against the consequences of the ongoing war, and is now leading an impressive effort to facilitate the cargo ships of grain traveling from Ukraine to other countries, rescuing

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millions of people from famine.

In 2022, Turkey has also been able to fix its torn ties with Saudi Arabia, UAE, Israel, and eventually Egypt. Mending the broken ties between Egypt and Turkey, in particular, is paving the way for a new geopolitical balance in the Eastern Mediterranean region, and better control of the state-sponsored militia and terrorist organizations that have been wreaking havoc all over the region for years.

In the new year, Turkey’s geo-strategic importance is expected to be steadily growing, mainly due to its prospective role as a NATO ally in managing conflicts in Afghanistan and Iran on behalf of the United States. Turkey is the only country that can keep a perfect balance between the competing alliances that it deals with, extending from the United States and Europe, NATO, Russia, and Eurasia, to the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Turkey has become a key strategic actor that none of these power coalitions can do without.

PEACE AND SECURITY

The domestic conflicts in Libya, Syria, and Yemen are expected to grow even bigger. That is despite the Russian regime’s being too busy with the war in Ukraine and the Iranian regime’s being too busy with the popular outrage.

At least since June, Russia has been withdrawing its troops and mercenaries from Libya and Syria to help with its so-called military operation in Ukraine. Counterintui-

c3hange June 25, 2014. REUTERS

As part of the changing world order, it may not be surprising to see Saudi Arabia, with this strategic policymaking practice and economic influence, rising as a new superpower in the coming decade.

An investor monitors a screen displaying stock information at the Abu Dhabi Securities Ex-

Cars burn on a street after a Russian military strike, amid Russia’s attack of Ukraine, in Kherson, Ukraine December 24, 2022. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS

tively, this allowed a space for the conflicting parties inside Libya to further escalate their heated conflicts by depending on local militia groups. This has not only given the militias more financial and political leverage but also added an extra layer that further complicates the political solution.

Russia’s temporary absence in Syria, and Turkey’s outreach to the Assad regime have paved the way for renewed Turkish operations in northern Syria and Iraq against the PKK and YPG organizations. That coupled with the interventions of the Iranian regime in the Levant region may further threaten the Kurdish communities there.

In Yemen, the reconciliation initiative that Saudi Arabia and UAE led in 2022 is apparently faltering, while the Iran-sponsored Houthi militia is recapturing key territories in the north and controlling decision-making in the state bureaus. The potential fall of the Iranian regime under the growing pressure of popular protests may mean a better future for Yemen, but it all depends on how the popular protests are going to unfold in Iran throughout 2023.

In contrast to this melancholy, the words “reconciliation, rapprochement, and inclusivity” have been written, read, and heard many times in the Middle East this year. In 2022, we have seen reconciliations happening between Turkey and Arab Gulf countries, between Qatar and Egypt, and even between Israel and its Arab neighbors. The Al-Aula agreement, which ended years of diplomatic conflicts between the Arab Gulf states, was the first spark for this reconciliatory mindset that has been electrifying the region in the past two years. This trend of rapprochements is expected to continue gaining momentum throughout the new year as international conflicts are expected to intensify.

Concurrently, the global conflict between Russia and the West has offered Turkey a golden opportunity to prove itself as a geopolitical star in 2022.

Iran’s Biggest Fear: An Independent Kurdistan

Drumbeat of Possible Iranian Ground invasion in Iraqi Kurdistan

By Suzan Quitaz

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has frequently violated Iraqi sovereignty by firing missiles and drones at a number of targets in Iraq’s semi-autonomous northern Kurdistan region (KRG). Esmail

Qaani, IRGC’s Quds Force Commander and Iran’s man in Iraq, has also travelled to Iraq for high-level meetings, threatening and demanding of the Iraqi government that it disarm or relocate three Iranian Kurdish opposition groups that are based in in Iraqi Kurdistan. The IRGC alleges, “These terrorists - who are backed

Members of exiled Komala Party inspect aftermath of bombing in the village of Zrgoiz, near Sulaimaniyah, Iraq, where the bases of several Iranian opposition groups are located, Wednesday, Sept. 2022 ,28. An Iranian drone bombing campaign targeting the bases of an Iranian-Kurdish opposition group in northern Iraq has killed nd wounded dozens.

(AP PhotoAla Hoshyar, Metrography)

by global arrogance and are based in the Iraqi northern region – were forced to flee the country after sustaining heavy casualties.” The IRGC statement reveals that officials of the KRI are turning a deaf ear to their repeated bluster and have taken no measures to curb the activities of “these terrorists.”

Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Sudani was nominated to his post thanks to the Iran-backed Shia Coordination Framework, the largest parliamentary bloc. He recently said that his government shares the wishes of the Iranian government insofar as Iraq also wants to shut the bases and disarm those groups. However, he added that leaders of the Iraqi Kurdistan region have refused despite repeated requests from his government.

In late November, the Iranian regime sent a letter to the United Nations demanding that Iraq shut down these groups, stressing Iran’s “inherent right to selfdefense under international law.” The letter reads: “For years, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been a target of terrorist groups based in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. They have recently intensified their activities by illicitly transferring a huge quantity of weapons into Iran to arm their affiliates who intend to carry out terrorist operations.”

The drumbeat of a possible Iranian ground invasion in Iraqi Kurdistan is worrying and has led to the KRG calling for international intervention to prevent Iran’s attacks on Iraqi Kurdistan. “Things cannot continue like this, these attacks have to be stopped: civilians are dying and our economy is taking a serious hit,” a KRG official said.

The Iranian Kurdish groups that Iran claims are terrorists are the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), Komala and the Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran (PDKI). They have been the targets of IRGC’s missile and drone attacks on at least three separate occasions since the eruption of Iran’s nationwide protests on September 16.

The Iranian regime and its affiliated media outlets maintain a constant drumbeat of accusations against the fighters of these three groups ranging from their being the main instigators of the nationwide unrests (supported by “global arrogance,” meaning the US. UK, Saudi Arabia and Israel), to smuggling weapons to the protesters in a bid to foment an armed insurgency, to killing protesters in Kurdish-majority cities and villages in Iran and blaming it on Iran’s security forces. These bald allegations are supposed to be accepted on their face since the Mullahs have not provided a shred of evidence to back any of their accusations.

Across the border in Iraqi Kurdistan, the head of one of those groups considered to be terrorists by the IRGC has spoken to Majalla about the uprising, Kurdish aspirations and why Iran is targeting them. Commander General Hussein Yazdanpana is the leader of Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) whose fighters have been en-

gaged in an armed struggle against the Iranian regime for four decades. Recently, on September 28, PAK was targeted by IRGC missiles in an unprecedented barrage against the group’s bases near Erbil, during which Gen. Yazdanpana lost 14 fighters, with another 58 injured. Another attack was to follow on November 22, about which Tasnim, a channel affiliated with the IRGC, reported that IRGC conducted strikes on the “Iraqi-based Komala and PDKI terrorist groups after the illegal entry by these groups’ armed teams into Iranian border cities.”

Gen. Yazdanpana said that Iran’s accusations are groundless and that no Kurdish fighters based in KRG region have intervened. He continued saying, “This is the people’s uprising. Let the people decide for themselves what they want to do. We do not want Tehran to find an excuse for more killings and more repression.” Mustafa Maroudi, a Senior PDKI official, agrees with Gen. Yazdanpana’s assertion that the Iranian regime is attacking their bases in an effort to represent the struggle against it as being led by external forces. “The regime wants to portray this as a military battle with us. However, we are aware that this would be in the interests of the regime, so we try to preclude that,” says Maroudi.

“The Kurdistan Regional Government would never make such a mistake,” says Yazdanpana Gen. Yazdanpana explains that the Iranian regime has been overwhelmed by The Uprising, hence it continues with its fact-free accusations that ‘outside powers’ lay behind The Uprising. It is an attempt to divert the international community’s attention away from Iran’s domestic affairs and its people in revolt who just had enough of more than four decades of brutal oppression. Gen. Yazdanpana explains some of the reason to why the Iranian regime fears PAK is that “we fight for Kurdish rights and we also function as a source of information to alert people about the atrocities committed by the regime against the Kurdish people. We are an anti-terrorism and pro-feminist force in the region who

These terrorists - who are backed by global arrogance and are based in the Iraqi northern region – were forced to flee the country after sustaining heavy casualties.

Politics

supports the alliances between the Arab states against Iran.”

Gen. Yazdanpana continued to explain that PAK began as a result of the decades-long Iranian occupation and oppression of the Kurds in Rojhelat or Eastern Kurdistan (Kurdish region in Iran). Gen. Yazdanpana says “I want my people to have the right to political sovereignty and self-determination. Our larger goal of an independent Kurdistan frightens the Iranian regime the most. I will do everything to establish a greater Kurdish state in the Middle East.” The General continues, “The Kurdish state will lead to the elimination of totalitarianism, and the rise of economic growth, trade and regional security in the region. I think a unified state of Kurdistan will solve the Kurdish issue, bring democracy and peace, and will lead to economic and commercial development.”

The latest news from Iran suggests a sharp intensification of regime tactics. Nearly 550 protesters have been killed, of which at least 70 were minors. Human right groups have reported that over 20,000 have been arrested and that the sham trials and public executions by hanging have started.

Four months in, the regime has catastrophically failed to quell the protests and so we have Ghaani’s visit to Iraq and his constantly threatening Iraqi and Kurdish officials with an Iranian ground military operation unless they remove the supposed threat of PAK, Komala and PDKI.

Majalla asks Gen. Yazdanpana whether KRI officials would bow to these pressures and abandon the Kurdish political groups. He confidently replies that “the Kurdistan Regional Government will never make such a mistake.” The General’s assertion that KRG will never make such a mistake is especially valid since betrayal has been a fixture of Kurdish life for over a century. The first betrayal came in 1920 when European powers promised statehood to the Kurds in the 1920 Treaty of Sevres, only to abandon this commitment in the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne.

The first ever Kurdish Republic was established by the Kurds of Iran, but collapsed in 1946 when the Soviet Union withdrew from Iran. The Republic was brutally crushed and many of its leaders were publically hanged by the Shah’s regime.

Kurdish communities across all four parts of Kurdistan

Smoke billows in the village of Zrgoiz, near Sulaimaniyah, Iraq, where the bases of several Iranian opposition groups are located, Wednesday, Sept. 2022 ,28. An Iranian drone bombing campaign targeting the bases of an IranianKurdish opposition group in northern Iraq has killed nd wounded dozens. (AP PhotoAla Hoshyar, Metrography)

The first ever Kurdish Republic was established by the Kurds of Iran, but collapsed in 1946 when the Soviet Union withdrew from Iran.

Offices of several exiled Iranian groups are seen after bombing in the village of Zrgoiz, near Sulaimaniyah, Iraq, where the bases of several Iranian opposition groups are located, Wednesday, Sept. 2022 ,28. An Iranian drone bombing campaign targeting the bases of an Iranian-Kurdish opposition group in northern Iraq has killed nd wounded dozens.

(AP PhotoAla Hoshyar, Metrography)

(Syria, Iraq, Turkey and Iran) have been subjected to massacres and abandoned by the outside powers who refused to come to their aid. However, they were always able to rely on each other for help. For example, from early 1988 to 1991, the regime of Saddam Hussein led a brutal military campaign against the Kurds in Iraqi Kurdistan, resulting in hundreds of thousands being massacred. Many Kurds fled and sought refuge in Rojhelat, Iran’s Kurdish region, where “we were welcomed with open arms — Kurdish people in Iraq won’t turn their backs on them now,” the KRG official said. Officials in the KRG are facing a challenging task ahead with balancing and maintaining a working relationship with Iran and its allies in the Iraqi government, who are under a great deal of pressure from Iran but are at the same time are helping the Kurds from Iran.

If anything, the events of October 2017 should be a reminder to the KRG and the international community that Iran’s accusation that Kurdish opposition groups like PAK are terrorists who are causing the strife in Iran is a lie. Iran’s endgame is not the elimination of PAK, Komala and PDKI but the total absorption of the Kurds as a people with their separate political and cultural rights as well as the crushing of the Iranian’s People Uprising.

On September 25, 2017, an independence referendum was held in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, with an overwhelming 92.73% of votes cast in favor of independence. A month later, “on October 20, 2017, 5,000 Ira-

nian Revolutionary Guards and 7,000 Hashdi Shaabi (an Iraqi proxy armed militia backed by Iran), commanded by General Qassem Soleimani, launched an offensive against the Erbil and Kurdistan Region,” said Gen. Yazdanpana. Here, PAK fighters and the Kurdistan Regional Government fought together, prevented and defeated the IRGC and their Iraqi proxies. “Tehran remembers its defeat in this war by us. They want to take revenge but we will not be destroyed by these attacks. Our roots are in East Kurdistan and in the hearts of our people. The units of our party and our army are in the cities and neighborhoods of our country, we are its offshoots. Even if they break the branches, what could they do with the roots?”

The Iranian Kurdish groups that Iran claims are terrorists are the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), Komala and the Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran (PDKI).

Politics

ISIS Exploits Holidays to Fight SDF in Raqqa

By Jiwan Soz

The Syrian city of Raqqa is facing serious security concerns after ISIS fighters attacked a security headquarters affiliated with the Kurdish internal security forces known as Asayish. Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), backed by the United States and the International Coalition against the terrorist group, lost two of its personnel in addition to four others from Asayish in the ISIS attack which portends the terrorists’ comeback.

The attack has forced SDF, whose main component is People’s Protection Units (YPG), to announce a curfew in the city that was previously seized by ISIS in 2014 and declared the capital of their delusional State. Eventually, the SDF, backed by the International Coalition, succeeded in taking control of the city in 2017.

CURFEW UNTIL NEW YEAR

Farhad Shami, Head of the SDF Media Center, told Ma-

File Photo: A sniper of the Syrian Democratic Forces aims his weapon during the fighting with Islamic State’s fighters in the old city of Raqqa, Syria, August 2017 ,21.

REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra

jalla that the “curfew in Raqqa will continue until the beginning of the new year, particularly since the terrorist organization is trying to exploit the holidays and Christmas by launching more attacks as a proof of their existence.”

The sudden attack that took place earlier this week has triggered a security alert in Raqqa, and the residents are concerned that the confrontations will grow larger in scale. SDF are sweeping the areas entered by ISIS fighters following the clashes that took place after the attack against the Asayish security center last Monday.

Shami reiterated that the “sweeping campaign and the security alert will continue all over Raqqa at least until the beginning of the new year,” pointing out that “the terrorist organization is also taking advantage of the Turkish attacks against our regions to maximize its movement against us. But we are working to prevent them.”

Shami explained to Majalla that Asayish lost four of its personnel in the attack, and the SDF lost two of its troops due to severe injuries.

ISIS cells attacked the security center located in the Al-Daraeia neighborhood in Raqqa, according to the head of SDF Media Center, who revealed that one ISIS fighter was wearing an explosive belt and was killed in the attack, and another element was arrested while others fled to nearby areas.

The attack that coincided with the holidays was likely targeted to free ISIS fighters held in SDF prisons, particularly insofar as it took place close to a detention center in which dozens of the extremist group’s members were imprisoned. However, none were able to escape, Asayish sources informed Majalla.

SDF LEADER HINTS TO TURKISH ROLE IN ISIS RETURN

SDF Commander in Chief Mazloum Abdi said that “these terrorist actions should not be tolerated,” in reference to the recent ISIS attack inside the city of Raqqa which coincided with what he called the “ongoing Turkish threats against the region’s security and stability.”

In a tweet, Abdi hinted that the terrorist group was taking advantage of the Turkish attacks against various areas under SDF control.

AN ATTEMPT TO FREE ISIS PRISONERS

The recent attack is the second in less than one year in

which ISIS attempted to free its elements from SDF prisons. In mid-February 2022, the terrorists succeeded in freeing hundreds of its prisoners during an attack on a major detention center in Syria’s Al Hasakah. This is also the eighteenth attack against SDF regions since the beginning of this December, according to the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has monitored developments in Syria since the onset of the two-decade war.

200 ISIS ATTACK AGAINST SDF IN 2022

ISIS occasionally launches sudden attacks against SDF and other coalition targets via dormant cells that are activated in different SDF regions. These cells have launched about 200 attacks against these regions during the current year alone, according to the Syrian Observatory.

Local sources in Raqqa told Majalla that major shops have closed their doors since last Tuesday over fears of ISIS fighters sneaking into the stores and forcing their owners to hide them after the Monday clashes.

EMPTY RAQQA STREETS, COMPLAINTS OF INSTABILITY

As the curfew was coming into force last Tuesday, Raqqa streets became empty of passersby and buses, one city resident told Majalla via WhatsApp video call.

Internal Security Forces and SDF are deploying joint patrols all over the city in tandem with the security sweep that aims to arrest the ISIS units who targeted the Asayish security center.

Residents complained of the instability in the city, which has been targeted by repeated militant attacks, demanding the coalition forces to intervene as ISIS

The sudden attack that took place earlier this week has triggered a security alert in Raqqa, and the residents are concerned that the confrontations will grow larger in scale.

has returned and is entrenched in its suburbs. The extremist group previously withdrew from the area in October 2019 before the Turkish offensive into northeastern Syria, which was called Operation Peace Spring by Ankara.

DEMANDS FOR COALITION ACTION

Local residents are demanding that the US-led coalition rebuild the city which lost 80% of its infrastructure during the military operations of 2017 that drove ISIS away at the hands of SDF.

Scenes of destruction are sharply visible all over the city, despite all of the residents’ attempts to reconstruct their houses using local equipment, limited capabilities, and personal finances.

“My house was greatly damaged by the military operations that took place, but I was able to reconstruct

it using simple equipment because of my construction knowledge and long career,” one local resident told Majalla adding, “Most of the city’s residents rebuilt their houses at their own expense, in modest efforts, while very few cases received support from international organizations that worked in the city.”

He went on to say, “the current clashes and attacks by ISIS will cause additional destruction to the infrastructure. Buildings will also be damaged, especially those that their owners couldn’t afford to reconstruct.”

During the battle to retake Raqqa, thousands of houses were completely or partially damaged. According to UN statistics, at least 11 thousand buildings were damaged including service, health, and educational facilities, in addition to places of worship.

A majority of international organizations withdrew from the city when Turkey launched its Operation Peace Spring against SDF on October 9, 2019, after which the Turkish military and its proxy Syrian militias seized the towns of Tell Abyad, in the northern Raqqa countryside, and Ras al-Ayn, in Al Hasakah countryside.

At present, only a limited number of international organizations work in the area, as additional to the local organizations.

Aside from Raqqa, there are more governorates that are mostly controlled by SDF, such as Al Hasakah, parts of Aleppo and Deir Ez-Zor. Beside its main component of the People’s Protection Units, SDF includes Arab and Assyrian militias, as well as smaller militant units of Armenian, Circassian, and Turkmen fighters.

File photo: Smoke rises at the positions of the Islamic State militants after an air strike by the coalition forces near the stadium in Raqqa, October 6, 2017. REUTERS/Erik De Castro

Internal Security Forces and SDF are deploying joint patrols all over the city in tandem with the security sweep that aims to arrest the ISIS units who targeted the Asayish security center.

Ukraine Drones Hitting Moscow?

Russia, Ukraine Fighting Full-scale Drone War

By Mohammad Ali Salih – Washington

Last week, the Ukrainians sent drones that hit Engels military airfield deep inside Russia, the second such attack in a month. News reports said that the Ukrainians were planning to send a few drones to hit Moscow in what is expected to be a “symbolic victory” over Russia.

From Ukraine-Russia borders, Moscow is about 400 miles away, as far as Engels military airfield. There are two other military airfields within the same distance: Dyagilevo and Kursk.

Engels, which was hit, is the home to Tu-95 and Tu-160 nu-

clear-capable strategic bombers.

To sum it up, Russia and Ukraine are fighting the first fullscale drone war.

Whether or not the Americans are encouraging the Ukrainians, whether or not the drones hit Moscow, a whole new kind of war is already being fought.

These are quotations from three American commentators about drones, the counter-drones and the long-distance drones.

First, George Will, veteran columnist with the Washington Post, called for more sophisticated drones, not the ones that the U.S. used in its war on terrorism.

Second, James Stavridis, retired U.S. Navy admiral and

Credit: AP

former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, said the Ukrainian drones put the Russians on the defensive.

Mark Bowden, the author of “Black Hawk Down,” “Huế 1968,” and “The Finish: The Killing of Osama Bin Laden,” is concerned about anti-drone weapons, now that third world countries such as Iran can send drones to near and far.

George Will: “Sophisticated Drones:”

“‘In war, moral power is as physical as three parts out of four.’ — Napoleon Bonaparte

On the afternoon of June 18, 1815, near the Belgian village of Waterloo, the Duke of Wellington said: ‘Hard pounding, this, gentlemen: let’s see who will pound the longest.’

If Ukraine is given material aid equivalent to one-fourth of that nation’s moral resources, Ukraine can prevail against the Russian invaders, which means, at a minimum, restoration of the status quo ante to last February …

“So, the immediate imperative is to supply Ukraine with the most sophisticated and dangerous U.S. unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), a.k.a. drones, which can be forcemultipliers for Ukraine’s hard pounding of the Russians.

“So far, the most consequential weapon transferred to Ukraine has been the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), whose munitions have the long reach and accuracy necessary to immediately imperil Russian artillery pieces …

“UAVs can locate Russian artillery when they unleash their often-indiscriminate attacks on urban population centers before the artillery can be moved to avoid a counterstrike. Advanced U.S. drones combine intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, targeting and strike capabilities. Such drones can be sent into, and transform, a battle immediately, saving civilian lives by making Russia’s terror tactics terrifying for those who are firing the artillery or launching low-level airstrikes …”

Admiral James Stavridis: “Punishing Putin:”

“Western backers will try to restrain the Ukrainians from launching larger-scale attacks, hoping to reduce the risk of the conflict spiraling further and drawing in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization directly. NATO will try to mollify the Ukrainians by offering more and better surface-to-air missiles to defend their cities, and may seriously consider supplying combat aircraft.

“If the Ukrainians are given tools to truly ‘close the skies’ over their nation, they might be more amenable to refraining from long-range attacks. But as things stand, Ukraine has every right to respond against targets inside Russia. Doing so with unmanned vehicles is a prudent path. “Unless the West is willing to protect Ukrainians from a terror

campaign from the sky, we should get out of their way.

“On the other side, these attacks will likely harden the Russian military’s resolve and provide Putin with the talking points he wants for the Russian population: Ukraine is attacking us!

But more than nine months into his brutal war, his approval rating at home is suffering and his international support dwindling. Sanctions are biting the economy, and price caps on Russian oil went into effect on Monday. Europe is holding together well in the face of Russian energy blackmail.

“Much like the famous air raid on Tokyo by US Colonel Jimmy Dolittle in the early days of World War II, the drone attacks show a weakness in a supposedly invulnerable home front. It may help ordinary Russians to see the mounting costs of what might best be termed ‘the war of Putin’s ego.’”

Mark Bowden: “Anti-Drones”:

“Last year Congress directed the Pentagon to develop a counterforce for small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), and budgeted almost $750 million for them. The newly created office’s director has said that the reliance on drones in Ukraine added urgency to his mission. It really shows the importance of having counter-UAS at scale … “For its part, the U.S. Army is experimenting with using large airbursts or electromagnetic pulses to guard against the eventual emergence of the drone swarm.

“The U.S. Navy’s High Energy Laser weapons system, and those under development by major defense contractors—Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and others—use AI to very rapidly target and destroy incoming drones one by one, potentially enough to disable a swarm.

“Such a weapon would be more useful at sea or over an open battlefield than over cities, where most combat in the modern era takes place.

“Air traffic over large cities is busy, so pinpointing a relatively small and dangerous intruder without knocking down friendly aircraft is hard. To help this effort, the Army’s Joint Counter Small Unmanned Aerial System Office is looking at ways to adapt existing air-traffic-control networks to spot anomalous flight patterns …”

First, George Will, veteran columnist with the Washington Post, called for more sophisticated drones, not the ones that the U.S. used in its war on terrorism.

Ukrainian soldiers watch drone feeds from an underground command center in Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Sunday, Dec. 2022 ,25

KSA’s Year of Innovation, Economic Recovery and Financial Sustainability

2022 An Overview of Saudi Economic Journey in

tion rates as low as possible.

Year 2022 has witnessed a great performance for the Saudi economy. Kingdom Vision 2030 and the economic reforms have put the national economy on the right track, opening new horizons for growth and prosperity in the coming years, and paving the way for non-oil revenues to have an increasing weight in budget revenues. Meanwhile, the financial policies have enabled the government to keep infla-

Throughout the 2022 Saudi economic journey, Majalla English has covered the most significant developments with deep insights and comprehensive analysis, giving more space for a better understanding of the subject. The magazine has picked up the most interesting topics that focus on innovation with highly credible added-value, muti-billion-dollar investments and the progress achieved in the national economy.

Motasem Al Felou- Jeddah

BUDGET NUMBERS

The fruit of Saudi economic administration and initiatives has resulted in growth that has exceeded expectations to reach 8.5%, the highest among G20 members. The 2022 budget of USD 325 billion has recorded a surplus of USD 27 billion, the first since 2014. The non-oil revenues accounted for one-third of the budget revenues. The Saudi Finance Ministry is expecting the economy to grow by 3.1% in 2023, 5.7% in 2024, and 4.5% in 2025.

BLUE ECONOMY

Saudi Arabia is undertaking a huge project called “OXAGON,” the world’s largest floating, sustainable industrial district on the northwest Red Sea coast of the Kingdom. The project comes as part of what is called the “blue economy,” which defined by the World Bank as the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihood and jobs, and ocean ecosystem health. This concept is not restricted to industrial applications – it encompasses fisheries, aquaculture, maritime transport, tourism, waste management and renewable energy generation. More examples of the Saudi blue economy include the Red Sea Project, which encompasses an archipelago of more than 90 islands along the western coast of Saudi Arabia on the Red Sea, and another touristic project located on Saudi Arabia’s east coast in the Arabian Gulf called THE RIG, as it is inspired by offshore oil rigs. All of the projects are funded by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), one of the top 10 sovereign funds in the world.

MICROCHIPS DELAY CAR ORDERS

We discussed the reasons behind the 3-6-month delay of car orders. The main reason is the weakness of “supply chains (SC),” a term that refers to the process of making and selling commercial goods ranging from supplying raw materials and manufacturing to distribution and sales. There has been a worldwide loss of around 11 million units of microchip production for the car industry. This trend will continue in 2022 and 2023 until the chipmakers fully recover. The lack of microchips has negatively impacted the auto industry

FIERCE COPETITORS OF SAUDI BANKS

We discussed the challenges facing the Saudi banks. The main sources of fierce competition are buy-now-pay-later firms, e-wallets (STC Pay and URPAY), crowdfunding platforms, personal financing firms and stock trading platforms.

With more digitalization of the financial sector, more competitors have specialized in specific areas of banking services, providing more sophisticated services, an evolution that is taking more bank customers away, forcing banks to shut down more branches and invest more in the banking digital transformation of services.

DARK STORE APPS FLOURISH

Saudi dark stores or warehouses cater to people whose lifestyles do not allow time for physical shopping, so they order the daily groceries, electronics, furniture, and food online.

After the outbreak of Covid-19, shoppers relied heavily on dark stores apps to get their groceries and everything they needed to live under lockdown. Now, although life is 95% back to normal, this consumer behavior continues.

The dark-store-based apps are flourishing under a bigger umbrella called “e-commerce,” which is key driver of growth that has reached around USD 16 billion in 2021, according to multiple Saudi sources.

SAUDI CONSIDERS WHEAT GROWING

In 2009, the Saudi government banned wheat agriculture to protect its underground water resources with few exceptions. Instead, the government has encouraged the Saudi private sector to invest in wheat production abroad.

SALIC, the Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company, a PIF-owned subsidiary, was founded in 2009 to be active in bringing food security to the Kingdom through buying lands and stakes, takeovers, and estab-

A Muslim pilgrim shops in Mecca, Saudi Arabia July 5, 2022. REUTERS/ Mohammed Salem

Throughout the 2022 Saudi economic journey, Majalla English has covered the most significant developments with deep insights and comprehensive analysis, giving more space for a better understanding of the subject.

Economy

lishing new companies in water-rich, stable countries.

Previously, the total production of wheat surged from around 150,000 tons in the late 1970s and early 1980s to 4 million tons in the early 1990s.

After the Russia-Ukraine military conflict started, wheat prices underwent a series of surges. The Saudi government has considered permitting wheat production to overcome the price and shortage challenges.

TOP MISTAKES BY SAUDI ENTREPRENEURS

Four young Saudi entrepreneurs, who have experienced both success and failure, have highlighted the mistakes

committed by them or other entrepreneurs that could hinder their success.

Those mistakes include overpricing products/services, rushing to franchise, paying high wages, over/under funding, misuse of government funds and tax evasion.

Those mistakes force around two-thirds of entrepreneurs to exit the market, recording huge losses and debts. Thus, innovation, better planning and learning from experience will save entrepreneurs from making deadly mistakes.

EFFICIENT ENERGY CONSUMPTION

The gradual transformation of the Saudi energy consumption scene had started with the foundation of the Saudi Energy Efficiency Center (SEEC) in 2010. This Center has played a vital role in reshaping the scene towards less waste, efficient consumption and more awareness.

The encouraging results included lower gas consumption from 2018 until the present date. The peak was in 2017 at 208 million barrels of gas annually, compared to 175 million barrels of gas in 2021,” said Eng. Taher.

The Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) had managed to decrease its diesel consumption to 48% in 2019. The peak of electricity consumption was reached in 2018 with a total consumption of 299 thousand megawatts in power. In 2019, the consumption had started to fall to the levels of 2014 and 2015, which were about 280 thousand megawatts.

More examples of the Saudi blue economy include the Red Sea Project, which encompasses an archipelago of more than 90 islands along the western coast of Saudi Arabia on the Red Sea.

Cars drive past the King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, November 12, 2017. REUTERS/ Faisal Al Nasser

Saudi Arabia is unlocking the potential of 12 downtowns. SDC aims to build and develop downtown areas and mixed-use destinations in 12 cities throughout Saudi Arabia. The 12 cities include: Al-Madinah (northwest), Al-Khobar(east), Al-Ahsa (east), Buraidah (northcentral), Najran (southwest), Jazan (southeast), Hail(northwest), Al-Baha (western), Arar (north), Taif (west), Dumat Al-Jandal (northwest), and Tabuk (northwest).

SAUDI SUSTAINABLE TOURISM

The Saudi Tourism Minister, Ahmed Al-Khatib, is bringing to the table a concept of tourism called “environment generation,” which is new to the world of tourism. According to the UN Environment Program and UN World Tourism, this kind of tourism is defined as” tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities.”

This is different from “ecotourism,” which refers to a kind of nature tourism that respects the environment.

Currently, there are 15 nature reserves across the country, where hunting is completely prohibited. The Environment Police apparatus was founded with the purpose of protecting the environment, wildlife, biodiversity, enforcing the law, and fighting forest harvesting. Those nature reserves and protected lands are supervised by the Saudi Wildlife Authority.

A NEW SILK ROAD BETWEEN RIYADH and BEJING

The historic visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping was the cherry on top for the year 2022.

China was the world’s primary importer from KSA in 2021 at $51 billion (nearly one sixth of Saudi budget revenues or spending in the same year), making China the most prominent partner for Saudi Arabia. On China’s part, it is the top buyer of Saudi oil (although there are other low-price exporters such as Russia), which means that KSA is the most valuable and credible energy supplier for China.

The visit came as part of the Sino-Saudi efforts to create a more balanced world order on the economic, financial, scientific and political levels.

Vehicle light trails on King Fahad Road in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Credit: Getty Images

Image used for illustrative purpose.

SAUDI DOWNTOWN COMPANY (SDC) BY PIF

Saudi Arabia is undertaking a huge project called “OXAGON,” the world’s largest floating, sustainable industrial district on the northwest Red Sea coast of the Kingdom.

Economy

Egypt in Race Against Time to Become Transport, Logistics Hub

2014 Transport Renaissance, Overall Development Since

By Wael Salem

The Egyptian government is in a race against time to become a major hub for global transport and logistics by 2024, Minister of Transport Kamel elWazir said recently. The 10-year transport network modernization plan,

which was begun in 2014, is expected to cost LE 1.7 trillion.

The plan covers six areas: roads and bridges (LE 474 billion), railways (LE 225 billion), tunnels (LE 837 billion), shipping (LE 115 billion), dry ports and logistics (LE 15 billion) and river trans-

The first monorail starts from Nasr City with a length of 56.5 kilometers and 22 stops. The second will go from 6 October City for 42 kilometers with 12 stops.

port (LE 3 billion).

Khaled Abdel-Fattah, who is head of the Sociology Department at Helwan University, told Majalla that the poor old transport system negatively affected all aspects of life.

Ayman Mosallam, Professor of Structural Engineering of the Faculty of Engineering, Benha University, said: “Roads for heavy goods vehicles are reinforced with concrete castings. Road construction in mountainous areas must be applauded.”

“Transport is the artery on which all economic and social development programs in the country are built,” Mosallam told this magazine.

Mohamed Idrees of the Urban Planning Department at the Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University, told Majalla that a road network was “one of the most important elements of development” for any country.

In recent years, projects costing LE 1.3 trillion have already been implemented, the Minister of Transport said, noting that the monorail, the high-speed electric train, port projects, and 30,000 kilometers of new and developed roads will be completed by the end of 2024.

There are plans for a road link between Egypt, Libya, Chad and Niger. Egypt intends to work with nine other countries on the construction of a highway linking the Delta with Cape Town, South Africa, by 2024. This pan-African highway will start from Alexandria and go through Cairo to the Arqin Border Crossing between Egypt and Sudan.

The 10,288 kilometer road will go through Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa, ending at Cape Town.

Egypt is also building a 1,102 kilometer route at an estimated cost of LE 22 billion, to connect with Chad through Libya. A 585 kilometer coastal highway from Sal-

loum in west Egypt to Benghazi in east Libya is under construction at a cost of LE 3 billion.

“Road projects connecting with Egypt’s neighbors will achieve sustainable development, promote trade exchange with other countries and improve access for Egyptian exports to Arab and African markets,” the Transport Minister said.

As for the national rail network, signaling and communication systems on main routes are being updated with the latest electronics and central control systems to eliminate human error, cut accidents and raise safety standards. In general, 257 railway-related projects costing LE 220 billion will have been carried out under the ten-year plan, while 177 schemes have been completed at a total cost of LE 45 billion.

By 2024, more than 2,200 kilometers of track will have been electrified at a cost of LE 757 billion, as well as a high-speed electric network with a total length of 1,795 kilometers on which LE 360 billion will have been spent.

The first line of 460 kilometers, which is due for completion in 2023, will cost LE 100 billion and link Ain Sokhna on the Red Sea with New Alamein City on the Mediterranean coast via the New Administrative Capital (NAC) and Borg el-Arab.

The second line will link the Red Sea ports

Road projects connecting with Egypt’s neighbors will achieve sustainable development, promote trade exchange with other countries and improve access for Egyptian exports to Arab and African markets.

Economy

with Alexandria and Matrouh Gargoub. The third will connect Hurghada and Safaga on the Red Sea with Qena and Luxor. The last segment will link 6 October City with Luxor and Aswan.

After the two monorail routes, it will be possible to travel to the NAC from 6 October City

via Mohandessin and Metro line 3 — a trip of 52 kilometers.

The first monorail starts from Nasr City with a length of 56.5 kilometers and 22 stops. The second will go from 6 October City for 42 kilometers with 12 stops.

Meanwhile, one hundred Egyptian-made electric buses will soon be operating on the 110 kilometer Greater Cairo Ring Road.

According to a recent official statement, the eco-friendly fleet of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system will cost LE 680 million as per the contract between the Arab Union Land Transport and Tourism Company (Super Jet), affiliated to the Transport Ministry and the Armoured Vehicles Production and Repair Factory (Factory 200 Military) under the National Authority for Military Production.

The contract is a milestone in electric bus manufacture in Egypt, the Ministry of Transport said in a recent press release, adding that

Mohamed Idrees of the Urban Planning Department at the Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University, told Majalla that a road network was “one of the most important elements of development” for any country.

Egypt is also building a 1,102-kilometer route at an estimated cost of LE 22 billion, to connect with Chad through Libya.

The monorail, the highspeed electric train, port projects, and 30,000 kilometers of new and developed roads will be completed by the end of 2024.

stops for phase one of the BRT system will be completed before embarking on phase two of the Ring Road development, when 200 electrically-powered buses will be operating, serving 25 million people at 47 stops.

All these projects are being carried out in tandem with work on the underground network in Greater Cairo, which includes the completion of 42.2 kilometer line 3 costing LE 97 billion, the first 19 kilometers of line 4 from 6 October City to AlAshgar district at a cost of LE 70 billion, and a fifth line of 30 kilometers linking New Maadi to Al-Khosous at a cost of LE 73.4 billion.

When it opened in 1988, the first line of the Cairo Metro was dubbed the “fifth pyramid” for its daring breakthrough in transport engineering.

Thirty years on, we have the beginnings of an extensive network of underground travel. In a few years, riding the tube to the international

474

225 billion),

airport will be taken for granted.

At the eastern terminus of line 3 of the Metro, Adly Mansour, is the transport interchange, nominated by the American magazine Engineering News-Record for an award of excellence.

From here you can board the fast electric train connection to the New Administrative Capital.

The plan covers six areas: roads and bridges (LE

billion), railways (LE

tunnels (LE 837 billion), shipping (LE 115 billion), dry ports and logistics (LE 15 billion) and river transport (LE 3 billion).

By Peter Sblendorio

Several of Hollywood’s biggest franchises delivered follow-up films worthy of the hype, with Tom Cruise taking flight again in “Top Gun: Maverick” and James Cameron transporting audiences back to

Pandora with “Avatar: The Way of Water.”

There were dazzling original stories, too, including critical darlings from Steven Spielberg and Baz Lurhmann and a multiverse adventure defying expectations in this dimension or any other. Here are the best movies of 2022.

“Top Gun: Maverick”

The need for speed was more than satisfied with this epic offering more than three decades in the making.

Cruise and his co-stars took realism to new heights by shooting scenes inside actual fighter jets — a commitment requiring the cast to undergo months of rigorous training to authentically portray fearless Navy pilots.

“Tom really understands the effect a movie can have on an audience if it’s done correctly,” actor Glen Powell told the Daily News. “If there is a way in which he can affect an audience emotionally, if he can put them in the back of an F/A-18, he’s like, ‘We’re going to do this practically.’”

The story landed, too, with Cruise adding more depth to the hotshot Capt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell character he introduced in 1986s original “Top Gun.”

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”

The power of this superhero spectacle stemmed from its ability to honor late star Chadwick Boseman while offering thought-provoking commentary on the real world.

Ryan Coogler seamlessly transitioned from 2018s

original “Black Panther,” which he directed, to a new story exploring grief following the 2020 death of Boseman, who had privately battled colon cancer.

“We made the film that we could make, and that film we could make was this one,” Coogler told The News. “We did honest work, and we gave our best. We all met Chad through working on ... this movie, and that was his attitude, to give until his cup was empty, so that’s what we did. We honored him through the work.”

The film’s central conflict between the surface world and an underwater kingdom offered a compelling analysis of foreign affairs, and out of it Coogler weaved another Marvel masterpiece.

“Elvis”

Luhrmann’s wide-ranging biopic about Elvis Presley inspired a little more conversation about the music and struggles of a cultural icon whose story is often reduced to Las Vegas parodies.

Austin Butler’s portrayal of the King of Rock and Roll got audiences all shook up — including the star’s ex-wife, Priscilla Presley, who gave a rave review.

“She said, ‘I’ve had to put up with a lifetime of people impersonating, and my husband was not an impersonation. He was a person.’ I thought that was the most telling thing,” Luhrmann told The News.

“Everything Everywhere All at Once”

This out-of-this-world, universe-hopping sensation proved to be Hollywood’s biggest surprise of 2022, exploding as one of the year’s most-talkedabout movies despite a much more modest budget

“Everything Everywhere All at Once”cleverly jumps between genres as quickly as it introduces new worlds, and Michelle Yeoh’s delightful lead performance deserves to be at the forefront of any awards-season debate.

Tom Cruise as Capt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, Miles Teller as Lt. Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, Monica Barbaro as “Phoenix” and Glen Powell as “Hangman” in “Top Gun: Maverick.” (Scott Garfield/Paramount Pictures/TNS)

The Fabelmans

ovies M

than its fellow heavyweights.

The film cleverly jumps between genres as quickly as it introduces new worlds, and Michelle Yeoh’s delightful lead performance deserves to be at the forefront of any awards-season debate.

Critics and audiences alike loved “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” which is among the mostnominated films at next month’s Golden Globes with six. It grossed more than $100 million, making it the biggest film ever for the A24 studio.

“Avatar: The Way of Water”

Cameron sure knows how to make a splash. The writer-director’s “The Way of Water” ex-

plores more of the sprawling Pandora moon with the same stunning visuals and attention to detail that helped make 2009s original “Avatar” the highest-grossing film in history. The Na’vi-centric sequel is certainly avoiding any box-office blues, opening this month with more than $130 million in North America and easily winning its first two weekends in theaters.

“The Fabelmans”

The semi-autobiographical “The Fabelmans” is the most personal project of Spielberg’s prolific ca-

A scene from Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” (Marvel Studios/TNS)

There were dazzling original stories, too, including critical darlings from Steven Spielberg and Baz Lurhmann and a multiverse adventure defying expectations in this dimension or any other.

Elvis

reer, drawing inspiration from his family life and early days as a filmmaker.

The drama has Spielberg, a three-time Oscar winner, at the center of awards-season discussions for a second consecutive year after his “West Side Story” adaptation drew praise last December.

Michelle Williams, meanwhile, is in the mix for her first career Oscar for her portrayal of a character based on Spielberg’s mother.

The future is bright for the Dark Knight.

Robert Pattinson’s brooding debut as Batman harks back to the comic-book superhero’s original source material, with writer-director Matt Reeves using a refreshingly dark tone to put a new spin on the genre.

“Matt really wanted to honor the evolution of ‘Batman’ the comic,” actor Jeffrey Wright, who plays Lt. James Gordon, told The News.

“He wanted to celebrate the more narrative-focused elements of ‘Batman,’ and those being mystery-based. He wanted to celebrate Batman, the world’s greatest detective, because I think, as well, it makes for interesting filmmaking.”

This article was originally published by New York Daily News.

“The Batman”

Black Panther’s central conflict between the surface world and an underwater kingdom offered a compelling analysis of foreign affairs, and out of it Coogler weaved another Marvel masterpiece.

Avatar: The Way of Water

Drumming to success and our hearts

Egyptian Jazz Pioneer Speaks to Majalla About Future Ambitions

By Maryam Raafat

When a four-year-old beats out a tattoo on tables, chairs and upturned saucepans, he’s surely “got da rhythm.”

With encouragement, this youngster became a

pioneer in jazz in Egypt.

He used to listen to jazz on the radio program “Voice of America Jazz Club.”

“I went to the US embassy and told them I loved jazz music,” Egyptian jazz pioneer Yehia Khalil said. “Could they help me? They

gave me a monthly magazine on jazz and it taught me all I know.”

At thirteen, he formed the Cairo Jazz Quartet, the first jazz band in Egyptian history.

Guitarist Omar Khorshid and pianist Ezzat Abou Ouf were also teenagers.

Khalil’s family said music was not a “proper” career, but his passion grew and he insisted on treading his own path.

“We used to rehearse in an old church in Heliopolis. A Syrian priest, known as el-Agami, gave us someplace to make our music,” Khalil told this paper.

In 1965, the band reached the height of popularity in Egypt. Khalil, then 21, went to the US to study, play and meet all those titans to whose music he listened.

“I felt that I was thirsty for more jazz. I wanted to meet my idols who inspired me, and be where ‘it was at’,” Khalil said in an interview with the Egyptian Mail.

Khalil was a drummer and student for 15 years in the US, where he joined the American Music Conservatory for two years. Afterwards, he was tutored for five years by the legendary percussionist Roy Knapp, and acquired a diploma.

Khalil toured America with a succession of

American jazz, soul, blues and country bands. His combination of multiple rhythms with western instruments plus an oriental twist caught the imagination of the young jazz and rock fans in Cairo.

Khalil has appeared in opening concerts of the Cairo Opera House with the great Dizzy Gillespie.

Khalil pioneered the jazz movement in Egypt and has been creating game-changing music for the past four decades. He continues to redefine jazz, blending world trends with local music.

“I came back to Egypt after 15 years in the US. I felt that I had a responsibility towards the people of my country to present this genre and make them enjoy it, just as I did,” Khalil said. Among his achievements of the last four decades, he re-conceptualized songs by Umm Kulthum and Abdel Halim Hafiz and composed theme music for a television series.

Upon his return from the US in 1979, he worked with Mohamed Mounir for about a year on the latter’s third album “Shababeek” (Windows).

As for latest trends that the critics deplore for their vulgarity, Khalil said: “I am not against any type of music. If people like it, OK.”

Khalil has just arrived from the US after a 6-month long tour ended with his being honored by the Old Town Music School in Chicago.

Khalil will give a concert on January 12, in the Small Hall of the Cairo Opera House at 8pm.

Khalil was a drummer and student for 15 years in the US, where he joined the American Music Conservatory for two years.

A photo of courtesy of Yehia Khalil

A photo of courtesy of Yehia Khalil

port s

The Land of Mesopotamia is Hosting Gulf 25

Football’s Power to Bring Love, Peace to Basra, Providing a

Boost to Iraq’s Embattled Football

By Sarah Gamal

The Arabian Gulf Cup will return to Iraqi territory after a forty-four-year absence, thanks to Iraq’s successful bid to host the twenty-fifth edition in Basra in January 2023.

The biennial tournament of eight nations concluded in December 2019 in Qatar, with Bahrain taking home the trophy. The 2021 version was delayed because stadiums and hotels in the southern Iraqi city had not yet been completed.

The Gulf 25 is set to begin on Friday, January 6, 2023, and will run until the 19th of the month. It was supposed to take place in 2022, but that proved impossible due to a crowded international schedule that included World Cup qualifiers, Asian Cup qualifiers, and the Arab Cup, not to mention the World Cup itself.

Iraq will host the tournament for the second time in its history, following the first in 1979, when it hosted the fifth edition at the Al-Shaab International Stadium in

Baghdad and was crowned champion.

The draw took place on October 25, 2022, at the Grand Millennium Al Seef in Basra. By selecting one team from each of the four ranked pots, the eight teams were divided into two groups of four.

The teams were divided into four pots for the draw based on the FIFA World Rankings from October 2022. Pot 1 was made up of the hosts Iraq and the holders Bahrain, who were assigned to A1 and A2, respectively.

Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen were placed in the first group in the 25th Gulf draw. At the same time, Qatar,

Iraq’s Razzaq Farhan (front C) lifts up the gold trophy after his team won the soccer final match against Syria at the third West Asian Games in Doha December 2005 ,10.

Razzaq Farhan also told Majalla that the Lions of Mesopotamia are capable of competing for the title of “Gulf 25.”

the UAE, Kuwait, and Bahrain, the defending champion, were placed in the second group.

Sindbad, the official mascot for the 25th Gulf Cup, was also unveiled on that occasion.

The Arabian Gulf Cup began in 1970 and is held every two years. The first was held in Bahrain in 1970, and the most recent was held in Qatar in 2019.

Kuwait has the most titles in the tournament’s history, with ten, while Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq each have three.

Kuwait’s national team won three more consecutive championships in 1972, 1974, and 1976, before moving away from Arabian Gulf Cup gold for a short time after finishing runner-up in the 1979 edition.

The Kuwaiti team won first place and the championship gold medal in the 1982 edition, as well as in the 1986 and 1990 editions.

It took the Kuwaiti national team exactly 6 years to return to the podium after winning the Arabian Gulf Cup in 1996 and 1998.

Before returning to the podium to win the Gulf Cup gold in 2010, the Kuwait national team had been absent from the scene for more than 11 years.

The only time Iraq hosted the Gulf Cup was in 1979, when they also won. Despite competing in only 14 editions of the cup, the country is the second most decorated Gulf Cup champion of all time, a position it shares with Saudi Arabia and Qatar, having won the tournament three times.

Kuwait leads the standings with ten victories.

Despite the country’s constant state of political instabil-

ity and disunity, the Iraqi population’s special connection to football has managed to unite the people during major regional and international tournaments, with people flocking to support the national team regardless of their modest results.

Iraqis took to the streets to celebrate in 2007 after their team was crowned Asian Cup champions for the first time in history, at a time when the country was experiencing one of its most turbulent and volatile periods.

Oil-rich Basra is Iraq’s second-largest city and home to roughly 70% of the country’s proven oil reserves, which are estimated to be 153 billion barrels. It shares borders with Iran and Kuwait and is Iraq’s only access point to the Arabian Gulf.

On one hand, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani, who took office in November, has promised that his government will do everything possible to make the Basra tournament a success.

On the other hand, the Iraqi Football Association held a press conference in Basra to announce the launch of

The Gulf 25 is set to begin on Friday, January 6, 2023, and will run until the 19th of the month.

Arabian Gulf Cup. (Photo Credit: Times of Oman)

a website for the sale of match tickets. The 25th Gulf Championship Organizing Committee has designated five outlets in Basra to sell match tickets directly.

One of the city’s stadiums can hold 65,000 people, while the second can hold 30,000 people and was inaugurated last Monday with a friendly match between two clubs from the domestic leagues of Iraq and Kuwait.

FIFA, football’s governing body, lifted a ban on international competitions in Iraq that had been in place for years due to security concerns earlier this year.

Baghdad’s packed Al-Madina Stadium hosted a friendly between Iraq and Uganda in January, the capital’s first international match since 2013.

Razzaq Farhan Mussa, a former Iraqi footballer and Olympic athlete who is now the assistant manager of the

Iraq national football team, predicted that the next Arabian Gulf Cup, which Basra will host, will be “exceptional” due to the extensive preparations in terms of modern stadiums and the expected public attendance.

Razzaq Farhan also told Majalla that the Lions of Mesopotamia are capable of competing for the title of “Gulf 25.”

Farhan was a gifted goal scorer whose quick thinking and action made up for his lack of size and power. The Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya forward scored 24 goals in 60 games for Iraq after making his debut against Lebanon.

Farhan has played professionally for a number of clubs, including Qatar Sports Club and Al-Faisaly (Amman). He was also a member of the Olympic team in 2004, scoring the only goal in a losing semifinal match against Paraguay.

Farhan has over 60 caps and has scored 24 goals. Farhan began his coaching career as an assistant to Radhi Shenaishil in the Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya club, where he worked for nearly two years. Farhan then began his first coaching career in December 2018 with Al-Diwaniya FC. Farhan had a good season in comparison to the club’s poor sources. The club lost 7 games and won 8. Farhan had some very impressive scores, such as a 3-3 tie with Al-Zawraa SC before winning 3-2 in the second round. Al-Talaba SC was also defeated 2-0, Naft Maysan FC was defeated 3-1, and Al-Karkh SC was defeated 1-0. Farhan has a strong home advantage, which contributed to his contract being renewed for the following season.

The ex-Iraq striker went on to say that the presence of most of the teams and all of their stars will give the up-

The Arabian Gulf Cup, whose first edition was held in Bahrain fiftytwo years ago, remains the football tournament that every Gulf home looks forward to because of its uniqueness, popularity, and connection to Gulf heritage

A man walks near the pitch at the New Minaa Olympic Stadium, built to accomodate 30,000 spectators, in Iraq›s southern city of Basra on December 2022 ,26, ahead of its inauguration in a friendly exhibition match between Iraqi al-Minaa club and Kuwait SC. / AFP

The promotional bus for the upcoming 25th Arabian Gulf Cup football tournament arrives to the southern Iraqi city of Basra, Iraq, Monday, Dec. 2022 ,26. (AP Photo/Nabil al-Jurani)

coming Gulf Cup the flavor of fierce competition.

“For several years, preparations went well, and the pace of preparations has recently increased. I anticipate that the next Gulf Cup will be exceptional, given the availability of modern stadiums and luxury hotels, as well as the rest of the logistical support provided by the Basra Governorate,” Razzaq Farhan told Majalla.

Farhan talked about the team’s nomination to compete for the title: “The competition will be fierce, with most teams sending all of their stars, with the exception of the Saudi and Qatari teams. I expect the Iraqi and Omani teams to compete fiercely for the title, and we do not rule out Kuwait, Bahrain, or the UAE making the final.”

As for the chances of the Iraqi national team to win its fourth Gulf title; “Despite its technical instability and the recent appointment of Spanish coach Jesús Casas, its chances of competing for the Gulf title 25 are great and strong. However, we expect a lot from them, in light of the presence of technical indicators to perfectly prepare the Lions of Mesopotamia for the championship, and I also expect the Iraqi public to play a very important role in enhancing Iraq’s chances of winning the fourth title.”

Farhan commented on the lack of professional players on the Iraqi national team: “Professional players must be absent due to commitments with their clubs in the Arab and European leagues.”

“Although the absence of some of them, such as Ayman Hussein, Zidane Iqbal, and Amjad Atwan, may have an impact, local players can play big matches and make up for absences. We have distinguished players who have performed admirably in the Iraqi league,” he added.

Away from the Gulf Cup, Majalla asked the former international about the current state of the Iraqi league, to which he replied: “The levels of the teams differ due to the elements and tools available, and some teams, particularly Al-Kahraba, Al-Najaf, and Al-Hedoud, performed admirably in previous rounds. The clubs with large audiences were impacted by the varying levels of their players, particularly the professional players who are expected to make the difference, but the upcoming rounds will see an improvement due to the escalation of the technical level.”

The Arabian Gulf Cup, whose first edition was held in Bahrain fifty-two years ago, remains the football tournament that every Gulf home looks forward to because of its uniqueness, popularity, and connection to Gulf heritage.

As a result, we hope that the Basra matches will serve as a complement to the previous twenty-four meetings.\

The Arabian Gulf Cup will return to Iraqi territory after a forty-four-year absence, thanks to Iraq’s successful bid to host the twenty-fifth edition in Basra in January 2023.

Po rt ra it

Meghan Markle: Actress, Campaigner, Blogger, and Then a Duchess

By Majalla

Illustrated by Jeannette Khouri

Those who dislike Meghan Markle have joked that the American should be nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars for her performance in the Netflix documentary about her and Prince Harry’s estrangement from the Royal Family.

The Netflix series premiered earlier this month and has been watched by millions of people, including those who admire the couple and respect their decision to leave London, as well as those who despise Markle.

The series tells new stories about Markle’s dissatisfaction while the couple lived in the royal quarters and how the British tabloid press hounded her for every minor detail of her life. Markle rose to prominence as an actress, campaigner, and blogger before marrying Prince Harry and becoming Duchess of Sussex in May 2018.

Rachel Meghan Markle was born on August 4, 1981, in a prosperous area of Los Angeles. Her mother’s home is in an area known as the “Black Beverly Hills.”

Meghan attended a private primary school in Hollywood and began advocating for gender equality at a young age.

At the age of 11, she wrote a letter to Hillary Clinton, the then First Lady of the United States, complaining about a dishwashing liquid commercial’s tagline: “Women all over America are fighting greasy pots and pans.”

She began volunteering in soup kitchens at the age of 15 while attending a girls’ Roman Catholic college, and she graduated from Northwestern University School of Communication in 2003, near Chicago.

Her father worked as a cinematographer on the hit 1980s show Married... With Children, and she made her US television debut in an episode of the medical drama General Hospital in 2002, before moving on to roles in CSI, Without a Trace, and Castle.

She had leading roles in TV movies such as When Sparks Fly and Dater’s Handbook, as well as bit parts in Hollywood films including Get Him to the Greek, Remember Me, and Horrible Bosses. She was also a “briefcase girl” on the US version of the game show Deal or No Deal.

In between auditions, she has mentioned making money by doing calligraphy for wedding invitations, which she learned in school handwriting classes.

She also played FBI special agent Amy Jessup in the sci-fi series Fringe, but her most famous role was in Suits.

Meghan had been on the show since its inception in 2011, but she was written out in the seventh series finale. Perhaps fittingly, she left after her character married.

Meghan Markle’s marriage to Prince Harry was not her first. She married film producer Trevor Engelson in September 2011, but the couple divorced two years later.

It was reported in September that her ex-husband was working on a new TV show about

a man’s custody battle with his ex-wife who marries into the Royal Family.

On her lifestyle website The Tig, she began writing about food, beauty, fashion, and travel, as well as her own story, in 2014.

Meghan explained that she created the website to “reframe the beauty content to include think pieces about self-empowerment” and to feature dynamic, inspirational women.

“I’ve never wanted to be a lady who lunches - I’ve always wanted to be a woman who works,” she explained in one post.

Her media career has coincided with her advocacy for causes close to her heart.

In March 2017, she addressed the issue of menstrual health stigma in an article for Time magazine, and she was a global ambassador for World Vision Canada, which campaigns for better education, food, and healthcare for children all over the world.

The actress traveled to Rwanda for the charity’s Clean Water Campaign as part of her role.

Meghan’s dedication to gender equality has led to her involvement with the United Nations, where she received a standing ovation from an audience that included UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for a moving speech on International Women’s Day in 2015.

Meghan, who has a white father and an African-American mother, has also spoken about figuring out her racial identity.

“While my mixed heritage may have created a gray area surrounding my self-identification, keeping me with a foot on both sides of the fence, I have come to embrace that,” she wrote

in an article for Elle magazine. She became a mother in May 2019, but within a year she and Prince Harry had left the Royal Family to start a new life in North America.

Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, her second child with Prince Harry, was born in June 2021.

Meghan became a princess of the United Kingdom after marrying Prince Harry, and she

was given the title Royal Highness. She was styled “Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex” after her marriage. She is also known as Countess of Dumbarton and Baroness Kilkeel. She is the first Duchess of Sussex. Following the Duke and Duchess’ decision to step down from royal duties in 2020, the couple agreed not to use “Royal Highness” in practice, but they retain the title legally.

On March 7, 2021, CBS aired the television special “Oprah with Meghan and Harry.” Meghan discussed her personal and royal lives, as well as public pressure. She spoke about contemplating suicide during her time as a working royal and a perceived a lack of protection for herself and her son while a member of the royal institution. The interview elicited a diverse and polarized response.

Technology

Here are the 4 Ways Banking Will Evolve in the Next Decade

Expect to See a New Crop of Fintech

By Sankaet Pathak

With the rise of fintech companies and banking-as-a-service platforms, growing cellular capabilities, and evolving consumer sentiments and needs, we find ourselves on the precipice of a banking revolution.

According to findings from Zion Market Research, as of August 2022, the global fintechas-a-service platform market size is predicted to grow around $949 billion by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of roughly 17%. What we consider banking today will take on new forms and regulatory

standards, evolving into the fabric of our everyday digital experiences. In November 2022, a report released by the Treasury Department outlines in detail how large and small companies are offering financial services at a real point of need for the consumer, creating a new playing field for smaller companies, startups, and regional banks to expand their product offerings and compete with larger banks and institutions. Collectively, these trends will significantly broaden the banking playing field for all.

Here are the top four trends to expect in the next decade in banking as the industry transforms for the better.

Increased regulation will improve the embedded finance ecosystem

Over the last few years, embedded finance has become a part of our everyday use, with financial services and applications available when we need them. Consumers can now use “buy now, pay later” services for online purchases, make one-click payments on Uber, Amazon, or Walmart, and add built-in insurance offerings to their travel and accommodation bookings. An October 2022 piece coauthored by several McKinsey partners revealed that embedded finance reached $20 billion in revenue in the U.S. alone in 2021. Embedded finance has transformed the pointof-sale process, improving the customer experience through lending, insurance, and other offerings while generating more business for sellers. According to a September 2022 report from Bain & Company, enablers and platforms of embedded point-of-sale lending should be able to increase their profits by 75% by 2026.

The infrastructure of embedded finance is still in its infancy, and the market has moved quickly without much oversight or quality control. As the industry matures, regulators will become more involved, driving more specialized, productive banking offerings. Ultimately, this is good for consumers as it will create a higher-quality banking product.

The Gen Z transfer of wealth will spawn a new crop of fintech companies

While Generation Z may seem young, their money habits and behaviors will inform the next 10 years in banking as this transfer of wealth quietly occurs. The group will see their income surpass that of millennials by 2031, increasing fivefold by 2030 to $33 trillion, more than a quarter of global income. Inflation over the last few decades will further account for a seemingly wealthy generation of young people.

With this upcoming wealth transfer, we will see groups within Gen Z continue to invest in more traditional ways, such as real estate or IRAs, with varying risk appetites informed by their perception of culture. This generation was born in the internet age, lives in the digital world, and seeks services that align with their values and views on diversity, equity, inclusion, the environment, social justice, and governance issues. This is corroborated by a November 2022 survey released by Stanford Graduate School of Business, the Rock Center for Corporate Governance, and the Hoover Institution. The survey, which polled 2,470 investors, revealed sharp differences along generational lines, with younger shareholders saying they are far more eager to have fund managers pursue ESG objectives.

We also will see some take a more conservative mindset after seeing their parents go

While Generation Z may seem young, their money habits and behaviors will inform the next 10 years in banking as this transfer of wealth quietly occurs.

Credit: TNS

Technology

through a great recession, living through a pandemic, and surviving a volatile political landscape. Those scars will certainly inform investment decisions.

But my macro prediction is that we will see this generation invest more aggressively. And as consumer demands from Gen Z increase, personalization is the way to meet this demand. Banks are unlikely to step up to that challenge in the way they do for high net-worth individuals. In anticipation of that need, fintechs and BaaS platforms will step up to the plate and continue to innovate. Passive investing in high-yield products will become more common, launching a market of democratized, easy-to-use hedge funds. A new category of technology-led, fintech companies that cater exclusively to young wealth and focus on concierge-style wealth management will emerge. And the banking industry will continue to become more democratized as it rolls out the red carpet for young people.

The area of influence will grow for banking

The pandemic accelerated the adoption of mobile banking. A lesser-known fact is that it brought more people into the banking system. According to the FDIC’s 2021 Na-

tional Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households, only 3% of U.S. households are now unbanked—down 23% from 2019 and 55% from 2011. (Note: the FDIC defines unbanked as not having a bank or credit union checking account.)

Over the next decade, the area of influence will grow for banking, but with the U.S. potentially on the brink of a recession, the wealth gap of unbanked and underbanked groups could swell again. Primarily driven by the rise of embedded finance, more people will be able and willing to participate in our banking system than ever before. They will have access to better checking and saving accounts, new investment opportunities, creditbuilding credit cards, and more open banking products. Despite these efforts, the wealth gap, fundamental distrust, and systemic bias remain in our banking systems. Still, with technologies and approaches like those outlined above, we have a much better chance of expanding the playing field and emerging with a more universally accessible approach to money management and wealth creation.

Cryptocurrency will make a calculated, regulated return

It’s no secret that cryptocurrency has had a rough year, but don’t count it out just yet. The fundamentals of decentralized financial currencies still represent one of the futures of finance. Over the coming years, we will see it play out in a few ways: through securities and regulation, the emergence of the first consumer enterprise product, and a surge for more use cases outside of finance.

Blockchain provides a high-risk, high-reward opportunity to buy stock in decentralized technology. However, while blockchain seems like a currency, it is closer to a stock in a commodity. As we evaluate cryptocurrency’s feasibility generally, we must be-

The Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) will soon regulate utility and private company token investment, which is an equity certificate issued on the blockchain usually tied to a company’s shares.

Credit: Getty Images

gin to look more deeply and differently at its overall risk. The Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) will soon regulate utility and private company token investment, which is an equity certificate issued on the blockchain usually tied to a company’s shares. This oversight will be welcome and bring ample investment-risk disclosure, but it will mean they will no longer be accessible to everyone.

Stablecoins—a digital representation of any currency from any country—is the first successful example of blockchain in banking. I expect Stablecoins to improve banking, bringing more control and less volatility to the customer and for the masses to eventually adopt the digital coin.

Lastly, because of the increased scrutiny around securities trading and financial ser-

vices in cryptocurrency, more and more entrepreneurs will want to build gaming, social networks, and other nonbanking products in Web3. This will accelerate the adoption of blockchain outside of finance because it is becoming embedded, bringing it back into the zeitgeist.

This article was originally published by Fast Company.

As the industry matures, regulators will become more involved, driving more specialized, productive banking offerings.

By Heidi Godman

We’ve moved past some of the immediate effects of the pandemic, with many people returning to their previous physical activities. But some people are finding they’re a bit

worse off functionally than they were before COVID-19 changed the world. “Some people say they can’t walk as far as they used to, or they’re now afraid to step on uneven surfaces. They feel they’ve suddenly aged,” says Janice McGrail, a physical therapist at Harvard-affili-

ated Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital.

Are these changes just a consequence of getting older, or did something happen during the pandemic to reduce our physical capabilities?

USE IT OR LOSE IT

COVID surges have caused many people to take breaks from exercising regularly over the past few years. Perhaps they got sick. Or they couldn’t work out in a gym and didn’t know how to work out at home. Or they felt sad or unmotivated.

Unfortunately, once we stop being active, our physical function and energy levels go downhill rapidly. Muscles get weaker and use more energy to do their jobs, the body’s balance system (which involves coordinated actions among our nerves, joints, senses, and brain) gets rusty, and the cardiovascular system (the heart, lungs, and blood vessels) gets out of practice at providing enough blood and oxygen when the body demands it during activity.

“You might not even notice that you’re becoming deconditioned,” McGrail says. “And if you don’t do anything right away to regain the strength or function you’ve lost, you’ll lose even more. It becomes a downward spiral.”

TELLTALE SIGNS

How can you recognize symptoms of deconditioning if you haven’t noticed any so far? McGrail suggests looking at some of your habits. It could be that

- your former 30-minute walk is now just a 15-minute walk

- you don’t have the energy to shop, so you order groceries online for pickup, or you have them delivered to your door

- you don’t meet a friend for a walk anymore; you just meet for coffee

- you worry about falling, and you’re more cautious about where you step.

“You start to change your habits, patterns, and activities because you don’t think you can do it or you don’t feel like doing it,” McGrail says.

RECLAIMING FUNCTION

If you recognize that you’re not where you were physically a few months or a year ago, you’re not alone: many people have experienced similar changes. But accept that it’s time to turn things around. Consider the following steps.

Set a big goal. “Ask yourself what you’ve lost because of decreased function and what you want to regain. Is it the ability to remain independent, go to the grocery store, play with your grandkids, or go on a hike to see a beautiful view? Get an image of what you want,” McGrail suggests.

Track your activity. If you have a smartphone, it might be able to track your steps each day. If not, clip a pedometer ($10) onto your waistband or wear a fitness tracker ($20 and up). The devices can record the number of steps you take each day and (if you wear a fitness tracker) minutes that you’re active.

Take action. “Push yourself out of your comfort zone, even if it’s just off the couch,” McGrail says. “Sign up for an online or in-person exercise class. Start walking each day, or go for a longer walk if you’re already active. Make your activity something that you like and something that fits into your life, so you’ll be more likely to stick with it.”

Get help from the pros. If you have an underlying condition such as heart disease or knee pain, talk to your doctor before you start to exercise. Then, see a physical therapist, who can assess

If you recognize that you’re not where you were physically a few months or a year ago, you’re not alone: many people have experienced similar changes.

Credit: TNS

your physical strengths and weaknesses and tailor an exercise program to your specific health condition.

Set small goals. “Just like an athlete during preseason, you’ll need to build your activity level gradually, so you don’t get injured,” McGrail says. “If you take just a thousand steps per day,

increase it by another 500 or 1,000. If you’re active for 10 minutes per day, increase it to 15 minutes. Keep making small increases each week.” Your eventual step goal should be 7,500 steps per day, and at least 22 minutes of moderate-intensity activity (such as brisk walking) per day.

Add strength training. It takes strong muscles to be able to do even basic activities each day, such as getting up and down from a chair, climbing stairs, carrying groceries, standing at a stove to make dinner, or getting in and out of a car. And it takes even stronger muscles to live an active lifestyle. “A week or so after you increase your activity levels, start improving your muscle strength,” McGrail says.

“Do a five- or 10-minute session every day, or a 20-minute session two or three days per week. You can use dumbbells, resistance bands, or weight machines. Or do body-weight exercises

“Once you increase your activity, you’ll notice a difference in your energy levels right away. But it could take four to six weeks before you see real gains in your muscle strength.”

Credit: TNS

such as squats, biceps curls, or planks.”

Enlist a friend. Exercising with a friend can help motivate you and keep you on track. Plus, it’s fun.

Don’t give up. “Once you increase your activity, you’ll notice a difference in your energy levels right away. But it could take four to six weeks before you see real gains in your muscle strength,” McGrail says. “Just remind yourself why you’re working so hard. What was that big goal you set? Keep it in mind every day.”

MOVES OF THE MONTH: TWO RESISTANCE BAND EXERCISES

Chest punches

Place a resistance band around your back and under your armpits. Hold one end in each hand by your shoulders. Punch your right arm out in front of you on a slight diagonal across your body, then punch with your left arm out

in front of you on a slight diagonal. Repeat 10 times.

Sword pull

While holding the ends of a resistance band, anchor your left hand on your left hip, and bring your right hand close to it. Raise your right arm up and out, then lower to the starting position. Repeat 10 times, then switch arms and do the exercise another 10 times.

This article was originally published by Harvard Health Letter.

“Just remind yourself why you’re working so hard. What was that big goal you set? Keep it in mind every day.”