Prospects 2015
Middle East / North Africa
_350.jpg "Heads of States of the Gulf Cooperation Council sit in Bayan Palace, Kuwait (Reuters/Stringer)")
Gulf states
The Gulf states will face rising domestic fiscal pressures and regional volatility in 2015
_350.jpg "Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan and outgoing President Abdullah Gul attend a handover ceremony at the Presidential Palace of Cankaya in Ankara (Reuters/Umit Bektas)")
Turkey
Interethnic tensions and the Syria crisis may bring political instability, as GDP growth fails to hit previous highs
Egypt
The regime will seek to consolidate its power by laying the ground for a pliant political system and economic expansion
_263.jpg "Egyptian special forces and riot police guard outside a police academy in Cairo (Reuters/Amr Abdallah Dalsh)")
Maghreb
The backlash against political Islam will have a significant bearing upon the Maghreb countries in 2015
Iraq
Decentralisation offers the best chance of keeping the state together, but will test its political resilience
US Middle East policy
None of the United States's regional policy initiatives is likely to show clear success in 2015
Syria
The fate of the mainstream rebel movement hangs in the balance as Islamic State seeks to expand its reach
Iran
Rouhani's government faces a tougher year ahead on both the nuclear issue and the economy
