The human cost and development disasters caused by the August invasion in 1990 remain after Kuwait became hooked on high public spending to recover. Financial and economic reform is needed.

An ageing Europe needs young, skilled workers, drawing thousands toward perilous voyages which all too often end in tragedy. There is a better way.

Lebanon's central bank governor leaves office after three decades, leaving depositors and the fate of their life savings in the hands of a crude ruling elite

The Kingdom wants to unlock the enormous competitive advantages it has – not least a geographical location linking three continents – to become a dynamic destination for investment

The demise of debt talks with the IMF made the country's finances a national talking point. A Saudi package has provided wriggle room, but political action is needed for proper progress.

As Spain reckons with the aftermath of the ended fishing agreement between Europe and Morocco, Rabat demands better terms.

The land of frankincense has been trading with its neighbours around the Arabian Gulf and the Arabian Sea for millennia. It now has cutting-edge ambitions for its future.

Politics, as well as economics, are at work as the Strategic Petroleum Reserve hits a 40-year low

The Banque du Liban's reputation at home and abroad is in tatters. To restore it, the next governor should be exceptional – independently minded, able to say 'no' and perhaps even a foreigner.

In its capital, once famed as the City of Light, it is now much darker. Paris is unable to achieve social and economic equality for millions of its citizens, sparking riots and disorder.