Politics set to play an even more important role in North African gas development after the uprisings

摘要

In a region where political change was for decades painstakingly slow - even nonexistent - the events of the last four months in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have been a shock to the system. The popular uprisings that have so far uprooted long-serving despots in Tunisia and Egypt and are seriously challenging the power grip of autocratic leaders in Libya, Syria and Yemen are a reflection of the new sense of political agency that young people in the region have discovered. This new dynamic will have a transformative impact on the "social contract" that has defined the nature of politics in MENA countries since their accession to independence, and will in all likelihood affect their relations with foreign governments and businesses, including in the energy sector.