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17 August 2020 | Story Rulanzen Martin | Photo UFS Photo Archive
Prof Hussein Solomon’s new book, which provides a comprehensive overview of the crises facing the Middle East North Africa region, will hit the shelves in 2021.
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is a region plagued by various crises in governance, gender relations and identity politics as well as environmental challenges.  These crises, viewed from a COVID-19 perspective, is placed under the spotlight in a new book by Prof Hussein Solomon, senior lecturer in the Department of Political Studies and Governance at the University of the Free State (UFS) and Prof Arno Tausch, associate professor at Innsbruck University in Austria. 

In, Arab MENA Countries: Vulnerabilities and Constraints Against Democracy on the Eve of the Global COVID-19 Crisis, the authors offer critical insights into the region and explore their different facets and how policymakers have responded to them and what alternatives there are in overcoming them.

Existing literature does not speak to a post-COVID MENA

“As someone who follows current developments in the region via news media, one obviously asks oneself: what is the political, economic and social implications of the pandemic,” says Prof Solomon.

One of the main reasons for writing the book was that existing literature does not speak to a post-COVID-19 world. “My co-author and I felt it imperative to work on this book and get it out so policymakers can take cognisance of these new developments and academics can re-assess the current literature extant on the region,” says Prof Solomon

The book also examines regional trends whilst being conscious of the situation in each country. It also aims to bring an understanding of the regional trends and country specific peculiarities.  

COVID-19 made the MENA region even more vulnerable

The title of the book is quite a mouthful but Prof Solomon explains: “The MENA region is awash with crises; their heavy dependence on fossil fuels, their closed political systems and social fragmentation. With the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic their vulnerabilities and constraints are exacerbated.” 

With the lockdowns imposed by governments worldwide and the decreased demand for fossil fuels in the MENA region resulted in huge fiscal challenges for the governments. This as well as nepotism and, appointing people without the required expertise also constraints these states in adopting and implementing effective strategies.

Prof Hussein cautioned that “the impact of COVID-19 is still a novel and new area of research” but by framing the book within the context of the pandemic, the book provides the most comprehensive account on the region.

The book will be published by Springer for distribution in 2021.

News Archive

UFS presents unique rally
2006-05-11

On Friday 9 June 2006 the University of the Free State (UFS) will present the second Amazing Race Rally in Bloemfontein. 

The rally is presented in aid of children and babies with serious diseases in the Department of Pediatrics and Child Health in the UFS Faculty of Health Sciences.  These children are in need of intensive care, and suffer from cancer, heart disease, neurological diseases and conditions, endocrinological diseases or gastro-enterological conditions.

By raising the necessary funds, equipment can be acquired to meet the unique healthcare needs of these children and babies and it will also enable the UFS to maintain the high standards of education, training and research in this field.

Last year about 12 corporate teams from among others Vodacom, Medi-Clinic, Eskom, Mimosa Mall and Nedbank and four teams from the UFS competed in the rally.  The Medi-Clinic team was the winner.

This year the teams will again follow a specific route with various check points by car.  Here they will have to complete activities or solve clues before receiving their clue to the next checkpoint.  The teams will be travelling with cars branded with the logo of the company they represent.

Companies and institutions in Bloemfontein can enter in the rally by means of sponsoring a check point, entering a team of two persons or sponsoring some aspects of the day. 

The rally will give participants an opportunity to test their knowledge of the city, as well as their time management skills, communication skills, team work and even their relationships! 

The programme will start at 12:00 on the UFS Main Campus and the first team to complete this task is the winner of Bloemfontein’s second Amazing Rainbow Rally.

Extensive publicity of the event on OFM in the weeks running up to the day will ensure that participants are easily recognised and will create a measure of excitement.

Enquiries about the rally can be directed to Ms Adéle van Aswegen at (051) 401-3535 or Ms Ilse Olivier at (051) 401-2415.

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel:  (051) 401-2584
Cell:  083 645 2454
E-mail:  loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
11 May 2006

 

 

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