The usual doom and gloom for Mideast outlook in 2019: Citing long-running conflicts, significant youth unemployment, and deep-seated economic and social issues, the AP forecasts a not too rosy outlook for the Middle East in the new year. The wars in Syria, Iraq, Libya, and Yemen may be winding down, but each of them is likely to see further violence and destruction.

More economic concerns: Economic concerns continue to plague Egypt as job creation lags far behind a booming population. Though investor confidence is improving, inflation overshot IMF targets. The US reneging on the Iran deal meant renewed sanction, which hit the Iranian currency hard. Several countries were allowed to import Iranian oil despite the sanctions, which caused the price of oil to fall and strained oil-reliant Gulf economies.

Saudi Arabia insists that it is still “attractive for investment”: Saudi officials presented this week its 2019 state budget, the Financial Times reported, and announced that the economic reform programme launched two years ago is now being implemented. The budget announcement, which sees the kingdom increasing its spending by 7% despite its stated aim of reducing its fiscal deficit, comes after the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi sparked international condemnation and caused foreign investors to shy away from the kingdom’s political climate.

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