One More Time: Syrian Election Produces Predictable Result!

Damascus: Syria's second multi-party presidential election in seven years sees Bashar Al-Assad romp home with 95.19% of the official vote tally – and the Western political response to his rule now firmly divided #Syria

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) June 3, 2021

The 2021 Syrian presidential election was ultra-symbolic, with Bashar Al-Assad casting his vote in Douma, a satellite town of Damascus which was once synonymous with crumbling state authority #Syria

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) June 3, 2021

Analysis: notably, the Western political response to Syria's election process was split, with several EU member states permitting voting to be conducted at their Syrian diplomatic missions; the UK and US prohibited expatriate voting #democracy #Syria

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) June 3, 2021

To watch: Bashar Al-Assad is constitutionally barred from contesting Syria's next presidential election, scheduled for 2028; his London-born wife Asma could make an interesting and iconic future candidate #Syria https://t.co/nXOpyszBfN

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) June 3, 2021

Next Stop, Tahrir Square: Cairo Metro Upgrade ‘Due Any Minute’! #Egypt #SouthKorea

Cairo: Egypt's government has inked a Memorandum of Understanding ('MoU') with South Korea's Hyundai Rotem to upgrade the Arab Republic's railway system – including the Cairo Metro #Cairo #ArabSpring

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) May 29, 2021

Cairo: the Egypt-South Korea infrastructure agreement stipulates a serious level of localisation, with Egyptian components making up 75% of metro cars after six years #urban #Africa #Asia #CairoMetro

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) May 7, 2021

Analysis: a little over ten years after the beginnings of the Arab Spring in Egypt, the main legacy – for now – seems to be a new-found alacrity for useful modernisation initiatives #Cairo

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) May 7, 2021

To watch: with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi scheduled to be in charge until 2030, the big question is whether enough material improvements will be delivered to keep the Egyptian political situation relatively stable #ArabSpring #Cairo https://t.co/uUwnBMi8Tn

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) May 7, 2021

Soccer Shocker: Abominable Showpiece Could Engender Revolution! #CAN2019 #Algeria

In a game reminiscent of the 1990 FIFA World Cup Final, #Algeria edge #Senegal to become champions of Africa for only the second time – but the real story lies off the pitch #Algerie #CAN2019

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) July 19, 2019

A final characterised by casual violence and a pronounced lack of creativity was a poor advertisement for the African game, but the consequences of #Algeria's narrow victory could yet be profound #CAN2019 #Algerie

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) July 19, 2019

Analysis: #Algeria's continental triumph will likely spark wild celebrations on the streets of Algiers, festivities which could easily turn political in the context of the country's current transition away from authoritarian rule #ArabSpring #CAN2019

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) July 19, 2019

To watch: #Algerian ultras are playing a hugely symbolic role in their nation's slow-motion revolution; their reaction to tonight's result is worth keeping tabs on https://t.co/WVFD3GvAV2 #CAN2019

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) July 19, 2019

Arab Spring, 4.0: #Algeria ‘Fails to Re-Bout’! #Bouteflika

Ailing President of Algeria Abdelaziz #Bouteflika announces that he is not going to seek a fifth term in now-delayed elections that were due to have been held on 18/04/2019 #Algeria #Algerie

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) March 11, 2019

#Bouteflika's announcement follows weeks of almost entirely peaceful protests which have clearly spooked the ruling elite in what should be one of the world's richest countries #Algeria

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) March 11, 2019

Analysis: having largely sat out the #ArabSpring in the 2010-2014 period, #Algeria is better placed than most to make the transition to a more pluralistic political system owing to its relatively high level of economic development, though plenty of pitfalls lie ahead #Algerie

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) March 11, 2019

To watch: MENA nations have carved out three models in the #ArabSpring era – the astoundingly successful (Tunisia), the interregnum (Egypt), and the catastrophic (Syria); Algerians must develop a clearly-defined idea of what future they want https://t.co/xZ9fnBKFZw #Algeria #edu

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) March 11, 2019

Arab Spring Latest: Tunisia Aims for Higher Education Export Boom! #highered

#Tunisia is opening a #university in cooperation with #France as it aims to become a #HigherEducation destination of choice in a rapidly globalising region #edu

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) August 11, 2018

The Franco-Tunisian #University of Africa and the Mediterranean is scheduled to open its doors in 2019 and will offer a dual Tunisian-French certificate to its #graduates; #Tunisian #students will pay zero #tuition fees

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) August 11, 2018

Analysis (1): the joint Franco-Tunisian #university represents a 'win-win' scenario as France gets to expand its already considerable influence in MENA #highered, while Tunisia gets access to meaningful #knowledge transfer

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) August 11, 2018

Analysis (2): #Tunisia is now regarded as the Middle East's only fully-fledged #democracy and should make the most of its status by aiming to attract #highered #students from beyond its 'natural' markets #MENA

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) August 11, 2018

To watch: the 6,500 #African students in Tunisian #universities currently comprise 75% of the entire overseas intake; while the first figure should increase, the second needs to go down if #Tunisia's #highered internationalisation is to be judged a success https://t.co/bk0sdWjL8V

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) August 11, 2018

Cat Fight: #Spain Plunges into Entirely Avoidable Political Crisis ‘Within One Day’!

Catalonia's Department of Health: 761 people needed medical assistance following the #ReferendumCatalan, an event marred by police violence

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) October 1, 2017

Meanwhile, in an Arab Spring-style speech, Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy has claimed that 'no referendum was held in #Catalonia today' #Spain

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) October 1, 2017

The run-up to the #CatalanReferendum had been defined by a number of 'developments', including a terrorist attack + authoritarian moves #edu

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) October 1, 2017

While the running of the #CatalanReferendum was possibly legally questionable, graphic scenes of state violence risk needless radicalisation

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) October 1, 2017

To watch: #football matches in #LaLiga may be politicised as world gets another telenovela it didn't ask for #Spain https://t.co/o6AsDlDnin

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) October 1, 2017

Put Your Foot Down and Drive: Troubled Kingdom ‘Has Second Thoughts’!

#SaudiArabia has passed a royal decree allowing women to drive, ending a 27-year soap opera which has cast a shadow over the country's image

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) September 27, 2017

#SaudiArabia's female driving ban was not a product of #Islamic doctrine, but rooted in an otherwise ignored 1990 non-binding legal opinion

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) September 27, 2017

The royal decree is one of a series of perestroika-style reforms which hint at Saudi Arabia's generally weak fundamentals #SaudiWomenDriving

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) September 27, 2017

According to the IMF, #SaudiArabia is haemorrhaging cash, while the Saudi government's own estimates forecast net oil importation by 2030

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) September 27, 2017

The #SaudiWomenDriving royal decree therefore has a degree of inevitability about it, especially given that c.60% of KSA graduates are women

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) September 27, 2017

To watch: #SaudiArabia could give more freedoms to its subjects if the economy deteriorates; instability may follow https://t.co/mk3IjKVQc8

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) September 27, 2017

#ArabSpring Latest: #Tunisia ‘Needs An Employment Revolution’!

New #study: Tunisia is struggling to give its young people jobs, with #youth #unemployment rates remaining stubbornly high #edchat #schools

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) October 27, 2015

#Tunisia: 55.5% of people in the 20-24 age category are not contributing to the #labour force; the 25-29 group's equivalent figure is 35%

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) October 27, 2015

Of serious concern is the sharply rising #graduate #unemployment rate, which almost doubled from 2006 (17%) to early 2014 (31.4%) #Tunisia

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) October 27, 2015

The trends are surprising as #Tunisia has made serious #highered and #ICT investments in recent decades, but much more needs to be done #edu

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) October 27, 2015

Improving the quality of public bodies charged with lowering unemployment is essential for social stability and hope https://t.co/LIf86rRaBR

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) October 27, 2015

International Monetary Fund Scouts New Customer? IMF Report Says Saudi Arabia ‘Will Run Out Of Cash By 2020’!

International Monetary Fund: Saudi Arabia will have burnt through its remaining cash reserves by 2020 as proxy #wars + #ArabSpring take toll

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) October 23, 2015

The lethal combination of overplayed regional ambitions and lavish corruption means that Saudi Arabia is staring insolvency in the face #edu

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) October 23, 2015

Low #oil prices are not helping #SaudiArabia's fiscal position, but these are predictable given the KSA's strategy of flooding the #market

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) October 23, 2015

#SaudiArabia has only recently started to invest serious capital sums in #highered; risks being too little too late https://t.co/BUCV6jXUkm

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) October 23, 2015

The Magic Kingdom? Death of Saudi Monarch Highlights Structural Education + Employment Problems in KSA

The demise of King #AbdullahAbdulaziz of Saudi Arabia means his successor #SalmanbinAbdulaziz has an epic in-tray to process #education #edu

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) January 24, 2015

Arguably #KingAbdullah's most important legacies – the eponymous economic city and #university – could determine the future of #SaudiArabia

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) January 24, 2015

#KAUST – a science and technology #university founded with a US$20bn #endowment in 2008 – is still 'barely used' by #Saudi nationals #edtech

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) January 24, 2015

Meanwhile, King Abdullah Economic City – a c.US$100bn megaproject – is still largely theoretical despite being announced back in 2005 #edu

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) January 24, 2015

37% of all #Saudis are just 14 ≥; inadequate #education + declining #oil revenues 'may produce dire #social outcomes' http://t.co/m6vSxv5710

— ッ MEDIOLANA® EDU (@Mediolana) January 24, 2015