Lebanese protest in Tripoli against the corruption of political leaders
Mena: a region of backhanders
A new book identifies corruption as a major factor holding back Middle East and North Africa (Mena) development —not least in oil-exporting states
Slogans analogous to those heard on the streets of Cairo and other Arab cities during the popular uprisings that began in 2011 are ringing out today in Baghdad, Beirut, Algiers, Tehran and many other Mena population centres. There may be country-specific differences in protesters’ demands, but there are undeniably strong common themes. One is the call for a rooting out of corruption. The scale of the region’s problem is clear. Anti-corruption advocate Transparency International lists six Mena states (Iraq, Libya, Sudan, Yemen, Southern Sudan and Syria) among the 12 least transparent in the world. Eight more occupy places firmly in the bottom half of the 183-nation table: Morocco, Tunisia, K
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