Summary

The Middle East had a difficult 2014, from the seven-day war between Gaza and Israel, rising tensions between major powers and Qatar, and the ascension of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), a Sunni militant group that overran one-third of the territory of Iraq and Syria in mere months.

2015 will undoubtedly see more ISIS attacks across the board, as well as a refugee crisis in Lebanon and Turkey. Turkey will also face an escalation in demonstrations against newly-minted President Recep Tayip Erdogan, while Yemen will have to grapple with the splintering of state authority and widespread violence throughout the country. Saudi Arabia will also have a year of challenges ahead, including a dynastic succession, monumental economic shifts, and internal pressures from a women’s movement that is unlikely to disappear anytime soon.