Author
Articles by Amara Okonkwo
World
Trump declares Hormuz 'completely open' while keeping the blockade
The US president said the strait is open and ready for business even as the naval blockade remains in full force, a formulation that leaves the war's central economic question exactly where it was.
Amara Okonkwo
MENA News
Syria's transitional government reaches midyear with reform tests ahead
Six months after the January ceasefire with the SDF, the interim administration is courting foreign investment and drafting a constitution while security challenges and a slow reconstruction economy define the baseline.
Amara Okonkwo
MENA News
IMF cuts MENA growth to 1.1 percent on the Iran war
The Fund's July 8 update slashes the Middle East and Central Asia outlook to 0.7 percent for 2026, with MENA at 1.1 percent, as the war's supply shock and Hormuz closure ripple through the region's economies.
Amara Okonkwo
World
US midterm campaign opens its final stretch with energy prices front and center
The Labor Day turn into the November 3 elections arrives with gasoline and heating costs inflated by the Iran war, and both parties framing the strait, OPEC+ and the naval blockade as campaign material.
Amara Okonkwo
MENA News
MENA teams open the 2026 World Cup: Morocco and Qatar flying, others wounded
Morocco and Qatar opened their North American campaigns with encouraging results while Tunisia, Iraq, Algeria and Jordan suffered heavy first-match defeats, a split opening for the region's seven-team delegation.
Amara Okonkwo