Faced with fluctuating oil prices and other uncertainties, the oil-rich countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have made efforts to diversify their exports, in order to reduce their dependence on oil revenues.1 Some of these efforts have been under way for decades. In recent years, pressures to diversify have been rising and have drawn considerable attention from a world concerned about the economic and political problems of Middle Eastern countries. Although diversification efforts have achieved some success, the results have been disappointing overall, raising concerns about the region’s stability and ... (full story)