Five years ago, without any organisation, programme, or plan the Arab masses brought down in a matter of weeks regimes that had seemingly not moved an inch in decades. Yet today, it is clear that the Arab Spring has turned into reaction in Egypt, Libya, and Syria. How has the region gone from revolution to counter-revolution?

Six years after the beginning of the euro crisis, none of the problems it exposed have been resolved; in fact they have been both amplified and multiplied by events. In the first of a series of three articles, Josh Holroyd looks at the looming economic and political crises set to strike the EU this year.

The recent execution of Al-Nimr, a Shia cleric leader, by the Saudis highlights the crisis facing the regime. The economy is in a fragile state as the price of oil falls and money is hemorrhaged on regional wars and adventures. Increased repression indicates a fear of the rulers about an impending movement from below.