Non-DAC Donors in the Middle East and North Africa: Trends, Dynamics, and Impacts

Abstract

This study is concerned with the foreign aid provided by non-member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) (non-DAC donors) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Non-DAC donors in the MENA region are mainly composed of Arab donors, such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the Asian non-DAC donors, such as China and India. This research poses two questions as conceptual reference guides in the context of the MENA region. First, what international dynamics have driven non-DAC donors to give foreign aid to the MENA countries? Second, what are the impacts of foreign aid by non-DAC donors on the MENA states and societies, and are they ‘rogue donors’? This research investigates the general trends of economic assistance by non-DAC donors, compares and contrasts their behaviours, and then discusses the impacts of their increasing presence in the world politics.