COVID-19 in the Middle East & Central Asia: the knowns and unknowns

Are authoritarian regimes better at offering public goods in time of crisis and can we really know what is going on in these countries? The Majlis at The Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies and the ANU Learning Communities bring you a comprehensive round table on the impacts of COVID-19 on the countries of the Middle East and Central Asia. The panel includes: Dr Raihan Ismail, Dr Kirill Nourzhanov & Assoc. Prof. Karima Laachir. These CAIS regional experts will discuss how the pandemic is unfolding across the Middle East and Central Asia. Focusing on Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, they will consider the knowns and unknowns; the tools of regimes to control the spread, lockdown their populations and the willingness and capacity of these governments to offer public goods in a time of crisis. But can we really know what is going on in these countries?