A Brief Retrospect of 2025 in the Arab World

posted on: Dec 31, 2025

By Jake Harris / Arab America Contributing Writer

The year 2025 was filled with major events and seismic shifts in the Arab World. Not just politically, but culturally and economically as well. This is some, not all of the major headlines around the Arab World this year

Israel, Palestine and a wider war

The vast destruction in Gaza by the IDF is the major political story in the Arab World in 2025. This is because of how much of a global impact this entire ordeal has had on the wider world. Global protest movements thousands of miles away from the holy land. Palestine has sparked much wider conversations around overarching questions: Is international law equally enforced? Has US imperialism not disappeared but transformed? How do we balance avoiding Anti-Semitic tropes and attitudes and hold the Israeli government accountable?

Israel has experienced widespread geopolitical isolation as the conditions in Gaza have deteriorated. The International Criminal Court indicted Benjamin Netanyahu and senior Hamas leadership with war crimes charges. South Africa launched a case with the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza. Spain, Canada, and the United Kingdom recognized a Palestinian state. This move created tension with the US and Israel, who accused the nations of rewarding Hamas. 

Fears of a wider conflict across the region have been consistent throughout the year. The fears became reality in what is now known as the “12-day war” in which Israel and Iran exchanged barrages of missile attacks in the early weeks of June. The short but intense conflict came to a culmination when The US launched a bombing of Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities at Isfahan, Natanz and Fordow. Accounts of the full impact of the attacks remain varied. President Trump claims it was a complete annihilation of Iran’s nuclear program. Iran claims that the facilities withstood the attack. Israel’s assessment was somewhere in the middle. 

Crisis in Sudan

Elsewhere in the Arab World, Sudan has experienced a major humanitarian crisis. A civil war between the National Army, and the Rapid Support Forces. The nation has become a battleground and a famine has resulted from the ongoing conflict. International human rights organizations have documented atrocities and widespread deaths of civilians. 

Syria is now a little over a year removed from the removal and exile of Bashar Al-Assad. The new government has faced challenges consolidating power, but have tried to solidify relations with the United States. 

Arab Economic Headlines

Economically, the gulf states have continued to try to diversify their economy to avoid overreliance on petroleum. Saudi Arabia’s finance minister claims that 85 percent of “vision 2030” is complete. Vision 2030 is a plan by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to transform their economy and modernize further. Bahrain’s economy has continued to diversify with 85 percent of GDP contribution in the second quarter coming from non-oil activities.

Morocco’s economy experienced strong growth in 2025. GDP rose by 5.5 percent and inflation eased. 

Arab Nations in Sports

In sport, Qatar hosted the 2nd FIFA Arab Cup, building on the momentum of soccer in the country following the 2022 World Cup. Seven Arab countries qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Jordan qualified for their first ever World Cup.

Saudi Arabia has continued their major investment in the sport of Boxing. Riyadh Season, a cultural festival, has brought some of the biggest fights in boxing to the Kingdom. Riyadh Season is expected to host a megafight between legendary British heavyweights in 2026. Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury are expected to fight in Saudi Arabia if negotiations continue on an upward trajectory.

Arab Americans

Arab Americans face continued challenges and obstacles in the second Trump era. Travel bans have become more extensive than Trump’s previous administration, keeping many Arab Americans from connecting with extended family back home. The Mahmoud Khalil case caused a national conversation about free speech. Khalil was a student activist and legal resident who protested against Israel on the campus of Columbia. He was charged with no crime but arrested by ICE for allegedly violating the immigration law that allows deportation of people who threaten US foreign policy. He is currently appealing an order from a judge that ordered his deportation.

Trump’s viral comments calling Somalian-Americans “garbage” further showcases the normalization of Anti-Arab sentiment and Islamophobia in American political discourse. Trump’s viral “sh*thole countries” comments from his first term was admitted to be true recently despite the fact the administration denied it then. The president once again asked why we can’t have more immigrants from “countries like Norway”. 

Questions for the Future

So many questions are up in the air when it comes to 2026. Will we get a two state solution? A permanent end to hostilities in the holy land? Will Iran and Israel’s next confrontation be more dangerous, and longer lasting? How will Arab economies adapt to the challenges faced by AI? A rapidly changing geopolitical landscape will have to be navigated carefully in 2026 for Arab nations across the world.

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