MEC produces a wide range of reports and publications relating to the Middle East and Central Asia including political and macro-economic studies, detailed sectoral analyses, authoritative forecasts and energy market surveys. The perspective of such reports has changed radically since the 9/11 attack on the twin towers. US policies of regime change in Iraq, and the designation of Iran as part of the Axis of Evil has brought a new dimension to the assessment of political risk and the decision making process of investing in new markets. The studies are tailor-made and exclusive to a particular client, often a government or a major international corporation or syndicated to a larger group.

Macro-political & Economic studies

MEC carries out  periodic reviews of the politics and economies of the Gulf states, the Middle East and Central Asia. Running to 50 pages, these papers are client specific and review recent events and assess future prospects and factors which may influence the stability and likely future developments of these sensitive regions.

MEC Publications Group prepares bespoke studies and market surveys on behalf of corporate and government clients. Such studies are client specific. Copies are available for MEC clients only and the product is not normally available in the public domain. Lists of some of the more generalised major studies prepared by the MEC Publications Group are shown on the MEC International Ltd website at www.meconsult.co.uk.

European Energy and Diplomatic policies Towards the Arabian Gulf Countries

In January 2003 MEC International was commissioned by a client to prepare a series of reports on the subject of "European Diplomatic and Energy Policies Towards the Arabian Gulf Countries and Yemen 2003-2005." The joker in the pack was the prospect of imminent regime change in Iraq. The project analysed the changing fundamentals of Euro political and economic policies toward the Gulf states in the light of the forthcoming regime change war in Iraq .

Project Upstream

Commissioned by a regular international client, this study covered the reasons for the invitation from Saudi Arabia to the super majors to bid for entry into the gas project of the Saudi energy sector and the reasons underlying the enthusiastic response of the world energy companies to this proposal.

Project Samarkand

MEC International created for a regular client a major study some 250 pages in length on a series of integrated political risk/energy related briefs. MEC has worked with this client for some 12 years. The methodology employed was to break down the brief into its component parts and to recruit up to 25 or more analysts to address the appropriate part of the brief where the individual strength of the analyst lies. Project editors then checked the final text for errors and edited the final report. Delivery to the client took place in late December 2004. 

MEC was invited by the Brazilian Government to complete twelve Middle

East country guides for businessmen exporting to Arab countries. The

countries concerned were Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan,

Kuwait, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman Yemen. The 12 reports were to be practical guides to assist Brazilian commercial companies and businessmen to do business in the respective countries of the study. They had to be prepared in time for the Middle East Heads of State summit which took place in Brasilia in early  May 2005. The information provided needed to be current, comprehensive and freely available without restrictions in its use.

MEC established twelve individual country project teams to undertake

this work, a total task force of some 30 - 36 consultant analysts and 4

editors each of whom was responsible for the final report of 3 of the countries

This project Leader was Robin Kealy, a former British Ambassador in Tunisia.

The task was simple in concept but complex in execution – the collection of commercial data to provide Brazilian businessmen with an adequate briefing on their individual target country markets. The project was completed on time and within budget.

Newsletters

At times of tension and crisis, MEC offers its clients up-to-date information and serious analysis of events and their implications by tailor made newsletters delivered by IT technology.

MEC Gulf Newsletter This publication ran for two years following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and was read by many clients including the Kuwait Investment Office, the Embassy of Iraq in London, and the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Baghdad.

Yemen and Gulf Newsletter Running for a year this newsletter examined the high tensions which existed in the Gulf at the time of the unification of North and South Yemen

The Iraq Business Update Newsletter

This interactive analytical newsletter is distributed by email twice monthly and is written by the MEC Iraq New Business Group to inform clients of new business openings following regime change  in Iraq. For an up to date issue please contact MEC.

MEC Analytical Group

An interactive analytical group working through IT and the world wide web the group operates with some 240 respondents and is delivered privately to readers by emai only. The MAG addresses issues of the day including terrorism, stability of the Gulf and Central Asian countries, the politics of energy, the ongoing crisis in Iraq, negotiations for membership of the WTO, and environmental issues. Membership of the group is by invitation only. 

Sector Studies

These reports are entirely client-driven and are prepared by MEC project task forces briefed to meet the specialist requirements laid down in client briefs. The reports completed for clients include:

• .A Review of the Export potential into the Islamic States of West Africa
• A Study of the Saudi and Kuwaiti Ophthalmic Market.

·        A Survey of the Ambulance Market in Saudi Arabia.

• A Study of Satellite and Telecoms Markets in the Gulf.
• A Review of the D-I-Y market in Turkey

·        A Study of the Telecoms market in six Maghreb and West Med countries

• A study of Ports and Shipping Lines in the Mediterranean
• A Study of e-commerce in the Arab & Gulf countries.

Please contact Ian Walker or Geoffrey Hancock at MEC International, Granville House, 132-135 Sloane Street, London SW1X 9AX; tel: 020 7591 4816; fax: 020 7591 4801; e-mail: mec(at)meconsult.co.uk

© MEC 2007