Geographically defining the northern rim of the continent, North Africa constitutes a centralpart of Africa and a beachhead to the Middle East and Europe. Producing aboutone-third of Africa’s total GDP and the home of nearly 170 million people, North Africa is themost prosperous region on the continent and occupies a geopolitical position that goes significantly beyond its economic weight. Most recently, since Tunisia’s kick-off on January 14,2011, the region has also become the epicenter of social and political change—and thus becomethe inspiration for millions of people in the Middle East and the world over. Against the backdropof relatively strong economic growth and what was perceived as solid progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals, the Tunisian revolution and the contagion in other countriesin North Africa came as a surprise to most observers, inside and outside the region.[...]