The Middle East’s Complicated Engagement in the Horn of Africa

The Middle East’s Complicated Engagement in the Horn of Africa

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

By: Omar S. Mahmood

The Gulf states increased assertiveness in the Horn of Africa has garnered substantial attention of late, particularly the proliferation of military installations and ports and the increase in military and economic aid. Less attention has been paid, however, to the role Middle Eastern countries have played in attempting to resolve some of the Horn’s most intractable conflicts, efforts that in some cases pre-date the more recent security and economic engagements.

Type: Analysis

Conflict Analysis & Prevention

China and Yemen’s Forgotten War

China and Yemen’s Forgotten War

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

By: I-wei Jennifer Chang

Yemen is facing an acute humanitarian crisis after nearly three years of civil war, with more than 10,000 deaths and three-quarters of the country’s population in dire need of humanitarian assistance. Although eschewing a leadership role, China has supported regional and international efforts to mitigate the...

Type: Peace Brief

Peace ProcessesGlobal PolicyEnvironmentEconomics

The Middle East: Divided, Dysfunctional

The Middle East: Divided, Dysfunctional

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

By: Garrett Nada

Even before President Donald Trump upended a core U.S. policy recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, late 2017 has been tumultuous in the Middle East. The Islamic State (ISIS) “caliphate” collapsed. Syria’s Assad regime all but won the six-year civil war, consolidating Iranian and Russian influence. Saudi Arabia purged...

Type: Analysis

Violent ExtremismGlobal PolicyDemocracy & GovernanceFragility & Resilience

Trump Trip: Time to Dust off the Arab Peace Initiative?

Trump Trip: Time to Dust off the Arab Peace Initiative?

Thursday, May 18, 2017

By: Keith Mines

President Trump’s upcoming summit with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abd Al-Aziz rounds out his meetings with the five most powerful friendly leaders in the region. The first four in Washington with the heads of state from Egypt, Jordan, Turkey and Israel all produced common themes: the campaign against ISIS and terrorism, the challenge of Iran, the turmoil of collapsing states in Syria and Yemen. But in the immediate background is the Israeli-Palestinian peace process which the president has said is a top priority for his administration.

Type: Analysis

Violent Extremism

Beneath the Saudi-Iran Proxy War in Yemen, Part 2

Beneath the Saudi-Iran Proxy War in Yemen, Part 2

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

By: Sarhang Hamasaeed

The strategic clash between Saudi Arabia and Iran in Yemen masks multiple layers of conflict underneath that have deepened—and in some ways altered—the country’s fractures in local politics, society and security. The chaos has devastated Yemen, one of the world’s poorest countries, and has the potential to burst beyond the nation’s borders and further destabilize an already troubled region. It also allows the likes of the Islamic State (ISIS) and Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) to thrive.

Type: Analysis

Violent ExtremismGlobal PolicyFragility & Resilience

Beneath the Saudi-Iran Proxy War in Yemen, Part 1

Beneath the Saudi-Iran Proxy War in Yemen, Part 1

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

By: Sarhang Hamasaeed

Looking at the maneuvers by Iran and the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen from afar, the battlefield looks a lot like a black-and-white contest for regional power. But as the U.S. considers escalating its role in the conflict—and Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis visits Riyadh this week—it is essential to understand how local realities can get lost in a proxy war.

Type: Analysis

Global PolicyViolent ExtremismFragility & Resilience

Saudi Women Try to Break Enforced ‘Car-Free Diet’

Saudi Women Try to Break Enforced ‘Car-Free Diet’

Monday, November 18, 2013

By: Jacqueline H. Wilson

Just outside Washington D.C., Arlington County encourages residents to practice a “Car-Free Diet” on occasion. I practiced a “car-free diet” for more than two years when I lived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The most recent wave of protests by Saudi women to press – again – for the right to drive sheds light on the battle of values playing out in the public squares (and on the roads) of the reclusive Kingdom. The outcome of this struggle has consequences well beyond Saudi society, because it frames the contributions that women are allowed to make.

Type: Analysis

Religion