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OPI Seminar: Tech & Security
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Vibe Hacking: An Emerging Cyber Threat
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Airstrikes on Drug Traffickers in the Caribbean
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Ukraine’s Abducted Children: Humanitarian Impact and the Road Ahead
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MS-13 Unmasked: Anatomy of a Decentralized Network
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Promoting Evidence-based Policy and Good Governance

Cyber Security & Info Technologies

Oct 1 , 2025

Op-Ed

Vibe Hacking: An Emerging Cyber Threat

AI has become a buzzword in the tech world, often incorporated into many new products or services – even into things you would not expect, such as toasters and toothbrushes. It has the potential to enhance human knowledge, advance technology, and contribute to building a brighter future. However, it is

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Defense & Security, Americas

Sep 22 , 2025

Op-Ed

Airstrikes on Drug Traffickers in the Caribbean

Introduction In September 2025, the United States conducted a series of airstrikes against suspected drug traffickers operating off Venezuela’s coast, marking the first publicly known instance of U.S. airstrikes being used against traffickers at sea outside a traditional warzone. The strikes reflect a sharp escalation in counternarcotics operations. This article

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Cyber Security & Info Technologies

Sep 17 , 2025

Webinar

OPI Seminar Program on Tech & Security

Orion Policy Institute (OPI) will be hosting an online seminar program on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, between 10 am – 12:50 pm EST to discuss the latest trends and strategies shaping the modern landscape of technology and international security. Register here. The seminar schedule is as follows: 10:00 am –

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Democracy & Human Rights, Europe & Central Asia

Sep 10 , 2025

Op-Ed

Ukraine’s Abducted Children: Humanitarian Impact and the Road Ahead

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Three years after Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine, the war continues to have devastating consequences for civilians. A quarter of Ukrainians have fled the country, and millions more have been internally displaced. Furthermore, nearly 13 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. As the attacks continue, the lives

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Africa

Sep 5 , 2025

Policy Brief

Betting on Addis Ababa: Meloni’s African Strategy Between Realpolitik and Risk

At a time when Ethiopia is experiencing domestic instability, Rome is doubling down on its support for Abiy Ahmed — a bold move that combines opportunity with significant political risk. The Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s visit on 27–28 July 2025 — which marks her second trip in two years

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Crime & Justice, Terrorism & Extremism, Americas

Sep 2 , 2025

Research Report

MS-13 Unmasked: Anatomy of a Decentralized Network

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Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), a designated foreign terrorist organization (FTO) and transnational criminal organization (TCO) by the U.S. federal government, has its origins in Los Angeles, California, in the 1980s. At that time, El Salvador was engulfed in a civil war between the government and leftist guerrilla forces, most notably the

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Democracy & Human Rights, Africa

Aug 19 , 2025

Research

Women and the Path for Peace in Africa: Ethiopia

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Ethiopia today is characterized by growing fragmentation and eruptions of violence since the catastrophic Tigray war. The civil war, which lasted from 2020 to 2022, has claimed more than 500,000 soldiers and 360,000 civilians, making it one of the deadliest conflicts since the end of the Cold War. Beyond the

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Democracy & Human Rights, Terrorism & Extremism, Middle East

Aug 17 , 2025

Op-Ed

Another Kurdish Resolution Process Underway: Between Hope and Contradictions

This article was first published in the Manara Magazine.   Another fast-track Kurdish peace process[i] is underway in Turkey. Is it aiming to resolve the decades-old Kurdish issue or pull together a minimum winning coalition for Erdoğan to maintain his rule? The peace process has already led to the Kurdistan

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Latest Research

Middle East

Feb 17 , 2025

Policy Brief

Saudi Arabia’s Stance on the New Syria

On December 8, 2024, within 13 days, Syrian opposition militias entered Damascus from Idlib, a city in northwestern Syria bordering Turkey, with the political and moral support of the Turks, and with the escape of the ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to Russia, they were able to destroy the Assad

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Cyber Security & Info Technologies

Jan 13 , 2025

Policy Brief

The USSC Channels the Strategic Computing Program

Mark Twain is often quoted saying (perhaps apocryphally) that “history does not repeat itself, but it rhymes.” Whoever spoke these words first, the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USSC) is determined to prove them right. The USSC released its 2024 annual report in November with 32 recommendations, 10 of

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Middle East

Jan 1 , 2025

Research

Women and War in Yemen: Gendering of the Yemeni Civil War

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The Yemeni civil war began in 2014 when Houthi rebel forces took control of the capital Sanaa. Already destabilized by the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings, the country is now home to one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. With almost 75% of its population in urgent need of humanitarian assistance,

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Middle East

Dec 22 , 2024

Policy Brief

The Impact of Israeli-Iranian Tensions on Iraqi Policy

On April 13 and October 1, 2024, the hostility between Iran and Israel turned into open confrontation after several decades of shadow war, marked by bombings, assassinations, and sabotage. On these dates, Iran launched hundreds of drones and ballistic and cruise missiles at Israel in retaliation for the April attack

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Africa

Dec 12 , 2024

Policy Brief

Trump 2.0 Africa

Donald Trump’s victory has inevitably prompted a general reflection on how his administration will affect American foreign policy and global dynamics. Most of the discussion are focusing on the possible scenarios in the two active conflicts, Ukraine and the Middle East. However, there is no lack of thoughts on other

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Terrorism & Extremism

Dec 4 , 2024

Research

Terrorist Use of Drones

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, commonly known as drones) have proved to be game changers in modern warfare and violent conflicts. Their deployment in the war between Ukraine and Russia, the Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and the Libyan Civil War has demonstrated their effectiveness in high-definition surveillance, precision strikes,

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