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Armed Groups, Illicit Extraction, and Human Exploitation in the DRC’s Cocoa Supply Chain
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Reinforcing U.S. Power in the Horn of Africa: The Case for a Base in Somaliland
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The US and China Looking for a Way Out of the Tariff Wars
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Gulf Arab Engagement with Russia
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Why Does Saudi Arabia Welcome Nuclear Talks?
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Promoting Evidence-based Policy and Good Governance

Africa

May 20 , 2025

Policy Brief

Armed Groups, Illicit Extraction, and Human Exploitation in the DRC’s Cocoa Supply Chain

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is exceptionally rich in natural resources. It has 200 million acres of cultivable land and the world’s second-largest rainforest. It is home to an immensely diverse flora and fauna, and – as is notoriously known – is also rich in mineral resources. However, the

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Defense & Security, Africa

May 16 , 2025

Policy Brief

Reinforcing U.S. Power in the Horn of Africa: The Case for a Base in Somaliland

Amidst threats to U.S. interests in the Red Sea and competition for regional influence, the United States must reassess its military posture in the Horn of Africa. The Horn of Africa, which includes Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia, sits at the junction of global trade and strategic competition, commanding access

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Americas, Indo – Pacific

May 14 , 2025

Policy Brief

The US and China Looking for a Way Out of the Tariff Wars

The trade war between the United States and China has reached a turning point after April 2025. Beginning in April with the US imposing tariffs as high as 145% on Chinese goods and China responding with 125% duties on American products, trade among the world’s two top economies has de

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Middle East

May 12 , 2025

Policy Brief

Gulf Arab Engagement with Russia

Last month, the Emir of Qatar and the Sultan of Oman visited Moscow, where they met with President Vladimir Putin. These visits to the Kremlin highlight Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members’ efforts to deepen ties with Russia across geopolitical, security, energy, economic, and diplomatic fronts. Such engagements affirm Moscow’s enduring

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Africa

May 6 , 2025

Policy Brief

Sudan’s Civil War and the Gulf Chessboard

Similar to other current global crises – such as those in Ukraine, the Middle East and the Democratic Republic of Congo – the conflict in Sudan appears difficult to resolve through negotiations. There are two main factors contributing to this difficulty. First, both parties view the conflict through a zero-sum

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Middle East

May 5 , 2025

Policy Brief

Why Does Saudi Arabia Welcome Nuclear Talks?

In 2002, when the People’s Mojahedin Organization, the exiled opposition group of the Islamic Republic of Iran, revealed the hidden aspects of Iran’s nuclear industry development in a hotel in Washington, the international community, including the Arab countries of the region and the Persian Gulf monarchies, felt fear and vulnerability

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Cyber Security & Info Technologies

Apr 25 , 2025

Policy Brief

An Analysis of ATM and Point-of-Sale Skimming

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ATM and POS skimming is a recurring societal problem, especially with the changing technological world. Recently, police discovered ATM skimming devices at convenience stores in York County and Lancaster County[1]. In Philadelphia, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits were compromised due to skimming devices[2]. Although these are three macro-level events,

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Crime & Justice, Americas

Apr 21 , 2025

Podcast

Nicholas Barnes: Criminalized Governance in Rio’s Neighborhoods

In this episode of Orion Talks, host Marta Furlan talks with Dr Nicholas Barnes on criminalized governance inside some of Rio de Janeiro’s favelas. After sharing the process that led him to focus his research on political violence and non-state governance as observed in some of Rio’s neighborhoods, Dr Barnes

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Latest Research

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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Democracy & Human Rights, Middle East

Dec 3 , 2024

Policy Brief

Domestic and Regional Politics in Turkey’s Proposed Kurdish Peace Process

A supposed Kurdish peace initiative that was floated in Turkey presents an intricate strategic landscape, promising to shape regional and domestic political dynamics. While Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan consolidates power domestically across the judiciary, media, and government institutions, often at the expense of democratic freedoms, former U.S. President Donald

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Cyber Security & Info Technologies

Nov 21 , 2024

Policy Brief

AI Policy Under Trump 2.0: Continuities and Curveballs from Trump to Biden and Back Again

Introduction Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an object of serious policy interest. Unlike other policy challenges on Americans’ plates, however, AI is lucky to have thus far avoided significant politicization. The dispassion is to its benefit. Indeed, a degradation of general political discourse hides a surprising fact: the first Trump and

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Sudanese women protesting

Democracy & Human Rights

Oct 1 , 2024

Research

Women and War in Sudan: Gendering of the 2023 Sudanese Civil War

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Sudan’s modern history has been marked by protracted civil wars and non-democratic governance systems. Behind the conflicts between armed groups and militaristic rules, women and children have borne the brunt. Yet another conflict over the control of the state erupted in April 2023, leading to the largest refugee and displacement

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Middle East

Sep 16 , 2024

Policy Brief

Shifting Tides: Egypt’s Strategic Deployment to Somalia and Its Regional Implications

At the end of August, Egypt began sending equipment, ammunition and a small number of soldiers to Somalia, with the aim of reaching ten thousand troops in the coming months. Egypt intends to be the main force in the peacekeeping mission announced by the African Union to replace the current

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