The “rise of China” in the past three decades has seen the country’s influence increase in virtually all corners of the world. While China’s geopolitical sway is most evident in its “near abroad,” such as in Central, South, and East Asia, as well in the maritime domain in the South
In this edition of OrionTalks, Dr. Chiara Redaelli, a Research Fellow at the Geneva Academy, joins host Suat Cubukcu to discuss the current armed conflict in Sudan from an international humanitarian law perspective. With two army generals fighting for power, the country is on the brink of civil war, with
The Nigerian presidential election took place on February 25, and, consistent with prior elections in the country; it did not go smoothly. The winner was southern Nigerian Muslim, former Lagos governor, and longtime business magnate Bola Tinubu. After the election, the other two main candidates, Peter Obi, and Atiku Abubakar
In this edition of OrionTalks, host Suat Cubukcu welcomes Federico Donelli, an assistant professor of International Relations at the University of Trieste and the author of the book, “Turkey in Africa: Turkey’s Strategic Involvement in Sub-Saharan Africa.” The conversation delves into Turkey’s growing military and economic relationships with Africa, the
In this episode of OrionTalks, join host Suat Cubukcu as he sits down with Dr. Daisy Muibu to delve into the escalating violence in Somalia by al-Shabaab and the efforts to counter the Salafi-Jihadist group. Dr. Muibu, an expert on terrorism and domestic security in East Africa, shares her insights
This research series analyzes the role of women in the Arab Spring uprisings and how their participation in the protest movements of the last decade impacted their rights and status. We use case studies of Iran, Iraq, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, and Sudan. Through the case studies, we look at secondary
In this episode, Ambassador Jonathan M. Winer discusses the increasing tension between Libya’s two competing governments and argues the impacts of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in conflict. He evaluates the roles of external military powers and the proxies fighting in the region and emphasizes how their involvement jeopardizes the
Our senior expert Ismail Onat wrote for the Africa platform at the London School of Economics and Political Science on the (in)significance of Al-Shabaab’s pledging allegiance to AlQaeda in Somalia and the AfricanUnion based on his research with Dr. Ahmet Guler and Dr. Henda Hsu. You can reach the full
PDF DOWNLOAD Orion Policy Institute’s Senior Fellow Suat Cubukcu interviewed Jacob Zenn for the OrionTalk to discuss the implications of the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan for Africa. Jacob Zenn is a faculty at Georgetown University and a senior fellow at Jamestown Foundation in Washington DC. He studies insurgency groups in
Download PDF Over the past few years, al-Shabaab’s insurgency in Somalia has gained strength despite the significant amount of foreign assistance dedicated to security sector reform (SSR) in the country. An al-Qaeda branch, al-Shabaab’s strength has varied over time, but ultimately the group has remained remarkably resilient to increased
