In early May, a reshuffling took place within Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council (STC), the Southern separatist body that is also part of the internationally recognized government, known as the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC). The head of the STC, Aiderous al-Zubeidi, appointed Faraj Salmeen Muhammad al-Bahsani, the former governor of Hadramawt
The Arab League’s decision to reinstate Syria after a nearly 12½-year suspension signals regional willingness to facilitate a collective Arab-led resolve to reconcile their differences and promote regional stability and cooperation. Engagement with Al-Assad can be viewed as a pragmatic decision to help bring an end to a crisis with
Embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is experiencing an active diplomatic breakout in 2023. This reflects a growing stance by many regional players to re-normalize diplomatic relations with the Damascus-based regime. Syria’s return to the Arab League is the natural next step in this process, reflected by a rumored Saudi invite
Turkey and Syria appear poised to continue Russian-mediated trilateral rapprochement talks since severing ties in 2012. Yet while both countries benefit from ongoing discussions, upcoming Turkish elections and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s rejection of any concessions dim the prospects of any near-term deal. Talks began after an off-the-record, informal meeting
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
Iranian journalist Kourosh Ziabari discusses the direction of the ongoing protests and whether Iranian women can make a breakthrough against the establishment. He provides insights on domestic reactions to the protestors and analyzes the response from international communities, including the Iranian diaspora. As protests prolonged, Kourosh Ziabari explains to what
Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of al-Qaeda and a key plotter of the 9/11 attacks, was killed in his residence in Kabul by a U.S. drone strike on July 30th. Four experts on terrorism reflect on the significance of al-Zawahiri’s death for al-Qaeda and other jihadist networks, as well as the
Thousands of Iranians have flooded the streets of Iran following the tragic death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian whom Iran’s morality police had arrested for violating the mandatory veiling law. While in custody for “inappropriate attire” —showing too much hair under her hijab— she was severely beaten and was
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 utilize case studies of Iraq, Tunisia, Algeria, Iran, Egypt, and Sudan. Through the case studies, we look at secondary
In this research series, we analyze women’s role in the Arab Spring uprisings since 2011 and how their participation in the protest movements of the last decade impacted their gender role status. We use case studies from Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Iran, Iraq, and Sudan to analyze women’s activism and the
In this research series, we analyze the role women played in the Arab Spring uprisings and how their participation in the protest movements of the last decade impacted their gender role status. We use case studies from Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, and Sudan to analyze women’s activism and the
Caroline Rose analyzes the Captagon threat in the Mediterranean and Gulf region and its effect on regional security challenges. Providing insights on the nature and size of the illicit Captagon market, she examines the vital role of the Syrian government and non-state actors, including Hezbollah and ISIS. She discusses how
