Throughout history, the Horn of Africa has occupied a prominent position in international migratory flows. As early as the twelfth century, modern-day Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Djibouti were connected to the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia by trade networks. Those trade routes soon became migratory routes as well,
Al-Shabaab’s resurgence in the past year is evidenced by the group’s continued attacks on targets ranging from tourists and government officials at beachside hotels, to African Union (AU) soldiers at military bases, to ambushes and assassinations of Somali soldiers and politicians. At the same time, al-Shabaab is no longer actively
ISIS: The Resilient Insurgency Despite ISIS’ loss of territorial control over its so-called Islamic Caliphate and the international community’s concerted effort to eradicate it, the group has proven resilient to total defeat. It has shown a remarkable ability to adapt. This resilience can be attributed to several factors, including the
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
On this episode of OrionTalks, our host Suat Cubukcu speaks with Dr. Barbara Molas, a Research Fellow for the Current and Emerging Threats Programme at International Center for Counter-terrorism (ICCT), about far-right extremism. Dr. Molas shares her insights on the intersection between multiculturalism and far-right extremism, its transnational nature, 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
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
Travis D. Frain is one of the 2017 Westminster Bridge Attack survivors in London (UK), where five people tragically lost their lives, and more than 50 people were injured. Travis, then 19 years old, was severely wounded during the attack. In this Orion Talks podcast, Travis talks about his campaigns
Orion Policy Institute hosted a live webinar on far-right online ecosystems. Our Senior Fellow Suat Cubukcu moderated the session. Panelists Stuart Macdonald and Maura Conway from Swansea University and author J. M. Berger discussed their recent research on European far-right online ecosystems published by The RESOLVE Network. "The research report
In this Orion Talks podcast, Dr. Colin Clarke describes how Ukraine has become a center of gravity for foreign fighters and mercenaries and provides a background for those joining the legion. He explains the logistical, organizational, and operational challenges waiting for them on the battlefield and discusses whether their participation
Dr. Nina Käsehage spoke for OrionTalks about the misuse of pandemics by fundamentalist and extremist groups to galvanize their base. You will listen more about their approach to government mandates for shutdowns, social distancing, vaccine, and mask requirements and her insights on potential counter-strategies and how religious communities can be
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
