General Haftar’s Libyan National Army advances into Tripoli in May 2019. Photo Credit: Reuters, May 4 2019. In October 2019, President Trump announced that US troops would be leaving northern Syria, which caused backlash from politicians and the American public concerned about abandoning US allies. This vacillation in US policy is similar to the current … Continue reading The Libyan People Need US Support Now More than Ever
Author: Jordan Abu-Sirriya
US-Houthi Collaboration Can Defeat AQAP and ISIS in Yemen
Houthis protest against Saudi-led coalition airstrikes in September 2015. Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons/ Henry Ridgwell. In September 2019, the United States held direct negotiations with Houthi rebels for the first time in four years. The United States should continue to negotiate with the Houthis to influence them toward combating two mutual enemies: AQAP and ISIS … Continue reading US-Houthi Collaboration Can Defeat AQAP and ISIS in Yemen
How the Gulf States’ Investments are Destabilizing the Horn of Africa
An Ethiopian farmer watches as his farmland is confiscated and reworked by foreign investors. Photo Credit: Deutsche Welle By: Jordan Abu-Sirriya, Columnist In December of 2018, diplomats from six states—Jordan, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan, Djibouti, and Egypt— adjacent to the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea arrived in Saudi Arabia to discuss and form the Red … Continue reading How the Gulf States’ Investments are Destabilizing the Horn of Africa
To Defend its Borders, Israel Should Continue Carrying Out Airstrikes in Syria
Israeli aircraft. Photo Credit: Reuters By: Jordan Abu-Sirriya, Columnist Iran’s military and political presence in Syria has steadily increased over the last three years, helping to stabilize the al-Assad regime and also strengthening the Iranian-Syrian relationship. According to the Israeli government, Iran’s attempts to create a paramilitary structure in Syria mirror Iran’s backing of Shia … Continue reading To Defend its Borders, Israel Should Continue Carrying Out Airstrikes in Syria
The Egyptian Government and U.S. Government Should Attempt Integration, Not Extermination, Against the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Photo Credit: Associated Press By: Jordan Abu-Sirriya, Columnist In October and November of 2018, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi unleashed another crackdown on the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and its followers. As usual, this entailed “a mass arrest campaign, rounding up at least 40 political activists, lawyers and human rights workers.”[i] … Continue reading The Egyptian Government and U.S. Government Should Attempt Integration, Not Extermination, Against the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood
Saudi Arabia’s Naval Blockade on Yemen Increases Animosity Towards the United States
A view of the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Yemen. Photo Credit: Reuters By: Jordan Abu-Sirriya, Columnist The horrendous Yemeni Civil War began in March 2015 as the Houthis—a Shia militia and Iranian proxy—attempted to seize control of the Yemeni government led by President Hadi. Saudi Arabia—the Middle East’s Sunni capital—and other Sunni-majority states hastily entered … Continue reading Saudi Arabia’s Naval Blockade on Yemen Increases Animosity Towards the United States
President Trump’s Latest Decisions to Close the Palestinian Liberation Organization Mission and Cut Aid to UNRWA Will Further Destabilize the Peace Process
The Palestinian flag flies from the building housing the General Delegation of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in Washington on January 18, 2011. Photo Credit: Nicholas Kamm—AFP/Getty Images By: Jordan Abu-Sirriya The past 19 months, Palestinians, Israelis, and a number of Arab states anticipated President Trump’s Middle East peace plan.[i] During this waiting period, Trump … Continue reading President Trump’s Latest Decisions to Close the Palestinian Liberation Organization Mission and Cut Aid to UNRWA Will Further Destabilize the Peace Process