Graffiti in Yemen. Photo Credit: CNN By: Kathryn Long, Columnist During the Obama administration, drone strikes, or the use of unmanned aerial vehicles to attack ground targets, became a crucial tool in US counterterrorism strategy.[i] Unmanned aerial vehicles have been in use since the 1980s, but it was not until shortly after the September 11 … Continue reading Getting the Most Out of Drones Requires Coherent Policy
Category: Middle East & North Africa
Think Global, Act Local? Tensions between Regional and International Objectives in the Jihadist Movement
Islamic State fighters in Anbar, Iraq. Photo Credit: London School of Economics, Middle East Centre By Kevin Truitte, Columnist Al-Qaeda emerged in the wake of the Soviet War in Afghanistan with the intention of centralizing support for local Salafi-Jihadist insurgencies. Osama bin Laden and his allies founded the organization as a means to unify global … Continue reading Think Global, Act Local? Tensions between Regional and International Objectives in the Jihadist Movement
The Evolution of Insurgent Identities: Why Terrorist Groups Turn into Criminal Enterprises
Members of the FARC. Photo Credit: Federico Rios for the New York Times By: Yuri Neves, Columnist While the connection between terrorist/insurgent groups and criminal organizations has been extensively discussed and debated,[i] less has been written on the fluidity of these identities. Why terrorist or insurgent groups abandon their political ideologies and simply pursue economic … Continue reading The Evolution of Insurgent Identities: Why Terrorist Groups Turn into Criminal Enterprises
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
The Cost of a Relationship: U.S. Complicity in Saudi’s Controversial War
Tens of thousands of Yemenis have fled their homes as fighting intensifies near Hodeidah city Photo Credit: Nabil Hassan / AFP By: Alexander Yacoubian, Columnist The United States routinely gives Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman a carte blanche to do whatever it pleases in the region at the expense of human rights … Continue reading The Cost of a Relationship: U.S. Complicity in Saudi’s Controversial War
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Should Pursue a Softer Diplomacy
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Photo Credit: Getty Images By: Hamad Abbas, Columnist Since the 2011 Arab Spring, Saudi Arabia has wrestled with the question of how to counter its rival Iran’s increasingly revisionist exploitation of weaker regimes across the Middle East. In his role as defense minister, crown prince Mohammed bin Salman’s … Continue reading Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Should Pursue a Softer Diplomacy
The False Genealogy of Terrorism: How Islamic Extremists and Their Critics Misconstrue the Roots of Jihadist Ideology
Islamic State fighters march in the Syrian city of Raqqa in an image posted on a militant website on Jan. 14, 2014. Photo Credit: Associated Press By: Krystel Von Kumberg Though Islamic terrorism is not a rootless phenomenon, it also should not be viewed as a legitimate enterprise based on a coherent doctrine. Extremist groups, … Continue reading The False Genealogy of Terrorism: How Islamic Extremists and Their Critics Misconstrue the Roots of Jihadist Ideology
Avoiding a Self-fulfilling Prophecy In Iraq
Members of the Abbas combat squad, a Shiite militia group, carry a picture of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani during a parade in Basra, Iraq, on September 26, 2015. Photo Credit: Nabil Al-Jurani/ AP By: Taylor Clausen, Columnist The Trump administration recently issued a warning to the new government of Iraq, stating that if Iranian-aligned politicians … Continue reading Avoiding a Self-fulfilling Prophecy In Iraq
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
The Sochi Agreement: Theoretically Misguided in Concept and Implementation
Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan shake hands during a news conference following their talks in Sochi, Russia September 17, 2018. Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool via REUTERS By: Jodi Brignola, Columnist On September 17, 2018, Russia and Turkey made a deal to stall, and potentially prevent a Syrian regime offensive against opposition-held areas … Continue reading The Sochi Agreement: Theoretically Misguided in Concept and Implementation