Near East Policy Forum

  • Central Asian Migration Patterns and Their Implications for Australia

    Only small numbers of Central Asia migrants make their way to Australia yet the experience in the broader Asia Pacific suggests that this could be a missed opportunity for Australia to benefit from skilled Central Asian migrants.

    Gulshat Rozyyeva

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    Photograph of people walking through the city streets of Canberra on a sunny day.
  • Turkmenistan’s Political Future amid Growing Australian Ties

    Turkmenistan’s Political Future amid Growing Australian Ties

    The strengthening of ties between Australia and Turkmenistan comes as domestic politics in the Central Asian states settles into a new pattern following last year’s leadership transition.

    Gulshat Rozyyeva

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  • The Assassination of Haniyeh and the Fragility of Iranian Security

    The Assassination of Haniyeh and the Fragility of Iranian Security

    The assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran not only underscores profound vulnerabilities within Iranian intelligence but also could potentially mark a shift in the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East. Likely orchestrated by Mossad, this operation exploited critical weaknesses in Iran’s Communications Intelligence (COMINT) and Signals Intelligence (SIGINT), revealing not just external penetrations but possibly…

    Mohd Amirul Asraf Bin Othman

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  • A Weaker Taliban After Three Years in Power

    A Weaker Taliban After Three Years in Power

    Is the Taliban as strong as it looks? The group continues to face several problems it is either unable or unwilling to solve. While seemingly secure in the short-term, it could threaten to undermine its hold on power in the coming years.

    Chris Fitzgerald

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  • Are the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea a Solidarity Campaign or a Ruse?  – or is not the Right Question

    Are the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea a Solidarity Campaign or a Ruse?  – or is not the Right Question

    Recently, there has been a surge of interest in Yemen following the Houthi military campaign attacking ships traversing the Red Sea. But why and how have their campaigns increased the groups popularity both regionally and beyond?

    Kamilia Al-Eriani

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  • Central Asia and the Conflict in Ukraine: Russia-Friendly Neutrality

    Central Asia and the Conflict in Ukraine: Russia-Friendly Neutrality

     Since the onset of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, the Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan have adopted a neutral stance towards the conflict. Their leaders have carefully avoided passing value judgement on the war which Dushanbe, for one, still calls  “an incident that occurred between the two states” …

    Kirill Nourzhanov

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  • Political fragmentation and slow diplomacy: Yemen’s long road to peace?

    Political fragmentation and slow diplomacy: Yemen’s long road to peace?

    In April this year, the Omani-mediated peace talks between Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi Arabia marked a hopeful move towards finally ending the proxy war in Yemen. This was an expected step following the Iranian-Saudi détente brokered by China a month earlier. Since then, officials from both sides have met for several rounds of talks,…

    Leena Adel

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  • Taliban’s Water Claims Ignite Tensions with Neighbours

    Taliban’s Water Claims Ignite Tensions with Neighbours

    When the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, it raised concerns in neighbouring countries about their own security. The governments in most of the Central Asian countries, and in Iran were hostile toward the Taliban when the militant group ruled Afghanistan in the late 1990s. There are now other Islamic extremist groups…

    Bruce Pannier

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  • Indigenous – Palestinian solidarity networks challenging settler colonialism in Australia

    Indigenous – Palestinian solidarity networks challenging settler colonialism in Australia

    Increasingly networks are forming between Indigenous and Palestinian groups through a shared experience of colonisation. In recent years, there has been a shift at the grassroots level in Australia in support of the Palestinian cause. Solidarity networks between the Palestinian diaspora and Indigenous communities are growing wider and deeper. This has charted a new course…

    Noura Mansour

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  • Egypt COP 27: Projecting freedom and openness against a record of repression

    Egypt COP 27: Projecting freedom and openness against a record of repression

    In November, Egypt’s Red Sea resort town of Sharm el Sheikh will be hosting the 27th annual Climate Change Conference of the Parties. When it does, if the glossy promotional material is any indication, it will do its best to appear open, free and progressive. But with an estimated 60-thousand political prisoners still behind bars,…

    Peter Greste

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  • Artificial Labour Markets in the Gulf

    Artificial Labour Markets in the Gulf

    Recent Al advancements have dominated news headlines as the world debates how to integrate artificial intelligence into our lives and workplaces. Within the Middle East, these debates are particularly prominent in the Arab Gulf where governments are committing huge investments to AI. According to Qatar’s National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence, an AI-augmented workplace – whereby…

    Zoe Davies

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