Category: International Relations

Since October 2023, Gaza has endured an unprecedented intensive military offensive, defined by massive bombardments, the systematic demolition of civilian infrastructure and the imposition of a siege. This war operates in a broader scenario of military impunity that increasingly challenges international law, whereby Israel simultaneously conducts extraterritorial strikes in Syria, Lebanon, Iran, and Yemen with […]

Iran’s threat perceptions, which centre the regime’s own survival, have been sharply triggered by Israel’s war in Gaza and the subsequent attacks on its soil. This has rendered its traditional forward defense strategy increasingly less viable amid the degradation of its long-time posture of regional deterrence. To safeguard its interests, Tehran is re-calibrating along two […]

The United Nations has described the current crisis in Sudan as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. The war that erupted on 15 April 2023 in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and a powerful paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has resulted in famine and allegations of genocide in the western Darfur region. […]

As global dynamics continue to shift, the importance of countries in the Global South, such as those in Central Asia, is further elevated. This elevated importance helps explains the recent expansion of BRICS into Central Asia, and reflects the region’s growing economic and geopolitical significance. Central Asia, with its strategic location and abundant resources, has […]

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 […]

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.

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?

 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”  […]

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 earlier Iranian-Saudi détente brokered by China. Since then, officials from both sides have met for several rounds of talks, the most recent in Riyadh this past […]

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 […]

In November, Egypt’s Red Sea resort town of Sharm el Sheikh hosted 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, including activists, […]

China has historically pursued a restrained and economically focused presence in the Middle East, steering clear of direct involvement in conflicts and refraining from taking positions on contentious disputes. In this, Beijing has largely benefited from the security provisions offered by the United States, thus evading the security expenses and strategic challenges encountered by Washington. […]