#Yemen

On the global scale of human suffering, Yemen outweighs all other countries. In its fourth year, the Yemen war – fueled by regional and other hegemonic powers – is nowhere near its end. Neither the coalition led by Saudi Arabia, which has been accused of war crimes, nor the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, accused of recruiting […]

While the world’s attention remains focused on the nuclear brinkmanship and missile launches on the Korean peninsula, the Middle Eastern arms race, pitting Saudi Arabia and its ally the United Arab Emirates against Iran has been slowly heating up and could soon reach a boiling point. The spending boom among the gulf states, the Saudis […]

Saudi Arabia and Iran project influence using their interpretations of Islam and the politicization of sectarian identities as instruments of foreign policy.

Militarily, NATO should stay out of Yemen. But the Alliance should mitigate the effects of the conflict at sea where international shipping could be affected.

Toxic polemics disseminated mainly by those loyal to Saudi Arabia and Iran made a full-blown Sunni-Shia civil war across the Muslim world a matter of time.

The conflict has already resulted in 10,000 dead, including 4,000 civilians, while the UN estimates that 80% of the population is now in need of humanitarian assistance.

Over the last 15 years, the fervent embrace of drone strikes have helped the U.S. create the most far-reaching counterterrorism apparatus in history.

ISIS has abandoned its blitzkrieg-style land grab. Improvised explosive devices, suicide vests, and car bombs have once again become the order of the day.

Beset by challenges ranging from the collapse in oil prices, to the spreading instability in the region, to criticism from its longtime allies in the United States, Saudi Arabia is facing its most difficult test in decades. But the kingdom has the means to overcome these difficulties, and also has the will to seize a unique opportunity to carry out important reforms.

Following Saudi Arabia’s execution of the Shiite Cleric, Nimr al-Nimr, observers of the Middle East are pondering a multitude of eventualities, many of which point to a hot conflict between the two regional powers.

2016 kicked off with tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran reaching new highs. Their rivalry will define the future of the region, from oil prices to the risk of armed conflict.