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"[From 1:35:10] It's just not clear so far from the policy statements what has actually been agreed, I certainly tend to share the views of Senator Lindsey Graham or the former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, who have voiced concerns about this. Without more precision I think it is very difficult to draw a true assessment. It certainly does raise concerns about our level of commitment to the partners who really did the fighting and in many cases the dying, on the ground to eliminate the ISIS caliphate and defeat the Islamic State as an Army. "
Today Programme 08/10/2019
In The News, 8 October 2019 Tags: US Defence Policy, Syria, Global Security Issues, Middle East and North Africa
"Gen Petraeus said: "It certainly does raise concerns about our level of commitment to the partners, who really did the fighting, and in many cases the dying on the ground, to eliminate the ISIS caliphate and to defeat the Islamic State as an army.
"Keep in mind, there are still tens of thousands of Islamic State fighters in groups in north-eastern Syria... very likely trying to establish an insurgent movement as well as to still carry out terrorist attacks." "
American Troops Leaving Syria 'Raises Concerns Over US Commitment' To Allies
In The News, 8 October 2019 Tags: Turkey, US Defence Policy, Syria, Defence Policy, Global Security Issues, Europe, Middle East and North Africa
"Michael Stephens, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, another London-based think tank, said he was not altogether surprised by the U.S. decision and warned it could have far-reaching consequences for the region.
“Ultimately the question was not if the U.S. would withdraw, but when and how,” he said. “More concerning, of course, is how the fight against ISIS is run from this moment on. It is difficult to see how this agreement does anything other than give Turkey a carte blanche to socially engineer Kurdish majority areas of northeast Syria," Stephens added. "
Trump's backing for Turkey's Syria plan could cause havoc in an unstable region, experts warn
In The News, 7 October 2019 Tags: United States, Syria, Middle East and North Africa
"'Karin Von Hippel, director-general of the Royal United Services Institute think tank in London, said if the Kurds withdrew and left ISIS prison camps to be attacked by extremists, the fighters and their families could become the "nucleus of ISIS 2.0 or 3.0".
"ISIS could just take over the prisons if the Kurds leave,” she said. “I’m sure they’re planning that as we speak."' "
Turkish invasion of Syria would be 'godsend' for ISIS, experts warn
In The News, 7 October 2019 Tags: United States, Syria, Middle East and North Africa
"Trevor Taylor, an analyst from UK defence think-tank the Royal United Services Institute, said it was “worrying” that the government was not able to abide by the terms of the court ruling, but said it was a positive sign that ministers had come out and admitted the mistake. “The hard question is, what are the consequences of British action of this kind, and where will a country go in future to procure these types of weapons?”
"
Truss admits to more breaches of Saudi arms exports ban
In The News, 26 September 2019 Tags: Defence, Industries and Society, UK Defence, Middle East and North Africa
"Interview recorded in the occasion of Towards #Med2019 "Inside Syria: The Implications Of An Endless Crisis" (Beirut, 17 September 2019). "
Are the Iranian efforts in Syria worth in the long run?
In The News, 18 September 2019 Tags: International Security Studies, Syria, Middle East and North AfricaPages
UAVs in the Middle East: Coming of Age
Commentary, 10 July 2019Alexander Balas
UAVs are fast becoming a major feature of security in the Middle East.
Global Security Issues, Technology, Middle East and North Africa
Morocco’s Strategy in Africa: Rooting Back
Commentary, 23 May 2019Youssef Tobi
Morocco is redeveloping its African roots. To the benefit of all concerned.
RUSI International, African Union, Africa, Middle East and North Africa
A Threat to Jus in Bello: Legal Implications of Iran’s Designation of the US Central Command as a Terrorist Organisation
Commentary, 15 May 2019Christopher Galvin
Iran’s designation of the US Central Command as a terrorist organisation has serious implications for the treatment of its personnel in any conflict.
United States, Iran, Americas, Law and Ethics, Military Personnel, Middle East and North Africa
Libya and France: A Revival of ‘Napoleonism’?
Commentary, 1 May 2019Youssef Tobi
France appears to be relying on force to patch up problems in Africa, and particularly in Libya. None of this is compatible with President Macron’s lofty foreign policy declarations.
Sahel, France, Libya, Terrorism, Europe, Africa, Middle East and North Africa
Israel’s Election: It Is Bibi All the Way
Commentary, 11 April 2019Michael Stephens
Binyamin Netanyahu has won the Israeli election, setting the scene for a right-wing administration which may well be tempted to formally annex the occupied territories and set Israel on a dangerous gambit.
RUSI International, Israel, Middle East and North AfricaPages
Dr Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi on the Iran Nuclear Deal
Multimedia, 18 June 2019Dr Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi talks to BBC News about the Iran Nuclear Deal. One year after the U.S. withdrew from the Iran Deal, Iran is looking to scale back its commitment.
Tags: United States, Iran, Americas, Germany, International Security Studies, Russia, France, UK, Europe, Middle East and North Africa
Psychological Occupation and Resistance in Mosul
Multimedia, 6 April 2018Mike Stevens on a new study published by RUSI that tells the extraordinary story of how resistance activists and fighters in Mosul ‘punctured Daesh’s image of invincibility’ leading to the city’s...
Tags: Iraq, Middle East and North Africa
The Iran Protests
Multimedia, 5 January 2018 Tags: Iran, International Security Studies, Global Security Issues, Middle East and North Africa
Understanding Unpredictability in the Middle East in 2018
Multimedia, 4 January 2018Dr Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi outlines priorities for analysts will be to understand the impact and unpredictability of US policy in the Middle East.
Tags: Iran, International Security Studies, Middle East and North Africa
The Legacy of Hashemi Rafsanjani
Multimedia, 9 January 2017RUSI Research Fellow Dr Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi discusses on AlJazeera English the legacy and significance of Iranian leader Hashemi Rafsanjani as he passes away.
Tags: Iran, International Security Studies, Middle East and North AfricaPages
Iran's Objectives and Capabilities: Deterrence and Subversion
Occasional Papers, 19 February 2019Jack Watling
This Occasional Paper explores Iran's foreign policy objectives through a strategic lens, considering strengths, weaknesses, and proxy relationships.
Civil–Military Relations, Iran's Nuclear Programme, Iran, Occasional Papers, Global Strategy and Commitments, Military Sciences, Defence Management, Defence Policy, Global Security Issues, Military Personnel, Terrorism, Middle East and North Africa
Introducing a Trauma-Informed Practice Framework to Provide Support in Conflict-Affected Countries: The Case of the Syrian White Helmets
RUSI Journal, 28 January 2019Nicola Lester
A proposal for a ‘trauma-informed’ framework to provide training and support to the Syrian White Helmets.
RUSI Journal, Syria, Resilience, Middle East and North Africa
Armed Drones in the Middle East: Proliferation and Norms in the Region
Occasional Papers, 17 December 2018Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi and Justin Bronk
This Occasional Paper aims to provide an in-depth inventory of armed drones possessed by Middle Eastern states, assessing quantity, types and timeframes; and to explore where and how armed drones...
Aerospace, Air Power and Technology, Occasional Papers, International Security Studies, Military Sciences, Middle East and North Africa
Strategic Hedging in the Arabian Peninsula: The Politics of the Gulf-Asian Rapprochement
Whitehall Papers, 20 September 2018Jean-Loup Samaan
Offering a new perspective on the geopolitics of Gulf-Asian relations.
Whitehall Papers, Pacific, Central and South Asia, Middle East and North Africa
From Homs to Aleppo: A Journey Through the Destruction of the Syrian War: Part 2: Aleppo
RUSI Journal, 6 April 2018Susan Schulman
Part II of this two-part series surveys the conflict’s impact on Aleppo.
RUSI Journal, Syria, Resilience, Middle East and North AfricaPages
Briefing by Saudi Foreign Minister Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir
Events, 20 June 2019His Excellency Adel Al-Jubeir, Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs delivered a briefing at RUSI on the Saudi view on Middle East security.
Middle East and North Africa
The Great Betrayal: How America Abandoned the Kurds and Lost the Middle East
Events, 21 May 2019At this event Professor David Phillips will examine US Middle East policy, how it relates to Kurdish political aspirations and the role of Kurdish fighters combating ISIS in Iraq and Syria
RUSI International, Middle East and North Africa
Yemen: A Pathway to Reconciliation
Events, 16 May 2019This event will explore ways in which both Yemeni society and its disparate political groups can begin to reach compromise.
RUSI International, Middle East and North Africa
Learning to Fight Daesh
Events, 11 March 2019A lecture by Lieutenant General Jameel Kamil Al Shimary, President of Iraq’s Defence University for Military Studies.
Iraq, Middle East and North Africa
Iraq, Iran and the US: Economic trends in the wake of sanctions
Events, 31 October 2018In association with the Iraq Britain Business Council, RUSI will host a panel discussion on the future of Iraq, its economic and political stability.
RUSI International, Iran, Iraq, Middle East and North AfricaPages
"[From 1:35:10] It's just not clear so far from the policy statements what has actually been agreed, I certainly tend to share the views of Senator Lindsey Graham or the former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, who have voiced concerns about this. Without more precision I think it is very difficult to draw a true assessment. It certainly does raise concerns about our level of commitment to the partners who really did the fighting and in many cases the dying, on the ground to eliminate the ISIS caliphate and defeat the Islamic State as an Army. "
Today Programme 08/10/2019
In The News, 8 October 2019General (Retd) David H Petraeus
Tags: US Defence Policy, Syria, Global Security Issues, Middle East and North Africa
"Gen Petraeus said: "It certainly does raise concerns about our level of commitment to the partners, who really did the fighting, and in many cases the dying on the ground, to eliminate the ISIS caliphate and to defeat the Islamic State as an army. "Keep in mind, there are still tens of thousands of Islamic State fighters in groups in north-eastern Syria... very likely trying to establish an insurgent movement as well as to still carry out terrorist attacks.""
American Troops Leaving Syria 'Raises Concerns Over US Commitment' To Allies
In The News, 8 October 2019General (Retd) David H Petraeus
Tags: Turkey, US Defence Policy, Syria, Defence Policy, Global Security Issues, Europe, Middle East and North Africa
"'Karin Von Hippel, director-general of the Royal United Services Institute think tank in London, said if the Kurds withdrew and left ISIS prison camps to be attacked by extremists, the fighters and their families could become the "nucleus of ISIS 2.0 or 3.0". "ISIS could just take over the prisons if the Kurds leave,” she said. “I’m sure they’re planning that as we speak."'"
Turkish invasion of Syria would be 'godsend' for ISIS, experts warn
In The News, 7 October 2019 Tags: United States, Syria, Middle East and North Africa
"Michael Stephens, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, another London-based think tank, said he was not altogether surprised by the U.S. decision and warned it could have far-reaching consequences for the region. “Ultimately the question was not if the U.S. would withdraw, but when and how,” he said. “More concerning, of course, is how the fight against ISIS is run from this moment on. It is difficult to see how this agreement does anything other than give Turkey a carte blanche to socially engineer Kurdish majority areas of northeast Syria," Stephens added."
Trump's backing for Turkey's Syria plan could cause havoc in an unstable region, experts warn
In The News, 7 October 2019 Tags: United States, Syria, Middle East and North Africa
"Trevor Taylor, an analyst from UK defence think-tank the Royal United Services Institute, said it was “worrying” that the government was not able to abide by the terms of the court ruling, but said it was a positive sign that ministers had come out and admitted the mistake. “The hard question is, what are the consequences of British action of this kind, and where will a country go in future to procure these types of weapons?” "
Truss admits to more breaches of Saudi arms exports ban
In The News, 26 September 2019 Tags: Defence, Industries and Society, UK Defence, Middle East and North Africa
Transparency in the Backbone of Global Supply Chains: Foreign Trade Zones
Partnerships are at the Core of Modern Deterrence
Sea Training: An Oft Overlooked Strategic Asset