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Middle East and North Africa
"The Qatari defense minister — who is also deputy prime minister — was speaking on the first anniversary of the boycott, and the timing was no accident, said Michael Stephens, research fellow for Middle East Studies at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think-tank in London. “Everyone is feeling pumped up and flexing their muscles and trolling each other. None of this should be taken seriously.” "
NATO rejects Qatar membership ambition
In The News, 7 June 2018 Tags: RUSI International, Middle East and North Africa
""I think [Moscow] has much less influence over Iran than the Russians would like us to believe," he said. "So I believe this deal that this touted is much more in theory than in practice." "
Israeli official flies to Russia amid reports of deal on Iran's role in Syria
In The News, 30 May 2018 Tags: RUSI International, Iran, Russia, Israel, Global Security Issues, Middle East and North Africa
"“What I find particularly galling is the emergence in the Saudi press of claims these guys were traitors,” said Michael Stephens, a Middle East expert at the Royal United Services Institute, a think tank in London. “I just don’t know why they thought this was OK.” "
Saudi arrests of female activists come amid prince's wider crackdown
In The News, 26 May 2018 Tags: RUSI International, Global Security Issues, Middle East and North Africa
"The very genuine and real problem of a lack of Palestinian leadership and the appalling conduct of the Hamas organisation were taken as clubs with which to beat Palestinians en masse over the head. Such critiques forget that it is Palestinians themselves who already suffer from the lack of genuine leadership and it is Palestinians themselves who suffer from Hamas more than anyone else. "
Gaza: the choice of life in an open-air prison or being shot is no choice
In The News, 23 May 2018 Tags: Israel, Global Security Issues, Middle East and North Africa
"The U.S. is not just criticizing the nuclear deal, but it taking on the entire foreign policy of Iran — what it is doing in Iraq, Syria and Yemen, its ballistic missile program.” Chalmers doesn’t think those issues can be dealt with through talks. “The idea you can bring all of them to the negotiating table is most unrealistic.” "
All Eyes on Israel as Mideast Tensions Spike
In The News, 9 May 2018 Tags: Israel, Global Security Issues, Middle East and North AfricaPages
Saudi Arabia’s Islamic Anti-Terrorism Effort: A Coalition of the Willing or an Anti-Iran Front?
Commentary, 6 December 2017Kamal Alam and Wajahat S Khan
Saudi Arabia’s new Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition has been hailed as an historic organisation which will not only serve a military purpose but also take the ideological fight against those who use terror in the name of Islam.
The Gulf Region, Terrorism, Middle East and North Africa
Israel and Saudi Arabia: The Best of ‘Frenemies’
Commentary, 21 November 2017Joseph Millis
Saudi Arabia and Israel appear to be putting aside decades of enmity due to a fear of Iran's nuclear ambitions and its actions in the region. Is this the beginning of a beautiful friendship?
The Gulf Region, Israel, Middle East and North Africa
Lebanon: The Return of Pax Syriana?
Commentary, 10 November 2017Kamal Alam
As Saudi Arabia yesterday ordered its citizens to leave Lebanon, Syria seems to be reasserting its historic control over its western neighbour.
Syria, Lebanon, Middle East and North Africa
Turkey Seeks to Expand its Influence in Syria
Commentary, 24 October 2017Ali Özkök and Ömer Özkizilcik
Ankara is using its military presence in northern Syria to prevent Kurdish independence and have more of a say in a post-Assad future of the country. The problem is, its main allies, Iran and Russia, are pro-Assad.
Turkey, Syria, Europe, Middle East and North Africa
Iran and Paraskevidekatriaphobia
Commentary, 16 October 2017Sir Simon Gass
President Donald Trump’s choice of Friday the 13th for his long-awaited statement on Iran may prove prophetic.
Iran's Nuclear Programme, Iran, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Middle East and North AfricaPages
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 Africa
International power dynamics in 2017
Multimedia, 21 December 2016RUSI International Security Studies Director, Raffaello Pantucci, predicts that 2017 will be a year of change as major powers reconsider their international roles and non-states such as Daesh are...
Tags: China, International Security Studies, Middle East and North AfricaPages
Spring Goes to Winter: A Very Twenty-First Century Revolution in the Middle East
Newsbrief, 6 April 2018Rucheka Jain
The Arab Spring of 2011, a time of hope and optimism especially for the region’s young people, has become an Arab Winter. To turn the tide, young people must rally behind a unifying cause and not be...
Newsbrief, 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 Africa
From Homs to Aleppo: A Journey Through the Destruction of the Syrian War: Part 1: Homs
RUSI Journal, 13 February 2018Susan Schulman
Part 1 of this two-part series shows how Homs is being rebuilt after years of violence.
RUSI Journal, Syria, Resilience, Middle East and North Africa
Why Have Three Gulf States Introduced the Draft? Bucking the Trend on Conscription in Arabia
RUSI Journal, 17 January 2018Zoltan Barany
Politics, economics and security help to explain why some Gulf countries have adopted conscription.
RUSI Journal, The Gulf Region, Military Personnel, Middle East and North Africa
Book Review: The Great War and the Middle East
RUSI Journal, 19 September 2017Sneha Reddy
Sneha Reddy reviews The Great War and the Middle East, by Rob Johnson.
RUSI Journal, The Great War, History, Middle East and North AfricaPages
The Iraq Election Results: What next for Iraq’s political stability?
Events, 16 May 2018This panel event, in partnership with the Iraq Britain Business Council (IBBC) assessed the Iraqi election result, the early indications of any political realignment and possible impacts on the...
RUSI International, Iraq, Global Security Issues, Middle East and North Africa
Book Launch – The Merchant of Syria
Events, 30 April 2018Diana Darke will give an illustrated talk on The Merchant of Syria, her newest book, the result of four years’ research into the socio-economic history of Syria through the life of one man, a textile...
RUSI International, Syria, Middle East and North Africa
Roundtable: The State of Turkish-Israeli Relations
Events, 26 April 2018A round table discussion on Turkish-Israeli relations and their impact on the region.
RUSI International, Israel, Global Security Issues, Middle East and North Africa
Ending the Suffering in Yemen: What Can Be Done?
Events, 17 April 2018This joint event with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) will look at the drivers of the conflict, the humanitarian impact and the view from the West.
RUSI International, The Gulf Region, Middle East and North Africa
A Conversation with Jaffar Hagi, Deputy Speaker of Kurdistan Parliament–Iraq
Events, 15 March 2018Since the referendum on Kurdish independence in September 2017 and the subsequent loss of territory to the Federal Government of Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq has been placed in a...
RUSI International, Iraq, Global Security Issues, Middle East and North AfricaPages
"The Qatari defense minister — who is also deputy prime minister — was speaking on the first anniversary of the boycott, and the timing was no accident, said Michael Stephens, research fellow for Middle East Studies at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think-tank in London. “Everyone is feeling pumped up and flexing their muscles and trolling each other. None of this should be taken seriously.”"
NATO rejects Qatar membership ambition
In The News, 7 June 2018 Tags: RUSI International, Middle East and North Africa
""I think [Moscow] has much less influence over Iran than the Russians would like us to believe," he said. "So I believe this deal that this touted is much more in theory than in practice.""
Israeli official flies to Russia amid reports of deal on Iran's role in Syria
In The News, 30 May 2018 Tags: RUSI International, Iran, Russia, Israel, Global Security Issues, Middle East and North Africa
"“What I find particularly galling is the emergence in the Saudi press of claims these guys were traitors,” said Michael Stephens, a Middle East expert at the Royal United Services Institute, a think tank in London. “I just don’t know why they thought this was OK.”"
Saudi arrests of female activists come amid prince's wider crackdown
In The News, 26 May 2018 Tags: RUSI International, Global Security Issues, Middle East and North Africa
"The very genuine and real problem of a lack of Palestinian leadership and the appalling conduct of the Hamas organisation were taken as clubs with which to beat Palestinians en masse over the head. Such critiques forget that it is Palestinians themselves who already suffer from the lack of genuine leadership and it is Palestinians themselves who suffer from Hamas more than anyone else."
Gaza: the choice of life in an open-air prison or being shot is no choice
In The News, 23 May 2018 Tags: Israel, Global Security Issues, Middle East and North Africa
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan: Moving From the Personal to the Strategic Domain
Russia is Hosting the World Cup, and the Real Terrorism Threat is Not Very High
The UK Government's Prevent Strategy