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Middle East and North Africa
"“There’s an implied rationality around male radicalisation and passivity around women … but the decision-making process of these individuals isn’t only about being manipulated and brainwashed – there’s a clear rationale.” "
Bodyguard's Nadia shows the danger of underestimating female jihadis
In The News, 24 September 2018 Tags: International Security Studies, Counterinsurgency, UK, Middle East and North Africa
"Michael Stephens, a Middle East expert at the Royal United Services Institute, said: “British Aerospace has been pursuing Typhoon sales across the Gulf states for years and the Qatar crisis has been a boon in terms of locking in a sale. “But it’s less political than it seems. The driver here is primarily financial, rather than saying ‘we’re choosing this side over and another side’. If the UK could, it would sell Typhoon to all six Gulf states.” "
RAF creates first joint squadron with another nation since the Second World War
In The News, 21 September 2018 Tags: Aerospace, RUSI International, Defence Policy, UK, Global Security Issues, Middle East and North Africa
Strategic Hedging in the Arabian Peninsula: The Politics of the Gulf-Asian Rapprochement
Whitehall Papers, 20 September 2018
Jean-Loup Samaan
Offering a new perspective on the geopolitics of Gulf-Asian relations.
Tags: Pacific, Central and South Asia, Middle East and North Africa
"But Raffaello Pantucci, of the UK-based security think tank Rusi (Royal United Services Institute), believes this number is too high."They and their families may not number more than several thousand," he says. There are also believed to be other foreign jihadists in Idlib, including Chechens and Uzbeks, although the numbers are likely to be smaller. "
Syria: Who's in control of Idlib?
In The News, 7 September 2018 Tags: International Security Studies, Syria, Middle East and North Africa
""Turkey has no intention of respecting the American sanctions on Iran," Eyal told Business Insider. "It has also said it respects none of the American priorities in Syria. It has offered to buy Russian missiles and other equipment." He added: "At every count and on every part, it's gone against not only the US interests, but the interests of the Western alliance." "
Turkey's president threatened a major blow to the US — but Trump looks to have called his bluff
In The News, 14 August 2018 Tags: RUSI International, Turkey, United States, Global Security Issues, Middle East and North Africa
"“When you’re hitting a school bus there is a big problem with your target acquisition process,” Stephens said, referring to the way armed forces distinguish between military and civilian targets. There are established rules meant to prevent this sort of tragedy from happening, he said. "Politics can mean that you loosen or tighten these rules, but the frameworks are there and they [the coalition] just have to abide by them and that’s up to them," Stephens added. "
A Saudi-led airstrike killed dozens of Yemeni children. Could the world have stopped it?
In The News, 12 August 2018 Tags: RUSI International, 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
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 Africa
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 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 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
"“There’s an implied rationality around male radicalisation and passivity around women … but the decision-making process of these individuals isn’t only about being manipulated and brainwashed – there’s a clear rationale.”"
Bodyguard's Nadia shows the danger of underestimating female jihadis
In The News, 24 September 2018 Tags: International Security Studies, Counterinsurgency, UK, Middle East and North Africa
"Michael Stephens, a Middle East expert at the Royal United Services Institute, said: “British Aerospace has been pursuing Typhoon sales across the Gulf states for years and the Qatar crisis has been a boon in terms of locking in a sale. “But it’s less political than it seems. The driver here is primarily financial, rather than saying ‘we’re choosing this side over and another side’. If the UK could, it would sell Typhoon to all six Gulf states.”"
RAF creates first joint squadron with another nation since the Second World War
In The News, 21 September 2018 Tags: Aerospace, RUSI International, Defence Policy, UK, Global Security Issues, Middle East and North Africa
"But Raffaello Pantucci, of the UK-based security think tank Rusi (Royal United Services Institute), believes this number is too high."They and their families may not number more than several thousand," he says. There are also believed to be other foreign jihadists in Idlib, including Chechens and Uzbeks, although the numbers are likely to be smaller."
Syria: Who's in control of Idlib?
In The News, 7 September 2018 Tags: International Security Studies, Syria, Middle East and North Africa
""Turkey has no intention of respecting the American sanctions on Iran," Eyal told Business Insider. "It has also said it respects none of the American priorities in Syria. It has offered to buy Russian missiles and other equipment." He added: "At every count and on every part, it's gone against not only the US interests, but the interests of the Western alliance.""
Turkey's president threatened a major blow to the US — but Trump looks to have called his bluff
In The News, 14 August 2018 Tags: RUSI International, Turkey, United States, Global Security Issues, Middle East and North Africa
"“When you’re hitting a school bus there is a big problem with your target acquisition process,” Stephens said, referring to the way armed forces distinguish between military and civilian targets. There are established rules meant to prevent this sort of tragedy from happening, he said. "Politics can mean that you loosen or tighten these rules, but the frameworks are there and they [the coalition] just have to abide by them and that’s up to them," Stephens added."
A Saudi-led airstrike killed dozens of Yemeni children. Could the world have stopped it?
In The News, 12 August 2018 Tags: RUSI International, Global Security Issues, Middle East and North Africa
The US-Russia Nuclear Treaty Under Threat
India’s Balancing Act Between the US and Russia
Denmark’s Poor Performance in the Fight Against Financial Crime Shows Why European Regulation is Needed