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Middle East and North Africa
Israel’s Election: It Is Bibi All the Way
Commentary, 11 April 2019
Michael 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.
Tags: RUSI International, Israel, Middle East and North Africa
"“It’s not surprising that we’ve seen groups like this break away. There have been arrests and infighting inside the Badr organisation over the past few months," Mr Watling told The National.
"
Iraq: powerful Shiite party faces splinter group
In The News, 4 March 2019 Tags: Iraq, Military Sciences, Middle East and North Africa
Ministers Meet to Discuss Middle East in Warsaw Conference Beset by Divisions in the West
Commentary, 21 February 2019
Wojciech Pawlus
Poland has improved its bilateral strategic links with the US by hosting an American-inspired conference on the future of the Middle East. But the conference did nothing to improve Western coherence.
Tags: Iran's Nuclear Programme, United States, US Defence Policy, Iran, Israel, Global Security Issues, Europe, Middle East and North Africa
Iran's Objectives and Capabilities: Deterrence and Subversion
Occasional Papers, 19 February 2019
Jack Watling
This Occasional Paper explores Iran's foreign policy objectives through a strategic lens, considering strengths, weaknesses, and proxy relationships.
Tags: Civil–Military Relations, Iran's Nuclear Programme, Iran, Global Strategy and Commitments, Military Sciences, Defence Management, Defence Policy, Global Security Issues, Military Personnel, Terrorism, Middle East and North Africa
"[From 02:39:20 onward] They have gone underground, there are estimates that there are 10,000 ISIL fighters in Iraq and Syria. Some are foreign, some are local. There will be challenges in Iraq and Syria, of what to do with those detained, because neither country is obviously capable of managing such large loads. There are numerous internally displaced people, in Iraq it's 1,800,000 and and many of them are perceived to have links to ISIL and are not welcomed back to their community. So there are going to be enormous challenges. "
Today Programme 15/02/18
In The News, 15 February 2019 Tags: Iraq, Syria, Middle East and North Africa
Upholding Stability in the Middle East: An Opportunity for Russia–Europe Cooperation?
Commentary, 14 February 2019
Andrei Kortunov and Malcolm Chalmers
No single power can ‘fix’ the current turmoil in the Middle East. Still, there may be scope for Russia–Europe cooperation in managing the region’s ills.
Tags: Civil–Military Relations, RUSI International, Russia, Defence Management, Defence Policy, Global Security Issues, National Security, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding, Resilience, Europe, Middle East and North AfricaPages
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 Africa
Ministers Meet to Discuss Middle East in Warsaw Conference Beset by Divisions in the West
Commentary, 21 February 2019Wojciech Pawlus
Poland has improved its bilateral strategic links with the US by hosting an American-inspired conference on the future of the Middle East. But the conference did nothing to improve Western coherence.
Iran's Nuclear Programme, United States, US Defence Policy, Iran, Israel, Global Security Issues, Europe, Middle East and North Africa
Upholding Stability in the Middle East: An Opportunity for Russia–Europe Cooperation?
Commentary, 14 February 2019Andrei Kortunov and Malcolm Chalmers
No single power can ‘fix’ the current turmoil in the Middle East. Still, there may be scope for Russia–Europe cooperation in managing the region’s ills.
Civil–Military Relations, RUSI International, Russia, Defence Management, Defence Policy, Global Security Issues, National Security, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding, Resilience, Europe, Middle East and North Africa
Saudi Arabia and the Khashoggi Affair: What Should Key Western Governments Consider?
Commentary, 23 October 2018Michael Stephens
The uproar in the wake of the death of Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul continues unabated. France, Germany and the UK are coordinating their responses, and are adopting a different approach from that of the US. But what are the considerations governing any action?
RUSI International, The Gulf Region, Middle East and North Africa
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 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
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
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 Africa
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 AfricaPages
"“It’s not surprising that we’ve seen groups like this break away. There have been arrests and infighting inside the Badr organisation over the past few months," Mr Watling told The National. "
Iraq: powerful Shiite party faces splinter group
In The News, 4 March 2019 Tags: Iraq, Military Sciences, Middle East and North Africa
"[From 02:39:20 onward] They have gone underground, there are estimates that there are 10,000 ISIL fighters in Iraq and Syria. Some are foreign, some are local. There will be challenges in Iraq and Syria, of what to do with those detained, because neither country is obviously capable of managing such large loads. There are numerous internally displaced people, in Iraq it's 1,800,000 and and many of them are perceived to have links to ISIL and are not welcomed back to their community. So there are going to be enormous challenges. "
Today Programme 15/02/18
In The News, 15 February 2019 Tags: Iraq, Syria, Middle East and North Africa
"At the moment ISIS has not yet been defeated, militarily yes, things are looking good, but stabilisation operations will be going on for years to come. "
Pulling US troops from Syria is conditional, says Bolton
In The News, 7 January 2019 Tags: Leadership Centre, Iraq, Syria, The War on Terror, Terrorism, Middle East and North Africa
"“The lesson in operations in the Middle East has been that body armor saves lives, so the default is to put it all on,” says Jack Watling of UK defense think tank RUSI. "
The Overloaded Soldier: Why U.S. Infantry Now Carry More Weight Than Ever
In The News, 26 December 2018 Tags: Iraq, Military Sciences, Middle East and North Africa
"“Turkey will not be able to launch any type of operation in SDF controlled Syria without US permission, or unless the US decides to vacate the area.” He continued, “Particularly at a time in which the SDF operation against IS have slowed, and are coming under some pressure, it is highly unlikely the US would accept a Turkish operation in Syria at any time in the near future.”"
Pentagon warns Turkey against operation targeting Syrian Kurds
In The News, 13 December 2018 Tags: RUSI International, Middle East and North Africa
Russia’s ‘Silent’ Occupation and Georgia’s Territorial Integrity
In Context podcast - Episode 11: Jane Marriott OBE
Mitigating Cyber Risks: Is There Room for Two?