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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
"“If he [the prince] does meet people it will have to be on the sidelines,” said Michael Stephens, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London. "
Will leaders shake his hand?
In The News, 25 November 2018 Tags: RUSI International, The Gulf Region, Middle East and North Africa
"Saudi and Emirati overtures have two objectives: first to reduce the Iranian footprint in Syria and second to make sure Qatar and Turkey do not get ahead of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi in the pecking order of ties with Damascus. "
Why the UAE and Saudi Arabia are reaching out to Assad
In The News, 19 November 2018 Tags: The Gulf Region, Syria, Middle East and North Africa
""Ahmad is no dissident prince... He has been a central figure in the (Saudi royal family) for years," said Michael Stephens, a Middle East expert at the Royal United Services Institute. His return "at the most is about capacity in the royal household, not some plot. Saudi court politics is always full of intrigue but... Salman has invested too much into MBS to watch him fall." "
Senior Saudi prince returns home amid Khashoggi crisis
In The News, 31 October 2018 Tags: RUSI International, Middle East and North Africa
""There have been too many mistakes made in Yemen and the country is suffering enormously. It’s a huge humanitarian catastrophe and it really does need to end. So, it’s important that the US is leaning in, finally." "
Dr Karin von Hippel on the conflict in Yemen
In The News, 31 October 2018 Tags: Middle East and North Africa
"“Israel is building a wall of countries [with] which it has interests that it can use as leverage to get Iran to start backing down,” said Michael Stephens, research fellow for Middle East studies at the Royal United Services Institute think-tank. “The idea is to surround Iran from all sides — it’s the diplomatic equivalent of putting missiles in Cuba.”
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Netanyahu seeks to bolster Israeli ties with Gulf nations
In The News, 29 October 2018 Tags: RUSI International, Israel, Middle East and North AfricaPages
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 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 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
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 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 AfricaPages
"“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
"“If he [the prince] does meet people it will have to be on the sidelines,” said Michael Stephens, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London."
Will leaders shake his hand?
In The News, 25 November 2018 Tags: RUSI International, The Gulf Region, Middle East and North Africa
"Saudi and Emirati overtures have two objectives: first to reduce the Iranian footprint in Syria and second to make sure Qatar and Turkey do not get ahead of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi in the pecking order of ties with Damascus."
Why the UAE and Saudi Arabia are reaching out to Assad
In The News, 19 November 2018 Tags: The Gulf Region, Syria, Middle East and North Africa
""Ahmad is no dissident prince... He has been a central figure in the (Saudi royal family) for years," said Michael Stephens, a Middle East expert at the Royal United Services Institute. His return "at the most is about capacity in the royal household, not some plot. Saudi court politics is always full of intrigue but... Salman has invested too much into MBS to watch him fall.""
Senior Saudi prince returns home amid Khashoggi crisis
In The News, 31 October 2018 Tags: RUSI International, Middle East and North Africa
""There have been too many mistakes made in Yemen and the country is suffering enormously. It’s a huge humanitarian catastrophe and it really does need to end. So, it’s important that the US is leaning in, finally.""
Dr Karin von Hippel on the conflict in Yemen
In The News, 31 October 2018 Tags: Middle East and North Africa
The Army’s ‘Recruitment Crisis’ is Not Just an IT Failure
Sea of Azov Crisis: Ukraine and Russia Clash, as do Competing Visions of European Security
In Context podcast - Episode 6: Sir Malcolm Rifkind