From Nigeria to Libya: Linked through Migration and Armed Conflict

Blog

22nd April 2024

Improving climate adaptation and conflict mitigation in an u...

Ore Koren

The impacts of protracted conflict and climate change are felt more keenly in East Africa than almost anywhere else in the world. This means that inte...

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Horn of Africa and the Sahel Conflict Response

Blog

16th April 2024

Green Mosul: how trees helped a city recover after conflict

Omar Mohammed

In this interview, Dr Omar Mohammed discusses the Green Mosul initiative, which was launched by the Mosul Eye Association in 2021 and leaves a legacy ...

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Middle East and North Africa Iraq Violent and Peaceful Behaviour

Podcast

9th April 2024

Peripheral Vision: Trade Disruptions and Instability in Frag...

Kheder Khaddour, Azeema Cheema, Ahmed Musa, Tabea Campbell Pauli

Global trade and the transnational flow of people and goods can be negatively impacted by surging tensions or violence in fragile border regions. In t...

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Middle East and North Africa Transnational Flows

Podcast

27th March 2024

Hearing local voices at the “Ground Zero” of climate change...

Tabea Campbell Pauli, Tasnia Khandaker

Bangladesh is facing a climate emergency. Although it is one of the world’s least polluting nations, it is already experiencing some of the most sever...

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Podcast

21st March 2024

On Geopolitics: Sinjar – an arena for other conflicts?

XCEPT researchers from Chatham House discuss how the Sinjar region is ever-more entangled in regional conflicts, and consider what can be done to ensu...

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Podcast

20th March 2024

Africa Aware: How gold fuels the war in Sudan

In the latest podcast episode from XCEPT, Chatham House researchers and guests discuss recent XCEPT research which reveals gold’s connection to the cu...

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Blog

20th March 2024

Sudan’s forgotten war: A new diplomatic push is needed

Dame Rosalind Marsden

After many months of overwhelming, violent conflict, a ceasefire remains far from the horizon in Sudan. The international community must collaborate t...

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Blog

20th March 2024

Understanding the role of unconscious bias in conflict dynam...

Emma Ciccarella

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Photo Essay

14th March 2024

Photo-essay: A week in Iraq

Inna Rudolf

In 2023, Dr Inna Rudolf, Dr Craig Larkin, and Dr Rajan Basra visited Iraq to understand more about the dynamics of the reconstruction process and to f...

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Podcast

29th February 2024

Myanmar: Resistance and the cost of the coup in Chin State

Tabea Campbell Pauli, June Nilian Sang

The first of February marked the third anniversary of the military coup that upended Myanmar’s decade of democracy in 2021 and plunged much of the cou...

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South Asia and Southeast Asia Myanmar Conflict Dynamics Borderlands

Podcast

22nd February 2024

Breaking Cycles of Conflict: Israel and conflict memory in L...

Bronte Phillips, Craig Larkin

Why are current conflict trauma conditions in Lebanon so reminiscent of the past? The current tension between Israel and Hezbollah demonstrates how pr...

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Blog

14th February 2024

The costs of ignoring conflict trauma in men and boys

Heidi Riley, Clara May

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine recently remarked that, in the post-war world, ‘the accumulated pain of the war … only becomes more unbearable...

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Podcast

2nd February 2024

Breaking Cycles of Conflict: Violent extremism and adverse c...

Caterina Ceccarelli

Tens of thousands of children currently live in dire conditions in Al-Hol camp in Syria – and there are concerns this makes them vulnerable to radical...

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Middle East and North Africa Violent and Peaceful Behaviour

Podcast

25th January 2024

Breaking Cycles of Conflict: Translating the stories of conf...

Mohamad El Kari

A translator’s job is to take something in one language and convert it to another – but when you’re translating the stories of people affected by conf...

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Podcast

19th January 2024

Breaking Cycles of Conflict: Addressing male conflict trauma

Beth Heron, Heidi Riley

Dr Heidi Riley and Beth Heron discuss their research into conflict trauma in men and boys.

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Podcast

11th January 2024

Breaking Cycles of Conflict: Growing up in violent extremist...

Dr Cook talks to Dr Fiona McEwen about the different ways a child’s life can be impacted when a family member is involved in violent extremism.

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Middle East and North Africa Violent and Peaceful Behaviour

Podcast

4th January 2024

Breaking Cycles of Conflict: Reconciliation and reconstructi...

Craig Larkin, Inna Rudolf, Rajan Basra

In a new episode of the Breaking Cycles of Conflict mini-series, XCEPT researchers Dr Craig Larkin, Dr Inna Rudolf, and Dr Rajan Basra explore issues ...

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Middle East and North Africa Iraq Violent and Peaceful Behaviour

Blog

3rd January 2024

Waiting for War: Escalation on Lebanon’s southern border and...

Brontë Philips

As conflict at Lebanon’s border with Israel continues to escalate, this blog explores how Lebanon’s legacy of war memory is shaping fears and response...

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Middle East and North Africa Violent and Peaceful Behaviour

Blog

22nd December 2023

A selection of XCEPT research from 2023

XCEPT is proud to present a selection of research published by our partners during 2023. Below you can find highlights from our research on conflict-a...

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Blog

20th December 2023

How a transnational approach can better manage the conflict ...

Dr Renad Mansour, Dr Ahmed Soliman

Approaching conflict as a national issue sidelines a complex web of transnational influences and threatens prospects for sustainable peace.

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Horn of Africa and the Sahel Transnational Flows

Podcast

21st November 2023

Podcast: How terrorism, political interests, and economic re...

Peer Schouten, Abdirahman Edle, Jamal Mohamed

This podcast from XCEPT partner the Rift Valley Institute unpicks the intricate ties that bind roadblocks, checkpoints, and the political economy of c...

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Blog

17th October 2023

Four years on from Lebanon’s 17 October revolution

Mohamad El Kari

Visiting Lebanon today, it is difficult to escape the feeling that a collective sense of hopelessness has settled across the country, haunting and tor...

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Middle East and North Africa Lebanon Violent and Peaceful Behaviour

Blog

13th October 2023

Informal education and conflict trauma: reducing adolescent ...

Fiona McEwen, Alexander Fischer, Shanna Todd

By understanding the impact of conflict and violence in northeast Syria, informal education programmes can strengthen adolescent resilience to radical...

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Middle East and North Africa Violent Extremism Violent and Peaceful Behaviour

Podcast

1st September 2023

Peripheral Vision: Localising Conflict Responses in Conteste...

Nathan Shea, Tasnia Khandaker, Armenak Tokmajyan, Abdirahman Edle Ali

How does the global push for aid localisation apply to the research sector? In this podcast, The Asia Foundation, the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle ...

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Syria South Asia and Southeast Asia Somalia Middle East and North Africa Horn of Africa and the Sahel Bangladesh Conflict Dynamics Borderlands

Blog

23rd August 2023

What do we mean when we talk about ‘resilience’ to violent e...

Federica Calissano

Federica Calissano explores what we really mean when we talk about resilience in the context of violent extremism, and questions if it’s the most effe...

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Blog

1st August 2023

Why We Continue to Misunderstand Conflict Economies

David Mansfield

By monitoring corrupt cross-border trading, international organizations can begin to understand the performance of Afghanistan’s economy.

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South Asia and Southeast Asia Afghanistan Transnational Flows Conflict Economies

Blog

28th June 2023

XCEPT Research Spotlight: Dr Inna Rudolf

Inna Rudolf

Dr Inna Rudolf is a Research Fellow on the Cross-Border Conflict Evidence, Policy and Trends (XCEPT) research programme at King’s College London. Here...

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Middle East and North Africa Middle East Iraq Violent Extremism Violent and Peaceful Behaviour Governance Conflict Response Conflict Dynamics

Video

28th June 2023

Rebuilding Mosul

Inna Rudolf

Dr Inna Rudolf is a Senior Research Fellow on the Cross-Border Conflict Evidence, Policy and Trends (XCEPT) research programme at King’s College Londo...

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Middle East and North Africa Iraq Violent and Peaceful Behaviour

Blog

28th June 2023

Sustaining peaceful pastoralism in Cameroon’s borderlands

Shidiki Abubakar Ali

Dr. Shidiki Abubakar Ali is part of the research team working on the XCEPT project, Promoting Peaceful Pastoralism. As part of this project, he has be...

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Horn of Africa and the Sahel Migration Conflict Dynamics Borderlands

Video

15th June 2023

XCEPT Research Spotlight: Dr Rajan Basra

Rajan Basra

Dr Rajan Basra is a post-doctoral researcher on the XCEPT research programme at King’s College London. Here, he tells us about his research on radica...

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Podcast

31st May 2023

Council of the Syrian Charter

Craig Larkin, Inna Rudolf, Nafees Hamid

In this podcast episode, Dr Craig Larkin and Dr Inna Rudolf are joined by Syrian lawyer and founder of the Council, Dr Naseef Naeem; journalist and Mi...

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Middle East and North Africa Violent and Peaceful Behaviour Governance

Blog

10th May 2023

Martyrdom in Lebanon: An Evolution of Memory-Making

Bronte Philips

This article explores how martyrdom memorialisation is used by all parties in Lebanon to shape narratives of the past and mobilise support in the pres...

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Middle East and North Africa Lebanon Violent and Peaceful Behaviour

Video

26th April 2023

XCEPT Research Spotlight: Dr Fiona McEwen

Fiona McEwen

Dr Fiona McEwen is the Survey and Interventions Director of the Cross-Border Conflict Evidence, Policy and Trends (XCEPT) research programme at King’s...

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Blog

19th April 2023

Fighting Over ‘White Gold’: Sesame in Ethiopia and Sudan

Ahmed Soliman

The supply chain of a seemingly innocuous cash crop – sesame – has intersected with transnational conflict dynamics, exacerbating tensions between Eth...

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Horn of Africa and the Sahel Conflict Response Conflict Economies Conflict Dynamics

Blog

12th April 2023

Can Uncertainty Make Us Violent? The Role of Uncertainty in ...

Federica Calissano

This blog explores how feelings of uncertainty can make individuals vulnerable to, or influence their decision to adopt, extremist ideologies, and exp...

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Middle East and North Africa Violent Extremism Violent and Peaceful Behaviour

Blog

11th April 2023

Is Translation in Conflict an Instrument of Power or a Place...

Mohamad El Kari

Mohamad El Kari, who works as a translator for the XCEPT project, talks about the challenges of translating the stories of conflict-affected populatio...

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Middle East and North Africa Violent and Peaceful Behaviour

Blog

5th April 2023

Wheat and War: How Sanctions are Driving Russia-Syria Cooper...

Haid Haid

The conflict supply chain of wheat from Ukraine and Russia to Syria highlights interlinkages between the conflicts and the role of sanctions in drivin...

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Middle East and North Africa Transnational Flows Governance Conflict Response

Podcast

4th April 2023

A Tale of Two Border Towns

Renad Mansour, Hayder Al-Shakeri

The effort to secure Iraq’s borders after the defeat of ISIS has created other, new sources of instability, as conflict supply chains adapt to new cir...

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Middle East and North Africa Iraq Borderlands

Podcast

3rd April 2023

Human Smuggling and Trafficking in Niger

Peter Tinti

This episode examines the violence and harm caused by these illicit practices, and the international responses to them as part of an XCEPT project min...

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Middle East and North Africa Transnational Flows Conflict Economies

Podcast

31st March 2023

Conflict Supply Chains across Lebanon and Syria

Lina Khatib, Leah de Haan

Find out more about the impact of supply chains and powerful conflict actors on people’s livelihoods in this Twitter Space recording.

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Syria Middle East and North Africa Lebanon Transnational Flows Conflict Economies

Podcast

31st March 2023

Human Smuggling and Trafficking to Libya

Tim Eaton, Leah de Haan

In this Twitter Space, join Senior Research Fellow, Tim Eaton and Project Manager, Leah de Haan for a deep dive into the interaction of conflict dynam...

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Middle East and North Africa Libya Transnational Flows Conflict Economies

Podcast

30th March 2023

Commodities, land contestation and conflict in Ethiopia and ...

Ahmed Soliman, Abel Demissie

This episode examines relations between Ethiopia and Sudan as part of an XCEPT project mini-series.

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Sudan Middle East and North Africa Horn of Africa and the Sahel Ethiopia Transnational Flows Conflict Economies Borderlands

Blog

30th March 2023

The Dual Face of Migrant Smuggling in Libya

Tim Eaton, Lubna Yousef

In Libya’s northwestern city of Zawiya, where migrants make up a quarter of the population, those involved in human smuggling and trafficking present ...

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Middle East and North Africa Libya Organised Crime Migration

Blog

29th March 2023

Forgotten Refugees – the Experiences of Syrian Military Defe...

Alison Brettle

In this blog Dr Alison Brettle talks about her research into a group of ‘forgotten refugees’ – ex-military officers, who deserted the Syrian Army – an...

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Middle East and North Africa Violent and Peaceful Behaviour Transnational Flows Conflict Dynamics

Blog

29th March 2023

Remittances and Returns on Investment: Migrant Smuggling and...

Iro Aghedo

This article assesses the reason for the high levels of irregular migration from Nigeria, arguing that the cause is socio-economic, reinforced by the ...

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Nigeria Horn of Africa and the Sahel Organised Crime Migration

Blog

29th March 2023

A Critical Juncture for Sudan’s Democratic Transition

Rosalind Marsden

Progress on Sudan’s democratic transition has gained momentum and a solution may be in sight. International pressure is essential to reach an agreemen...

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Horn of Africa and the Sahel Governance Conflict Response Conflict Dynamics

Video

22nd March 2023

XCEPT Research Spotlight: Beth Heron

Beth Heron

Beth Heron is the Project Manager of the King’s College London XCEPT Team. In this Q&A, she tells us about her background, how she came to work on XCE...

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Podcast

28th February 2023

Breaking Cycles of Conflict Podcast: Episode 4

Gina Vale

As Shamima Begum appeals the removal of her British citizenship, the question of whether or not she is a ‘victim’ has flooded the press. Was Begum tra...

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Middle East and North Africa Violent and Peaceful Behaviour

Podcast

15th February 2023

Breaking Cycles of Conflict Podcast: Episode 3

Alison Brettle, Gina Vale

Do trauma interventions work? What are the most effective interventions in conflict zones? In this episode of the Breaking Cycles of Conflict podcast,...

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Blog

10th February 2023

Stability at What Cost? Smuggling-driven Development in the ...

Tim Eaton

The case of Kufra raises difficult questions for policymakers over what interventions to support in places that have come to thrive on illicit cross-b...

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North Africa Middle East and North Africa Libya Transnational Flows Borderlands

Podcast

2nd February 2023

Breaking Cycles of Conflict Podcast: Episode 2

Rajan Basra, Nafees Hamid, Craig Larkin, , ,

Are prisons really hotbeds of terrorism? Will the ‘ordinary’ young man entering prison be so influenced by his cell mate that he leaves a terrorist? O...

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Podcast

30th January 2023

Breaking Cycles of Conflict Podcast: Episode 1

Nafees Hamid, Fiona McEwen

In the first episode of their podcast mini-series, the XCEPT King’s College London team introduce their research and give us a glimpse of what’s to co...

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Podcast

23rd January 2023

Peripheral Vision: Views from the Borderlands – Fall 2022 Po...

Khine Win, Mustafe M. Abdi, Hamza Meddeb

In this podcast The Asia Foundation, the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center, the Rift Valley Institute, and their local research partners dis...

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South Asia and Southeast Asia Middle East and North Africa Horn of Africa and the Sahel Conflict Economies Borderlands

Blog

21st December 2022

A Selection of XCEPT Research From 2022

During 2022, XCEPT’s team of researchers experimented with remote data gathering, questioned assumptions about drivers of violence, and uncovered how ...

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Blog

19th December 2022

The Legacy of Trauma: Can Trauma be Transmitted Across Gener...

Pauline Zerla examines how traumatic events can be experienced by those who did not directly live them and how they affect the health and wellbeing of...

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South Asia and Southeast Asia Horn of Africa and the Sahel Violent and Peaceful Behaviour

Blog

8th December 2022

Gun-toting Grannies and Cattle Raiders: Why Understanding Ci...

Alison Brettle

The distinction between ‘civilian’ and ‘combatant’ isn’t always clear cut in a conflict zone – failing to recognise this could undermine efforts to bu...

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Horn of Africa and the Sahel Violent and Peaceful Behaviour

Blog

1st December 2022

The Motives and Methods of People Smuggling Between Syria an...

Mazen Ezzi

On the Syria-Lebanon border, the reason why someone requires the help of people smugglers will determine the route – and the price.

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Blog

23rd November 2022

Is Pastoralism Under Threat in Nigeria’s Borderlands?

Abdullahi Umar Eggi

Abdullahi Umar Eggi grew up in a nomadic family in Taraba State, Nigeria, and has undertaken extensive research to understand how and why pastoralism ...

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Horn of Africa and the Sahel Violent Extremism Transnational Flows Governance Conflict Economies Conflict Dynamics

Blog

23rd November 2022

“We Cook Just Once a Week”: Conflict and Its Costs Along Afr...

Paul Clewett, Miralyne Zeghnoune, Shireen Issa

Across parts of Africa, conflict – both local and global – is compounding the negative economic effects of COVID-19, with price increases causing hard...

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Middle East and North Africa Horn of Africa and the Sahel Governance Coronavirus Conflict Response Conflict Economies

Blog

21st November 2022

What’s Next for Children in IS-affiliated Families from Iraq...

Joana Cook

As the Iraqi government repatriates IS-affiliated families from al-Hol camp in Syria, Joana Cook looks at what’s next for the children who grew up und...

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Middle East and North Africa Violent Extremism Violent and Peaceful Behaviour

Blog

31st October 2022

Neuroscientists, Geneticists and Cultural Theorists Bring Ne...

Mette Bastholm Jensen

With war on the rise for a decade, King’s College London has gathered a team of experts from fields not typically associated with war research. The ho...

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Podcast

4th October 2022

Amid Commerce and Conflict, Some Border Towns Endure

Nathan Shea

Over decades of conflict and instability, the border town of Torkham, one of the main crossing points between Afghanistan and Pakistan, has found a wa...

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South Asia and Southeast Asia Transnational Flows Governance Conflict Economies Borderlands

Blog

28th September 2022

Storytelling, Memory and Momentum: Iraq’s Tishreen Movement...

Ruba Ali Al-Hassani

Despite observers claiming that Iraq’s Tishreen protest movement has been coerced into silence, this blog argues that it maintains mobilisation moment...

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Middle East and North Africa Violent Extremism Violent and Peaceful Behaviour Governance

Blog

15th September 2022

Saudi Arabia’s Split-Image Approach to Salafism

Ahmed Nagi

The case of the Salafi groups underscores the complex evolution of cross-border exchange of religious ideas, with external powers able to grow influen...

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Middle East and North Africa Transnational Flows Governance Borderlands

Blog

15th September 2022

In the Wake of the Military Coup, Sudan’s Rebel Groups Lever...

When the military launched a coup against the civilian government in October 2021, some of the rebel leaders sided with the country’s generals, rather...

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Middle East and North Africa Governance Conflict Dynamics Borderlands

Blog

30th August 2022

Frontier Farming: Along the War-Torn Ethiopia-Sudan Border, ...

The capture of fertile agricultural land in Western Tigray and the eastern Sudanese Al Fashaga region sheds light on how profits from cash crops help ...

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Horn of Africa and the Sahel Horn of Africa Conflict Economies Borderlands

Blog

25th August 2022

The Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis and Responses in Cox’s Baza...

Azizul Hoque, Tasnia Khandaker, Tasnia Khandaker

In August 2022 it will be five years since the start of one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises, yet the political and security dynamics su...

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South Asia and Southeast Asia Transnational Flows Migration Governance Conflict Response Borderlands

Blog

24th August 2022

Conflict Trauma and Violence: How Can We Promote Peace?

Shiraz Maher, Craig Larkin

This blog post examines the role of mental health and conflict-related trauma in driving individuals towards embracing violent extremism.

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Blog

18th August 2022

Do No (Self) Harm: Acknowledging Researcher Vulnerability in...

Gina Vale

This commentary explores why the welfare of the researcher frequently slips through the net of the ethical principle to ‘do no harm’.

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Blog

11th August 2022

The Spectre of Neuroscience in Security Studies

Nafees Hamid

How can neuroscience work in conjunction with the social and behavioural sciences to explain violent extremism?

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Blog

10th August 2022

How the Captagon Trade Impacts Border Communities in Lebanon...

Lina Khatib

Any policy designed to counter the growing Captagon trade must take into account its impact on local border communities.

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Middle East and North Africa Transnational Flows Governance Conflict Economies

Blog

3rd August 2022

Stories as Research: How Community Narratives Inform Conflic...

Pauline Zerla

What’s the potential of storytelling for research that engages with conflict-affected communities?

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Horn of Africa and the Sahel Violent and Peaceful Behaviour Conflict Response

Blog

29th July 2022

The Iraqi Politics of Memory and Victimhood

Inna Rudolf, Ela Khaled

This post highlights the ways in which different groups invoke the wrongs afflicted onto their respective communities to gain leverage over the domina...

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Middle East and North Africa Violent and Peaceful Behaviour Governance

Blog

29th July 2022

Peripheral Vision: Views from the Borderlands – Spring 2022...

Joint bulletin from The Asia Foundation, Rift Valley Institute, and Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center about recent research and activities....

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Blog

25th July 2022

The Importance of Prisons to Terrorist Groups and Movements

Rajan Basra

Throughout the history of terrorism, few locations have impacted the evolution of terrorist campaigns as the jail cell. This post outlines some critic...

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Blog

22nd July 2022

Liars, Guns, and Money

Michael Young

In this interview, Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center’s non-resident scholar Armenak Tokmajyan talks about Sarmada, Syria’s border with Turke...

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Middle East and North Africa Middle East Conflict Dynamics Borderlands

Blog

30th June 2022

Are Cross-Border Herders Driving Conflict in Nigeria’s Rural...

Adam Higazi

Nigeria is in the midst of a deep security crisis, with armed conflicts and violent crime now a problem in most parts of the country. In rural Nigeria...

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Horn of Africa and the Sahel Violent Extremism Transnational Flows

Blog

8th June 2022

Moving Medicine in Iraq: the Political Economy of the Pharma...

Renad Mansour, Omar Sirri

Poor infrastructure and even poorer governance is a critical part of the story of healthcare in Iraq, but so too is the complex issue of the movement ...

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Middle East and North Africa Transnational Flows Organised Crime Governance Conflict Economies

Blog

19th May 2022

Broken Borderlands: How Conflict is Changing Communities on ...

Alice Jenner,

Communities living on either side of national borders often forge deep cultural and economic ties but suffer acutely when countries clash. Borders har...

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Horn of Africa and the Sahel Conflict Dynamics Borderlands

Photo Essay

29th April 2022

Rohingya Stories: Family, Mobility and Livelihoods at the Ma...

What is it like to be a refugee? This rich collection of multigenerational oral histories sheds light on the unique and personal circumstances of diff...

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South Asia and Southeast Asia Transnational Flows Migration Borderlands

Blog

28th April 2022

Bringing Loyalist and Opposition Factions Together: The Pros...

Rahaf Aldoughli

Western visions for a post-war Syria often entail the creation of disarmament and reintegration programs oriented toward members of Islamist groups an...

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Middle East and North Africa Violent and Peaceful Behaviour Governance

Blog

19th April 2022

How Can Researchers Better Navigate the Profits and Perils o...

Mette Bastholm Jensen

Satellite and open-source data are revolutionising research on conflicts, particularly those in remote, hard-to-access regions. But these fast-acceler...

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Blog

31st March 2022

Centering Affected Populations in Humanitarian Research

Learnings from working with Rohingya residing in refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh

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South Asia and Southeast Asia South Asia Governance Gender Conflict Response Borderlands

Blog

23rd March 2022

What are the Causes of Somaliland’s Drought Crisis?

Ahmed M. Musa

This blog is the first in a series published by the Rift Valley Institute to help understand the causes of the drought-related crisis in the Somali re...

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Horn of Africa and the Sahel Horn of Africa Violent and Peaceful Behaviour Borderlands

Blog

27th January 2022

Abu Dhabi’s Dilemma

Ahmed Nagi,

The attack of January 17 will force the United Arab Emirates to make one of two choices, neither of them desirable.

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Middle East and North Africa Conflict Dynamics

Blog

23rd December 2021

Beirut for Ma’rib?

Ahmed Nagi,

Rising pressure against Lebanon from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states may well be tied to Hezbollah’s role in Yemen.

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Middle East and North Africa Conflict Dynamics

Newsletter

15th December 2021

Peripheral Vision: Views from the Borderlands – Fall 2021

Joint bulletin from The Asia Foundation, Rift Valley Institute, and Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center about recent research and activities.

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South Asia and Southeast Asia Middle East and North Africa Horn of Africa and the Sahel Violent and Peaceful Behaviour Transnational Flows Conflict Dynamics Borderlands

Blog

3rd December 2021

What the Taliban’s Rise to Power Means for the Mobility of A...

Haroun Rahimi, Development Consultant and Assistant Professor of Law at the American University of Afghanistan

Haroun Rahimi, from the American University of Afghanistan, explores the multidirectional impact that the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan has had on...

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South Asia and Southeast Asia South Asia Migration Governance

Blog

1st December 2021

Can Ethiopia Avert Deep Turmoil and Prioritize Peace?

Ahmed Soliman

Ethiopia’s devastating civil war recently entered into its second year and, to achieve peace, both sides in the conflict need to accept some difficult...

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Horn of Africa and the Sahel Horn of Africa Governance Conflict Response Conflict Dynamics

Blog

12th November 2021

Reversing the Military Coup in Sudan

Ahmed Soliman

As an entrenched military elite tries to protect extensive economic and political interests despite no public support, parts of the old regime are rea...

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Horn of Africa and the Sahel Governance Conflict Response Conflict Dynamics Borderlands

Blog

20th October 2021

Iran’s Fuel Shipment to Lebanon Requires Regional Policy Shi...

Lina Khatib

The Iran fuel shipment to Lebanon was significant not because of its size but because of what it signals about regional conflict.

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South Asia and Southeast Asia Middle East and North Africa Conflict Economies Conflict Dynamics Borderlands

Blog

14th September 2021

“The border is a semi-autonomous place where people can mobi...

A conversation with Joseph Diing Majok in South Sudan on his scholarship-winning research under the XCEPT programme.

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Horn of Africa and the Sahel Migration Governance Borderlands

Blog

25th August 2021

Unfinished Business in Daraa

Armenak Tokmajyan

Regime forces are staging a comeback in southern Syria, and this time Russia may be helping matters.

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Middle East and North Africa Conflict Dynamics Borderlands

Podcast

21st July 2021

Political Unrest Unsettles Myanmar’s Borderlands

Tabea Campbell Pauli

When the Myanmar military reclaimed power in February after a decade of democratic government, it disrupted the delicate peace process with Myanmar’s ...

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South Asia and Southeast Asia Conflict Economies Conflict Dynamics Borderlands

Newsletter

23rd June 2021

Peripheral Vision: Views from the Borderlands – Spring 2021...

Joint bulletin from the X-Border Local Research Network about recent research and activities from The Asia Foundation, Rift Valley Institute, and Malc...

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South Asia and Southeast Asia Middle East and North Africa Horn of Africa and the Sahel Violent and Peaceful Behaviour Transnational Flows Governance Conflict Dynamics Borderlands

Blog

30th April 2021

How the Ever Given Gave Us a Lesson in Chokepoint Politics

Jatin Dua,

After six days stationary in the Suez Canal, the Ever Given was finally unstuck. While its name will soon become a piece of trivia about blocking one ...

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Middle East and North Africa Transnational Flows

Blog

26th April 2021

Sailors Without a Sea

Armenak Tokmajyan, Laith Qerbaa

Jordan’s bahhara have suffered from a closed border with Syria, but efforts to resume informal trade ties continue.

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Middle East and North Africa Conflict Economies Borderlands

Blog

14th April 2021

Yemen and Coronavirus

Ahmed Nagi

The new coronavirus is spreading into conflict-affected states. The pandemic and efforts to contain it are much more likely to aggravate and multiply ...

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Middle East and North Africa Coronavirus

Podcast

10th March 2021

Conversations with RVI Researchers: Joseph Diing Majok and N...

Joseph Diing, Nicki Kindersley,

RVI’s Magnus Taylor speaks with RVI researchers, Joseph Diing Majok and Nicki Kindersley, about their latest report, “Breaking Out of the Borderlands:...

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Horn of Africa and the Sahel Migration Borderlands

Blog

21st January 2021

A Senseless Silencing

Sherif Mohyeldeen

By impeding research, Egypt curtails knowledge that can help resolve crises, especially in border areas.

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Middle East and North Africa Conflict Dynamics Borderlands

Podcast

13th January 2021

Displaced Tastes: In Conversation with Elizabeth Nyibol

Elizabeth Nyibol

Displaced Tastes is a collaborative research project run by the Rift Valley Institute and the Catholic University of South Sudan as part of the X-Bord...

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Horn of Africa and the Sahel Migration Borderlands

Blog

15th December 2020

A Voice for Those in the Field

Kheder Khaddour

Because of Covid-19 restrictions, researchers have had to find alternative ways of getting information.

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Middle East and North Africa Coronavirus

Newsletter

2nd December 2020

Peripheral Vision: Views from the Borderlands – November 202...

How political, security and socio-economic developments affect the people living in contested borderlands and, reversely, how border dynamics shape ch...

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South Asia and Southeast Asia Middle East and North Africa Horn of Africa and the Sahel Violent Extremism Coronavirus Conflict Response Conflict Dynamics

Blog

22nd October 2020

Permission to Kill

Armenak Tokmajyan

The rules of what is deemed acceptable political behavior are constantly shifting in Syria, with perilous consequences.

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Middle East and North Africa Violent and Peaceful Behaviour Organised Crime Governance Conflict Dynamics

Blog

2nd October 2020

A Fluid Frontier

Kheder Khaddour, Manhal Bareesh

Turkey is altering the nature of Syrian border areas, perhaps presaging more far-reaching steps.

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Middle East and North Africa Conflict Response Conflict Dynamics Borderlands

Podcast

30th September 2020

The Crisis and the Cracks—Pakistan’s Covid-19 Experience at ...

Azeema Cheema

Complex crises tend to expose our worst faults and bare our best-kept biases. They also turn old inequalities into urgent problems, as crisis governan...

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South Asia and Southeast Asia Coronavirus

Blog

29th September 2020

The Shifting Sands of War

Ahmed Nagi

As the scope of the fighting in Ma’rib intensifies, the signs of an attritional conflict without end are strengthening.

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Middle East and North Africa Conflict Dynamics

Video

2nd September 2020

COVID and Conflict in Myanmar’s Borderlands: A View from the...

The Covid-19 crisis has once again focused attention on political fragmentation in Myanmar, especially along ethnic divides.

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South Asia and Southeast Asia Governance Coronavirus Conflict Dynamics

Blog

23rd July 2020

Temporary Refuge, Stopover or New Home? Meeting Yemeni Migra...

Ahmed Shire, Abdideeq Warsame

As part of RVI’s ongoing project on the cross-border connections between Yemen and Somalia, the Institute’s partners at Puntland State University in G...

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Middle East and North Africa Transnational Flows Migration

Blog

6th July 2020

COVID-19 in the Horn of Africa: How Can Aid Help Mobile Popu...

Freddie Carver

Aid providers in the Horn of Africa have always struggled to adapt their systems and models to the simple fact that people move from place to place. D...

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Horn of Africa and the Sahel Borderlands

Blog

18th June 2020

The War Comes Home

Ahmed Nagi

The Yemen conflict has affected Saudi border areas and is changing the public’s thinking in the kingdom.

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Middle East and North Africa Governance Conflict Economies Conflict Dynamics Borderlands

Blog

3rd June 2020

Beyond the Line in the Sand

Armenak Tokmajyan, Walid Al-Nofal

Syria’s conflict has transformed the conditions of tribal clan notables who have sought refuge in Jordan.

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Middle East and North Africa Migration Conflict Dynamics Borderlands

Blog

3rd June 2020

A Fluid Frontier

Kheder Khaddour, Manhal Bareesh

Turkey is altering the nature of Syrian border areas, perhaps presaging more far-reaching steps.

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Middle East and North Africa Governance Conflict Dynamics Borderlands

Blog

29th April 2020

Living Off the Books

Hamza Meddeb

Economies in the Middle East and North Africa are suffering from supply chain problems due to the coronavirus.

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Middle East and North Africa Migration Coronavirus Conflict Economies

Video

27th April 2020

Yemen’s Catalogue of Woes

Michael Young

In an interview, Ahmed Nagi discusses the dangers of the coronavirus in a country already facing a terrible conflict.

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Middle East and North Africa Coronavirus

Video

15th April 2020

The Middle East’s Newest Front

Michael Young

In an interview, Harith Hasan and Kheder Khaddour discuss their recent paper on the Iraqi-Syrian border.

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Middle East and North Africa Violent Extremism Governance Conflict Dynamics Borderlands

Blog

15th April 2020

Women for Peace in the “Land of Promise”

Wahida A. Abdullah,

Mindanao, despite its legacy as a strife-ridden region, is still known to us as the “Land of Promise.”

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Southeast Asia South Asia and Southeast Asia Coronavirus Conflict Dynamics Borderlands

Blog

14th April 2020

Peace and the Pandemic: The Impact of COVID-19 on Conflict i...

Adam Burke

Disasters and crises—floods, earthquakes, wars, and of course pandemics—shine an unforgiving light on society’s problems and tensions. As the Covid-19...

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Southeast Asia South Asia and Southeast Asia South Asia Coronavirus Conflict Dynamics Borderlands

Interview

20th March 2020

Interview with Eddie Thomas on New Report, ‘Cash, Commodific...

Interview with Eddie Thomas on his report, ‘Cash, Commodification and Conflict in South Sudan.

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Photo Essay

20th February 2020

Mahra, Yemen: A Shadow Conflict Worth Watching

Ahmed Nagi

A Yemeni scholar shares glimpses of his journey through remote eastern Yemen, where the war-torn country’s wealthy neighbors are jostling for influenc...

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Middle East and North Africa Transnational Flows Conflict Economies

Blog

10th February 2020

Divided, Yemen is Falling

Ahmed Nagi

The country’s suffering has been exacerbated by the rise of internal borders, from which militias have greatly benefited.

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Middle East and North Africa Organised Crime Conflict Dynamics Borderlands

Blog

5th February 2020

Mapping the Rohingya Diaspora: Lessons From the Camps

Kawsher Ahamed, Rezaun Nahid Mercy

A violent campaign of persecution has driven an exodus of Myanmar’s Muslim Rohingya minority from the northern state of Rakhine into neighboring count...

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South Asia and Southeast Asia Migration Conflict Response Conflict Dynamics Borderlands

Blog

27th January 2020

An Art Unto Itself

Armenak Tokmajyan

In conducting research in the Middle East, don’t ignore the importance of the personal.

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Middle East and North Africa Transnational Flows

Blog

22nd January 2020

Afghanistan’s Borderlands: Unruly, Unruled, and Central to P...

In Games without Rules, author and former Asia Foundation colleague Tamim Ansary argues that bringing rural Afghanistan under centralized rule has bee...

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South Asia and Southeast Asia Violent and Peaceful Behaviour Conflict Response Conflict Dynamics Borderlands

Blog

7th December 2019

How to Survive South Sudan’s Monetized Economy

Joseph Diing Majok

South Sudan’s borderland region with Sudan, in Northern Bahr el-Ghazal, is a hard place to make a living. Jobs are scarce, livelihoods insecure and mo...

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Horn of Africa and the Sahel Conflict Economies Conflict Dynamics Borderlands

Blog

4th December 2019

Braving the Waves: Gray-Market Trade and Maritime Security i...

Starjoan Villanueva

It’s business as usual for cross-border trade in the Sulu Archipelago, off the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, where enterprising men and wome...

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South Asia and Southeast Asia Transnational Flows Conflict Economies

Newsletter

18th November 2019

Peripheral Vision: Views from the Borderlands – Fall 2019

Joint bulletin from the X-Border Local research Network about recent research and activities from The Asia Foundation, Rift Valley Institute, and Carn...

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South Asia and Southeast Asia Middle East and North Africa Horn of Africa and the Sahel Transnational Flows Conflict Response Conflict Economies Conflict Dynamics Borderlands

Blog

26th September 2019

Boundary Disputes

Harith Hasan

As its authority has weakened, the Iraqi central government’s control over its borders has also eroded.

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Middle East and North Africa Governance Conflict Dynamics Borderlands

Blog

2nd September 2019

Much More Than a Border

Kheder Khaddour

Albukamal and Qaim lie on a Syrian-Iraqi boundary that has had regional implications for decades.

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Middle East and North Africa Governance Conflict Dynamics Borderlands

Blog

6th August 2019

How is Puntland Coping with Yemen’s Fishing Boom?

Khalif Abdirahman

Review of research carried out in Baargal on the eastern side of Cape Guardafui; Bareeda, on the north coast, and Xaabo.

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Middle East and North Africa Middle East Horn of Africa and the Sahel Conflict Economies Conflict Dynamics Borderlands

Blog

22nd July 2019

When Less May Mean More

Ahmed Nagi

The United Arab Emirates is reducing its forces in Yemen, but remains the most powerful actor in the south.

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Middle East and North Africa Middle East Conflict Dynamics Borderlands

Blog

27th June 2019

Where the Periphery Dominates

Harith Hasan

In the Iraqi governorate of Nineveh, contestation between its capital Mosul and rural communities sits alongside other ethnic, religious and sectarian...

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Middle East and North Africa Governance

Video

11th June 2019

Self-Propelled Conflict

Michael Young

Carnegie’s Ahmed Nagi discusses his recent trip to Yemen and shares his impressions of the Houthis’ expansion.

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Middle East and North Africa Governance Conflict Dynamics

Blog

9th April 2019

A Different Type of Alliance

Anouar Boukhars

The G5 Sahel Joint Force shows that improvised security initiatives are becoming more common in Africa.

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Horn of Africa and the Sahel Governance Conflict Dynamics

Blog

1st April 2019

Cool Calculating Radicals

Anouar Boukhars

Among jihadi groups in the Sahel, strategic gains not religion often determine a militant’s affiliation.

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Horn of Africa and the Sahel Violent Extremism

Blog

22nd March 2019

Oman’s Boiling Yemeni Border

Ahmed Nagi

The Yemen war has opened a subtle but acute season of popular discontent and regional rivalry in Mahra, stuck in a three-players game among Saudis, E...

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Middle East and North Africa Governance Conflict Dynamics Borderlands

Blog

8th March 2019