Is Sudan Joining the Anti-Qatar Bloc?

by Giorgio Cafiero Recent clashes between security forces and protestors are destabilizing Sudan two months after ex-president Omar Hassan al-Bashir’s removal from power. Sudan’s transition, which a host of outside actors are working to influence, is not going smoothly. The… Continue Reading

Power Struggle over Socotra  

by Giorgio Cafiero Throughout the Yemeni civil war, President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s government and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been nominal allies. Yet relations between the two have been, to say the least, tense due to conflicting visions for… Continue Reading

The Afrin Factor in Turkey-UAE Relations

by Giorgio Cafiero When they view Aden, Aleppo, Basra, Gaza, Ghouta, Mosul, and blockaded Qatar, Turks see grave injustices suffered by people in Arab lands once ruled by the Ottoman Empire. Such a perspective informs a popular Turkish narrative that… Continue Reading

The Gulf Crisis: Grappling for a Face-Saving Solution

by James M. Dorsey A two-week old conflict in the Gulf goes to the core of key issues in international relations that hamper the fight against political violence and govern diplomatic relations: the absence of an agreed definition of terrorism… Continue Reading