Hidden Agendas in Yemen

by Graham E. Fuller The domestic crisis in Yemen, once quite containable, now bids to veer out of control as external players threaten to exacerbate an explosive situation. Apart from their rhetorical statements, what are the chief factors driving these… Continue Reading

Yemen’s Latest Crisis

by Sheila Carapico Four years after the popular uprising against the dictatorship of ‘Ali ‘Abdallah Salih, the weak Saudi-backed transitional government of Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi collapsed, leaving Sana’a to Iranian allies. As of this writing, we don’t even know… Continue Reading

Iraqi Kurds Seek Greater Balance Between Ankara and Baghdad

by Mohammed A. Salih Erbil—After a period of frostiness, Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Turkey seem intent on mending the ties, as each of the parties show signs of needing the other. But the Kurds appear more cautious this… Continue Reading

The Kurdish Future in Iraq: Independence or Confederation

by Mohammed A. Salih Ebril — The Iraqi Kurdish media and public are these days buzzing with heated discussions about independence. The reason is simple: never before has there been such a promising opportunity for Kurds to establish their own… Continue Reading

Trouble Brewing in Kurdish-Controlled Kirkuk

by Mohammed A. Salih* Ebril — The Kurdish flag is flying high in the wind from the rooftop of an old brick house inside Kirkuk’s millennia-old citadel, as Rashid – a stern-looking man sitting behind a machine gun – monitors the… Continue Reading