Recent Posts

After al-Bayda, the Beginning of the Endgame for Northern Yemen?

The Huthis have taken al-Bayda, the southern approach to Marib and its oil reserves. A battle for this prize likely would not conclude the war, however. The new UN envoy should work to avert that showdown while revamping the framework for making peace in Yemen. What’s new? After consolidating their hold …

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Relaunching Negotiations over Western Sahara

Western Sahara a “non-decolonised” and “non-self-governing” territory. This report will refer to the part of Western Sahara under Rabat’s control as “Moroccan-controlled” or “Moroccan-held” Western Sahara; to Western Sahara in its entirety as a disputed territory; and to the part the Polisario calls “the liberated territory” as “the UN-monitored buffer …

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Sudan coup leader fires ambassadors who opposed takeover

Several Sudanese ambassadors abroad vowed to resist Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s military junta in Khartoum. The leader of a military coup that overthrew Sudan’s civilian-led government on Oct. 25 dismissed several Sudanese ambassadors abroad after they publicly vowed to resist his takeover. Sudan’s ambassadors to the United States, the …

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US unveils sanctions targeting Iran’s drone program

The Treasury Department issued fresh sanctions on Friday targeting individuals and companies the United States says are supporting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ drone program. The Biden administration sanctioned several Iranian companies and individuals on Friday in connection with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ drone program, including an Iranian commander …

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Sudan coup could offer boon for Moscow

Sudan’s military coup could hurry along the process of Russia’s deeper military involvement in the country. The Sudanese military detained the country’s prime minister, Abdalla Hamdok, on Monday along with several other members of the government. Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who led the coup and alongside Hamdok headed the …

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Ethiopia’s Civil War: Cutting a Deal to Stop the Bloodshed

The combatants in northern Ethiopia are digging in for a long fight, despite high fatalities and famine conditions for civilians. The war looks set to worsen. Outside powers should back the African Union’s new envoy in urging the parties to move instead toward a ceasefire. What’s new? Ethiopia’s devastating civil war …

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