Al Qaeda Growing Stronger By the Minute
Fifteen years to the date after the U.S. launched its invasion of Afghanistan, al Qaeda still remains a force to be reckoned with. And with […] More
Yemen
Quagmire in Yemen
The Saudis and the Houthis are not talking. Peace talks to end the conflict in Yemen were set to begin on Monday in Kuwait, but […] More
No End to Fighting in Sight
Peace talks between the Saudi Arabians – who support the internationally recognized government of President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi in Yemen – and the Houthis […] More
Who Benefits from an Exhausting War
Peace talks are stalled and a ceasefire between the Saudis and the Houthis in Yemen is not holding. This is exactly what terrorist groups, like […] More
China’s Role in the Middle East
President Xi Jinxing’s visit to the Middle East last week appeared to be business as usual. Short and relatively low-key, his studious avoidance of controversy […] More
The Arab Spring Five Years Later
The Arab Spring was the beacon of hope that would free millions from the grip of autocratic rulers. At first, it looked promising. One by […] More
Cauldron of Conflict
The “Arab Spring” of 2011-12 has profoundly changed the Middle East, but much is misunderstood about its effects. First, it did not produce, other than […] More
Moving Forward
When the so-called Arab Spring burst upon the Middle East five years ago, Henry Kissinger remarked that this was only “scene one of act one […] More
Lessons Learned
As the citizens of Arab nations reflect on the fifth anniversary of the popular revolts of 2011, they are likely to feel a sense of […] More
The Houthis — Yemen’s Heroes
Nasser Arrabyee, a journalist based in Sanaa, Yemen, told The Cipher Brief that “al-Qaeda and ISIS are the biggest winners” from the ongoing war in […] More
The Battle for Yemen
Shi’a Houthi forces recently killed al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) commander Mohammed Jamal in the Yemeni governorate of Taiz. Jamal died while fighting the […] More
ISIS in Yemen
The conflict in Yemen has enabled ISIS to make its presence felt for the first time in Yemen and al-Qaeda to carve out a strategic […] More
Worse than Syria
Now in its eighth month, the conflict that Amnesty International has called Yemen’s “forgotten war” grinds on, overshadowed by a metastasizing terrorist threat emanating from […] More
Wahishi’s Death
Al-Qa’ida’s number two, Nasir Wahishi, is believed to have died in a drone strike in southern Yemen last month. He ran one of the most […] More