The war in Iran has plunged the Middle East into a period of instability that is likely to have ripple effects beyond the conflict. Richard Gardiner considers how the current situation has exacerbated existing tensions, and will continue to drive the threat of further instability within the region and abroad.
From energy prices to supply chains to global productivity, the impact of the Middle East conflict has been nothing short of extensive. While the trajectory of the conflict remains uncertain, Shannon Lorimer explores the volatility, instability and disruption likely to persist even in the case of a de-escalation.
Amid the losses of several key officials and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the Islamic Republic of Iran must maintain its internal stability while fighting a war against the US and Israel. Neo Tsotetsi explores the domestic challenges to stability, and the outsized role Iran’s Revolutionary Guard will play in securing it.
In June 2025, the 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran caused extensive turmoil to maritime and aviation operations through the Middle East region. Despite a ceasefire that remains in place, we can expect intermittent disruptions to continue in the coming months, writes Tamsin Hunt.
While Iran has long used proxies to advance its strategic objectives in the Middle East, it has increasingly leveraged relationships with criminal networks to advance its objectives on European soil, allowing for plausible deniability while avoiding a costly military confrontation at home, write Richard Gardiner and Shannon Lorimer.
The arrests of Canadian businessman Michael Spavor and former diplomat Michael Kovrig in China in December 2018, just days after Huawei’s chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou’s arrest in Vancouver, were undoubtedly linked. Despite China’s espionage allegations against the pair and their subsequent convictions, they were released shortly after Meng was…
Much of the world waited in anticipation for the outcome of the November 2020 US presidential election and, when the results were announced, a Biden victory prompted much debate on what this will mean for US foreign policy in the Middle East. Gabrielle Reid explores what is likely to be on the new administration’s to-do list in the region.
Piracy, terrorism and geopolitical tensions have presented persistent threats to commercial shipping in 2019. Despite states’ increased focus on securing shipping routes, the overall number of maritime incidents continues to fluctuate, and has declined only marginally over the past year.
Since the first examples of CBRN agents being used in warfare, developments in treatment and prevention have been struggling to keep up. Options to mitigate the harmful effects of CBRN agents on the civilian population have been relatively limited until recent years.
Attacks against and seizures of merchant vessels in the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman amid increased tensions between Iran and the US could result in a major military escalation, with serious implications for regional security and the global economy, writes Saif Islam..