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.
Between March and May 2025, the US conducted a sustained campaign of airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, while Iran signalled its intention to reduce its support for the group. Despite these developments – including a recent ceasefire agreement with the US – Richard Gardiner argues that the Houthis will continue to pose a threat to both regional…
The arrest of Istanbul’s mayor, and popular leader of the opposition Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi (CHP) party, Ekrem İmamoğlu, triggered mass protests and a subsequent stringent response by police. Tamsin Hunt explores the impact of these latest developments on Turkey’s political stability over the coming year.
Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan’s call for the group to disarm presents a historic opportunity for peace with Turkey. Tamsin Hunt and Saif Islam explore the promises and obstacles on the path toward a lasting resolution.
The ceasefire in the Gaza Strip has coincided with US President Donald Trump introducing a plan for “owning” Gaza, which would entail the displacement of Palestinians to neighbouring countries. Such an event would have far-reaching political, social, and security repercussions for the region, but particularly for Egypt and Jordan, writes Tamsin Hunt.…
Travel security threats across the Middle East and North Africa have intensified amid deepening geopolitical tensions and associated security challenges in Israel, the Palestinian Territories, Lebanon, Iran, Yemen, and Syria.
Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel, and Israel’s subsequent operation in the Gaza Strip, has left an indelible mark on the Middle East. Tamsin Hunt explores the impact that the war has had on the tourism industry across the region.
Global defence spend has accelerated in recent years, reaching historic highs in many countries. Tamsin Hunt examines some of the developments driving increased military spending around the world.
Tamsin Hunt examines the immediate security implications for foreign and local nationals in Lebanon and Israel should the increasing aggression between Israel and Hezbollah devolve into open conflict.
More than seven months into Israel’s military campaign in the Gaza Strip, Tamsin Hunt examines Israel’s progress in achieving its stated objectives of dismantling Hamas’s leadership and combat capabilities.
Iran’s attack on Israel in mid-April has strengthened the political position of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu domestically. Tamsin Hunt considers how this development has provided a temporary distraction from deep-seated public grievances that have long driven large-scale anti-government protests in the country.
Attacks by the Yemen-based Houthi militant group against ships travelling through the Red Sea have sent shockwaves through the global trading system. Zaynab Hoosen considers the impact of persistent tensions in the Middle East on the global shipping sector and spillovers that have impacted Egypt and Europe.