Latest Articles about United Arab Emirates
Hot Issue – The Houthi Art of War: Why They Keep Winning in Yemen
Executive summary: After five years of war against the Saudi-led coalition and its allies, Yemen’s Houthi rebels remain defiant and are once again on the offensive. The Houthis’ keen understanding and consistent application of the algebra of insurgency are fundamental to their martial success in... MORE
Briefs
UAE Expands its Influence in the Horn of Africa Brian M. Perkins The UAE has significantly increased its engagement in the Horn of Africa over the past several years, using security, development, and humanitarian projects to boost its regional diplomatic and economic influence. Some of... MORE
The STC’s Carrot and Stick and its Rivalry with Islah
Saudi Arabia’s military adventurism in Yemen has been nothing short of disastrous. As political and economic woes are beginning to hit home, the kingdom is struggling to maintain its resolve and cajole warring parties in southern Yemen toward some kind of peace deal. Conflict between... MORE
Yemen’s Wildcard General—An Updated Profile of Brigadier Tariq Saleh
Tariq Saleh, the nephew of former Yemeni President Ali Abdulla Saleh, is a proverbial wild card in Yemen’s interconnected wars. The former commander of Yemen’s now defunct Presidential Guard controls one of the best organized and best armed militias in Yemen, known as the National... MORE
Beyond Haftar: A Profile of Aguila Saleh Issa al-Obeidi, Speaker of the Libyan House of Representatives
Introduction Analyzing Aguila Saleh Issa al-Obeidi’s life and career, the peculiarity of his profile compared to that of the many current protagonists of Libyan politics is striking. He is by no means a classic militant leader. He has 50 years of experience in legal issues,... MORE
Briefs
Southern Transitional Council Seeks Leverage with Declaration of Self-Rule Brian M. Perkins Saudi Arabia’s attempts to extricate itself from the war in Yemen became increasingly complicated as the Riyadh Agreement all but collapsed on April 25, when the Southern Transitional Council (STC) declared a state... MORE
Hot Issue – Is This the Beginning of the End of the War in Yemen?
Executive Summary: Defeats, plummeting oil prices, and a global pandemic are forcing Saudi Arabia to rethink its involvement in Yemen. Ironically, the end of overt Saudi involvement in Yemen may help it achieve some of its aims as new alliances dilute Houthi control and minimize... MORE
Geopolitics and the Greater Maghreb Security Complex in a Time of Financial Distress
Introduction The first months of 2020 witnessed significant diplomatic activity between the Gulf and the Maghreb. However, the emerging global economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic will likely affect some of these diplomatic dynamics. In January 2020, the Berlin conference on Libya offered an... MORE
The Houthis’ War to Lose: The Battle for Marib
Yemen’s Houthis have defied the forecasts of numerous analysts who predicted that their grip on northwest Yemen would erode. Rather than being weakened, Houthi and allied forces are stronger and better organized than at any point over the last two years. The Houthis’ recent offensives... MORE
A Piece of a Greater Puzzle: The Libyan Civil War, External Influences and Regional Trends
Over the past few months, diplomatic activism around the Libyan civil war has intensified sharply. Two dynamics drove this process. First, the visible presence of Russian mercenaries fighting alongside the forces of Khalifa Haftar, the eastern-based leader of the Libyan National Army (literal Arabic translation... MORE