Ethnic, political, and religious rifts make Yemen one of the most complex arenas in the Middle East, even more so following the eruption of the Arab Spring, which in November 2011 ended the 33-year regime of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The disintegration of the delicate political balance Saleh created has brought Yemen to the brink of an abyss with competing elites, ethnic revolts, separatists, external intervention and fundamentalist terrorism threatening to divide the country while hindering the new regime’s attempts to build a...
The potential impact of refugees on economic,security, and political stability is a familiar challenge in the Middle East.Past wars in the region have led hundreds of thousands of people to migrate and in many cases to remain as permanent residents in their new locations,which in turn affects the political and demographic balance of the hostcountries. So too, the events of recent years in Syria, Libya, and Yemen have promptedwaves of refugees that are likely to threaten the internal stability ofcountries that have thus far managed to...
The eastern province of Saudi Arabia, home to the kingdom’s Shiite minority, has recently been revisited by violence. The latest wave of protests that began in July 2012 in Awamiyah, a radical Shiite town, was sparked by the arrest and injury of Nemer al-Nemer, a popular Shiite cleric. Nemer, a key figure in the protest movement in the province, was known for his outspoken anti-royal family remarks. Particularly popular among the young, Nemer had called for toppling the House of Saud and for independence for the eastern province; he...
Another week, another round of fateful news from Libya. On Tuesday, June 12, a vehicle carrying Britain’s ambassador to Libya was attacked with rocket-propelled grenades in Benghazi. The attack came days after a bomb went off just outside the U.S. mission in the eastern city. Earlier this month, an armed militia cut the fence at Tripoli’s international airport, drove onto the tarmac, and briefly occupied the country’s main airport without opposition. As one Libyan activist put it, giving voice to what must be the feeling...
One year after the uprisings known as the “Arab spring” erupted, this collection of fifteen articles explores what is evident thus far as to the regional and international ramifications of the upheavals, with special reference to the potential ramifications for Israeli national security. Among the questions addressed: Why did the upheavals occur now, and what do they portend for the future? How have the major powers and certain Arab states, ostensibly spared the turmoil, responded to the events? Where do Iran and Turkey...
In what perhaps can be heralded as a turning point in Russia’s Middle East policy, seemingly coordinated statements have recently been sounded in important settings and the media by senior Russian figures (leading experts on the Middle East, politicians, and even the president himself). These statements have included criticism of the revolutionary process underway in the Middle East, portrayed as fundamentally negative and rife with risks for both regional and global stability. According to these pronouncements, the Arab spring...
Following Lebanon’s 2005 “Cedar Revolution,” which culminated in Syria’s withdrawal, many commentators referred to this small Middle Eastern country as a model of successful democratization. The hope was that Lebanon’s experience would be emulated by other countries in the region. However, while the winds of change brought forth by the “Arab spring” have finally reached the rest of the Arab world, Lebanon seems to be struggling to keep both internal stability and the legacy of the 2005...
