Afro-Middle East Centre - Afro-Middle East Centre

by Larbi Sadiki Much of the reporting and commentary on Afghanistan over the past few weeks has been awash in Orientalism. Many of us are guilty of this practice in the process of...

13 September 2021

After Afghanistan: Can Europe regain its ‘independence’ from the USA?

By Ramzy Baroud Suddenly, the idea put forth by the French president, Emmanuel Macron, late last year no longer seems so far-fetched or untenable after all. Following the hurried ...

05 March 2021

Engaging the World: The ‘fascinating story’ of Hamas’s political evolution

on Palestine

Romana Rubeo and Ramzy Baroud On 4 February 2021, representatives from the Palestinian movement Hamas visited Moscow to inform the Russian government of the latest developmen...

11 February 2021

How Russia is capitalising on US Retreat in the Middle…

By Ramzy Baroud Israeli anxiety was palpable after Israel’s prime minister, Benyamin Netanyahu, waited for days to be contacted by the new US president, Joe Biden, after...

24 January 2021

Iran’s risky ‘counter pressure’ against the fallout of Trump’s ‘maximum…

on Iran

By Ali Fathollah-Nejad On 4 January, a day after the one-year anniversary of the US assassination of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad, Iran took two steps as a show...

14 December 2020

After Fakhrizadeh killing: Why Iranian over-reaction is unlikely

on Iran

By Ali Fathollah-Nejad The November presidential election victory of Joe Biden against the incumbent Donald Trump raised alarm bells within the anti-Iran front in the Middle East ...

Palestine in the Global South: Israel’s ‘Scramble for Africa’
By Ramzy Baroud In September 2017, organizers of the ‘Africa-Israel Summit’ indefinitely postponed their event which wa…
The geopolitical roots of Iran’s economic crisis
By Mahdi Ghodsi and Ali Fathollah-Nejad The COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged Iran’s already ailing economy, but the country’s econom…

UAE-Israel cooperation in the oil market: More political than economic
By Nikolay Kozhanov Introduction The Israeli-Emirati Memorandum of understanding and cooperation on the use …
Expansion and mass eviction: Israel ‘takes advantage’ of Trump’s remaining…
By Ramzy Baroud In a few words, a close associate of Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu summed up the logic behind …

13 September 2021

'Covering' Afghanistan: Orientalist binaries

by Larbi Sadiki Much of the reporting and commentary on Afghanistan over the past few weeks has been awash in Orientalism. Many of us are guilty of this practice in the process of...

13 September 2021

After Afghanistan: Can Europe regain its ‘independence’ from the USA?

By Ramzy Baroud Suddenly, the idea put forth by the French president, Emmanuel Macron, late last year no longer seems so far-fetched or untenable after all. Following the hurried ...

05 March 2021

Engaging the World: The ‘fascinating story’ of Hamas’s political evolution

on Palestine

Romana Rubeo and Ramzy Baroud On 4 February 2021, representatives from the Palestinian movement Hamas visited Moscow to inform the Russian government of the latest developmen...

11 February 2021

How Russia is capitalising on US Retreat in the Middle…

By Ramzy Baroud Israeli anxiety was palpable after Israel’s prime minister, Benyamin Netanyahu, waited for days to be contacted by the new US president, Joe Biden, after...

24 January 2021

Iran’s risky ‘counter pressure’ against the fallout of Trump’s ‘maximum…

on Iran

By Ali Fathollah-Nejad On 4 January, a day after the one-year anniversary of the US assassination of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad, Iran took two steps as a show...

14 December 2020

After Fakhrizadeh killing: Why Iranian over-reaction is unlikely

on Iran

By Ali Fathollah-Nejad The November presidential election victory of Joe Biden against the incumbent Donald Trump raised alarm bells within the anti-Iran front in the Middle East ...

Engaging the World: The ‘fascinating story’ of Hamas’s political evolution

on Palestine

Romana Rubeo and Ramzy Baroud On 4 February 2021, representatives from the Palestinian movement Hamas visited Moscow to inform the Russian government of the latest developmen...

11 February 2021

How Russia is capitalising on US Retreat in the Middle…

By Ramzy Baroud Israeli anxiety was palpable after Israel’s prime minister, Benyamin Netanyahu, waited for days to be contacted by the new US president, Joe Biden, after...

09 December 2020

Palestine in the Global South: Israel’s ‘Scramble for Africa’

By Ramzy Baroud In September 2017, organizers of the ‘Africa-Israel Summit’ indefinitely postponed their event which was scheduled to be held in Lomé, Togo, from 23 ...

01 December 2020

UAE-Israel cooperation in the oil market: More political than economic

on Israel

By Nikolay Kozhanov Introduction The Israeli-Emirati Memorandum of understanding and cooperation on the use of storage capacities and pipeline infrastructure ...

27 November 2020

Expansion and mass eviction: Israel ‘takes advantage’ of Trump’s remaining…

By Ramzy Baroud In a few words, a close associate of Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu summed up the logic behind the ongoing frenzy to expand illegal Jewish settle...

17 October 2020

Zimbabwe seeks US investment by strengthening relations with Israel

on Israel

Zimbabwe is set to become the latest African country to embrace Israel as it seeks to get off the US sanctions list. Zimbabwe’s president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, vowed to get the emba...

As Washington retreats, eastern Mediterranean conflict further marginalises NATO
By Ramzy Baroud The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has largely become an alliance in name alone. Recent eve…
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Syria’s conflict continues amidst a never-ending political quagmire
Despite relative calm in fighting in many parts of Syria, the north-western Idlib province has been under heavy Russian and Syrian…
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PA Political circus: Why Abbas must hand over the PLO…
By Ramzy Baroud The painful truth is that the Palestinian Authority (PA) of President Mahmoud Abbas has already ceased to exist a…
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The ‘Palestinian Chair’: Israel’s direct role in US police violence
By Ramzy Baroud The banning of deadly police practices by many American states and cities following the murder of …
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24 January 2021

Iran’s risky ‘counter pressure’ against the fallout of Trump’s ‘maximum…

on Iran

By Ali Fathollah-Nejad On 4 January, a day after the one-year anniversary of the US assassination of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad, Iran took two steps as a show...

14 December 2020

After Fakhrizadeh killing: Why Iranian over-reaction is unlikely

on Iran

By Ali Fathollah-Nejad The November presidential election victory of Joe Biden against the incumbent Donald Trump raised alarm bells within the anti-Iran front in the Middle East ...

03 December 2020

The geopolitical roots of Iran’s economic crisis

on Iran

By Mahdi Ghodsi and Ali Fathollah-Nejad The COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged Iran’s already ailing economy, but the country’s economic crisis is rooted in factors beyond the pandemic...

27 October 2020

The US election through the eyes of Iran’s moderates and…

on Iran

By Ali Fathollah-Nejad and Amin Naeni The outcome of the 3 November US presidential election will reverberate far beyond the USA, especially in Iran, where it may influence t...

13 October 2020

Trump’s new harsh sanctions on Iran could signal more ‘October…

on Iran

By Phyllis Bennis When US president, Donald Trump, announced his latest threats against Iran on Rush Limbaugh’s show last week, it was unclear whether he or his steroids...

20 September 2020

Turkish airstrikes in northern Iraq anger Baghdad and expose relations…

on Iraq

Turkish airstrikes against the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) in northern Iraq last month attracted the attention of regional and international players and angered Iraq’s...

UAE’s normalisation with Israel follows years of secret relations
Within days of the United Arab Emirates and Israel signing a deal to normalise relations, the UAE indefinitely postponed …
What UAE seeks to gain from the Covid-19 crisis
By Jonathan Fenton-Harvey Crashing oil prices and further economic woes from the coronavirus outbreak are hit…

The conservative victory in Iran’s parliamentary elections
By Ali Fathollah-Nejad * Iran’s 21 February parliamentary (Majlis) elections, which took place amid massive internal an…
Increased USA-Iran tensions after Soleimani's assassination and their regional impact
The US assassination, on 3 January 2020, of Major-General Qasem Soleimani, head of the Quds Force unit of Iran’s Islamic…

05 September 2020

Internal wrangling dampens optimism of Libyan ceasefire

on Libya

Disputes within Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA), highlighted last week by the suspension of the interior minister, Fathi Bashagha, suggests a power struggle w...

29 July 2020

Tunisia’s political discord: Crisis of democratisation?

on Tunisia

By Larbi Sadiki and Layla Saleh Introduction: A Turbulent Transition For the third time in six months, Tunisia’s political elites are scrambling to form a new government. This la...

09 July 2020

For Tunisian protesters, democracy is not enough

on Tunisia

By Larbi Sadiki Since 2017, Tunisia’s interior and south have witnessed a wave of ongoing protests, characterised by the slogan ‘al-rakh la’, meaning ‘No Relenting’. These p...

20 June 2020

Foreign interests paramount in Libyan war

on Libya

The Libyan conflict has endured for years despite numerous failed attempts at mediating a solution by the UN, African Union, and even Turkey and Italy. A 2011 arms embargo&nbs...

12 June 2020

Libya’s zero-sum politics and defiance of legitimacy – Part 2

on Libya

by Mohammed Cherkaoui Retired general Khalifa Haftar stated that his ‘Libyan National Army (LNA)’ had a ‘popular mandate’ to rule Libya and vowed to press his assault to seize Tri...

09 June 2020

Libya’s zero-sum politics and defiance of legitimacy – Part 1

on Libya

by Mohammed Cherkaoui Several puzzling questions have emerged in the volatile Arab geopolitical environment after two major developments occurred within less than forty-eight...

Lack of consequences emboldens Libya's Haftar
The 18 February 2020 attack on Tripoli’s main seaport is the latest in a series of measures by Libyan warlord, General K…
Egypt furious with Hamas over Haniyeh's Iran visit
Egypt is reportedly furious at Hamas’ leader Ismail Haniyeh after he and a delegation from Gaza attended the funeral of slain Iran…

Tunisia's sustainable democratisation: Between new and anti-politics in the 2019…
By Larbi Sadiki On 13 October, the election of retired constitutional law professor, Kais Saied, as Tunisia’s new president trigg…
Tunisia’s presidential elections: A fragmented field
By Larbi Sadiki The Tunisian presidential race is heating up. With several front-runners and twenty-six candidates, the u…

03 August 2020

Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and the changing balance of power…

on Ethiopia

Ethiopia’s announcement on 21 July that it had already filled its Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) to its first year’s target has temporarily quelled tensions ...

20 July 2020

Mali’s instability resulting from corruption, militancy and foreign interference

on Sub-Saharan Africa

Recent protests in Mali pose the greatest threat to the regime of Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who has led Mali since 2013. Endemic corruption, Keita’s failure to curb the mil...

12 October 2018

Ethiopia, Eritrea: An unlikely peace deal in a fractious region

on Ethiopia

The recent peace deal between Ethiopia and Eritrea, signed 16 September 2018, is set to have lasting consequences for both countries and for the Horn of Africa ...

06 April 2017

Ensuring Somalia remains in conflict: Trump’s expanded ‘war on terror’

on Somalia

By Afro-Middle East Centre The 29 March decision by the administration of US president Donald Trump declaring Somalia an ‘area of active hostility’ will likely ensure an escalatio...

10 October 2016

South Sudan: Beyond the logjam of UNSC Resolution 2304

on South Sudan

By Majak D’Agoôt and Remember Miamingi No country is entirely self-contained or lacking in interdependencies. These interlocking interests form the critical part of any country’s ...

28 April 2015

Nigeria’s elections and future challenges

on Sub-Saharan Africa

By Afro-Middle East Centre The election of General Muhammadu Buhari as Nigeria’s president will see a renewed focus by the government on domestic challenges posed by endemic...

Kenyan hostage crisis: The desperation of al-Shabab
By Afro-Middle East Centre The hostage drama at the Westgate Mall in Nairobi over the past week has raised a number of questions …
French military intervention will add to Mali’s problems
By Afro-Middle east Centre The north of Africa was plunged into yet another international conflict with France’s …

The effects of the ‘War on Terror’ on states’ foreign…
By Afro-Middle East Centre Recent statements that ‘there is no alternative….it’s going to take military force…
Will Al-Shabab recover from a major defeat?
By Osman Abdi Mohamed In recent months Al-Shabab has been suffering successive losses at the hands of Somali government forces fi…

13 September 2021

'Covering' Afghanistan: Orientalist binaries

by Larbi Sadiki Much of the reporting and commentary on Afghanistan over the past few weeks has been awash in Orientalism. Many of us are guilty of this practice in the process of...

13 September 2021

After Afghanistan: Can Europe regain its ‘independence’ from the USA?

By Ramzy Baroud Suddenly, the idea put forth by the French president, Emmanuel Macron, late last year no longer seems so far-fetched or untenable after all. Following the hurried ...

23 April 2019

India in Kashmir: Risking peace as an antidote to war

on South Asia

By Ranjan Solomon On 14 February 2019, a convoy of vehicles carrying security personnel on the Jammu Srinagar National Highway was attacked by a vehicle-borne suicide bomber ...

28 August 2015

Does Pakistan’s refusal to join Saudi Arabia in Yemen indicate…

on Pakistan

By Afro-Middle East Centre Allegedly, the current Saudi-led onslaught on Yemen has already caused destruction that resembles the destruction wrought in Syria over the la...

31 March 2012

The feasibility of a continued United States presence in Afghanistan

on South Asia

By Alex Strick van Linschoten and Felix Kuehn Recent events in Afghanistan have fuelled speculation over the ability of international forces to continue their presence in the coun...

28 February 2012

Dangerous uncertainty in Pakistan

on South Asia

By Junaid S. Ahmed With relations between Pakistan's civilian government and military incredibly tense, speculation is rife in the Pakistani and international media of a looming m...

Pakistan-USA relations in the post-Usama era
By Junaid S. Ahmad The assassination of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan by US Special Forces was supposed to have been a landmark tri…
Kashmir and Obama's Indian appeasement
By Mohammad Abdullah Gul Obama's recent jive with school children in Delhi symbolises the nature of the new relationship that is …

Pakistan’s floods: Pressing problems and potential risks
By Najam Abbas Pakistan's recent floods have left eight million people dependent on aid for their survival, and washed away huge …
Wikileaks, Afghanistan, and Pakistan
By Mohammed Abdullah Gul On 25 July 2010, the New York Timescarried an explosive story by Mark Mazzetti, Jane Perlez, Eric …

26 April 2017

IS reorganising to face new challenges

Reports in January 2017 that the leader of the Islamic State group (IS), Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, had been killed, reports that he had been captured by Russian troops in Syria, and th...

07 March 2017

IS in Africa: Containment and fragmentation

By Afro-Middle East Centre With the Islamic State group (IS) losing territory in Syria and Iraq, many believe that the group will use the territory it controls in Africa as a fall...

14 May 2016

The Paradox of Survival and Expansion: How the Islamic State…

Omar Ashour This paper examines the reasons for the military steadfastness of the Islamic State group (IS) in the face of local and international forces that are larger in numbers...

19 December 2015

ISIS in Africa: Reality far different from IS propaganda

By Afro-Middle East Centre The revelation that the alleged mastermind of the 13 November Paris attacks claimed by the Islamic State group (IS) was of Moroccan descent, the tur...

20 July 2015

Remaining and expanding: Measuring the Islamic State group’s success in…

By Afro-Middle East Centre Since its declaration of a ‘caliphate’ on 29 June 2014, the Islamic State group (IS), the brutal successor to al-Qa'ida, has gone from strength to stren...

31 January 2012

The rise of 'Ikhwanophobia': Fear of the Muslim Brotherhood

By Dr. Mohsen Saleh Introduction Fear of the Muslim Brotherhood (Ikhwanal-Muslimoon), the leading Islamist movement, has gained unprecedented international prominence since the b...

Dialogue with the Taliban: Negotiation or inducement?
By AlJazeera Centre for Studies The London Conference, held at the end of January 2010 in recognition of, and support for, Afgh…
Al-Qa'ida Hot Spots
By AlJazeera Centre for Studies At the end of the phase known as the "Afghan Jihad", most Arabs and Muslims who participated in t…

Al-Qaeda, Jihad and the Democratization of Islamic Authority
by Faisal Devji On the fifth anniversary of 9/11 a jihadist website posted a long interview with Osama bin Laden's lieutenant, A…
Abstract : ‘Jihad’ as a form of struggle in the…
Abstract for paper presented by Na'eem Jeenah, Executive Director of the Afro-Middle East Centre, at the conference on "Rethinking…

18 February 2018

Africa and the problem of foreign military bases

At the establishment of the African Union (AU) in May 2001, discourses about human security and counter terrorism were ubiquitous both globally and on the continent. In Africa, the...

21 November 2015

The Paris attacks: Aftermath and the Islamic State group’s future

By Afro-Middle East Centre The terror unleashed on Paris streets on 13 November reverberated throughout the world. From the G20 summit in Antalya to social media debates about how...

28 May 2010

Al-Qaeda in the New National Security Strategy

By Mark Lynch The Obama administration's new National Security Strategy has been released today. It goes a long way towards providing a coherent framework for American foreign pol...

16 February 2010

Pakistan’s attitude towards Obama’s plan to negotiate with the Taliban

By Dr. Ijaz Shafi Gilani U.S. President Barack Obama's plan to negotiate with the Taliban in Afghanistan has generally been welcomed in Pakistan. It is being seen as a vindication...

07 February 2010

Mission Absolute: American hegemony in space