The Gulf

Tribes and AQAP in South Yemen

By Nadwa Al-Dawsari

In April 2014, the Yemeni government launched an offensive against al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in the governorates of Abyan and Shabwa in South Yemen. Political actors, Yemeni citizens, intellectuals, and activists across the country supported the offensive and many celebrated it on social media.

MENASource Q&A with Munir Daair

By MENASource

Yemen finds itself slipping into turbulent times as tribal conflict, extremist networks, and public grievances threaten to tear the country’s social fabric. Danya Greenfield, acting director for the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, sat down with Munir Daair, a Yemeni businessman and political activist, to discuss the latest challenges in Yemen’s […]

The Gulf and Egypt: From Life Support to a Sustainable Economy?

By Richard LeBaron

With the election of former army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as Egypt’s eighth president, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait are likely to continue to provide substantial economic support for Egypt. In the aftermath of the elections, news reports indicate large aid packages are under discussion. The Gulf may add up to another […]

Defense Cooperation in the Arabian Gulf

In his commencement address to West Point graduates today, President Obama described his vision of a foreign policy that is founded not only upon a strong military but also by a web of alliances and partnerships that better position the United States as a global leader. Allies and partners, like those of the GCC countries, […]

The Challenge of Federalism in Yemen

As Yemen’s Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) begins to work out the details of the country’s proposed federal system, the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East launched “The Challenge of Federalism in Yemen,” an issue brief by nonresident fellow Rafat Al-Akhali. Al-Akhali traveled from Sana’a, Yemen to Washington for a discussion on May […]

Yemen: Building a Federalist State

By MENASource

Yemen’s National Dialogue Conference, designed to guide the constitution drafting process and hailed as a significant milestone in Yemen’s transition, established a consensus for a decentralized system of governance to address the country’s challenges.

Drone Strike Success in Yemen May Actually Be Failure

By Danya Greenfield and Adam Simpson

On May 9, the Obama administration extended Yemen’s national emergency status-declaring “certain members of the Government of Yemen and others” an “unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.” This statement and the recent spate of US drone strikes in Yemen should prompt some questioning about deteriorating security […]