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  • Planning for the World After COVID-19: Assessing the Domestic and International Drivers of Conflict

    Planning for the World After COVID-19: Assessing the Domestic and International Drivers of Conflict

    This article will examine how COVID-19 contributes to domestic and international drivers of instability. It will argue that the best way to address these challenges is through improved dialogue at the international and local level. Read more

  • Special Podcast | 5 Years into the War in Yemen – Debunking 5 Myths

    Special Podcast | 5 Years into the War in Yemen – Debunking 5 Myths

    Marwa Baabbad is joined by the Middle East Institute's Nadwa Al-Dawsari and Fatima Abo Alasrar to debunk five popular myths about the conflict in Yemen. Read more

  • Connecting the Dots: The West’s Wars at Home and Abroad

    Connecting the Dots: The West’s Wars at Home and Abroad

    The "war on terror" has been underway for nearly two decades. Yet there is still little appreciation in some political quarters of how this approach has often been counterproductive and even created the conditions for violent extremism to thrive. If we are ever going to move towards a less violent future, this must change. Read more

  • The Global Revolts from the Margins

    The Global Revolts from the Margins

    During the past nine months, there have been major episodes of civil unrest in several countries across the globe. Focusing mainly on the recent mass protests in Iraq, Lebanon and Chile, this briefing draws on the concept of “revolts from the margins” to explain these events. Read more

  • Planning for the World After COVID-19: Assessing the Domestic and International Drivers of Conflict
  • Special Podcast | 5 Years into the War in Yemen – Debunking 5 Myths
  • Connecting the Dots: The West’s Wars at Home and Abroad
  • The Global Revolts from the Margins
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  1. Research & analysis
  2. Geopolitics
  3. Middle East

Middle East

Planning for the World After COVID-19: Assessing the Domestic and International Drivers of Conflict

Planning for the World After COVID-19: Assessing the Domestic and International Drivers of Conflict

This article will examine how COVID-19 contributes to domestic and international drivers of instability. It will argue that the best way to address these challenges is through improved dialogue at the international and local level. Read more

Published: 22nd April, 2020

Updated: 1st June, 2020

Author: Alasdair McKay

Related topics:
  • The Remote Warfare Programme
  • Operations
  • Middle East
  • Africa
  • Sahel - Sahara
Special Podcast | 5 Years into the War in Yemen – Debunking 5 Myths

Special Podcast | 5 Years into the War in Yemen – Debunking 5 Myths

Marwa Baabbad is joined by the Middle East Institute's Nadwa Al-Dawsari and Fatima Abo Alasrar to debunk five popular myths about the conflict in Yemen. Read more

Published: 30th March, 2020

Updated: 2nd October, 2020

Author: Alasdair McKay

Related topics:
  • Strategic Peacebuilding
  • Middle East
  • Podcasts
Connecting the Dots: The West’s Wars at Home and Abroad

Connecting the Dots: The West’s Wars at Home and Abroad

The "war on terror" has been underway for nearly two decades. Yet there is still little appreciation in some political quarters of how this approach has often been counterproductive and even created the conditions for violent extremism to thrive. If we are ever going to move towards a less violent future, this must change. Read more

Published: 28th February, 2020

Updated: 3rd March, 2020

Author: Alasdair McKay

Related topics:
  • Non-state armed groups
  • Paul Rogers' Briefings
  • Sustainable Security Programme
  • Middle East
Who Benefits? Trump, Iran and the Bigger Picture

Who Benefits? Trump, Iran and the Bigger Picture

The assassination of Qasem Soleimani caused tensions between the US and Iran to escalate dramatically. Relations between the two have simmered, though it is difficult to see how long for. But who are the real winners and losers from the crisis? Read more

Published: 31st January, 2020

Updated: 1st February, 2020

Author: Alasdair McKay

Related topics:
  • Paul Rogers' Briefings
  • Sustainable Security Programme
  • Middle East
  • Africa
  • Sahel - Sahara
The Global Revolts from the Margins

The Global Revolts from the Margins

During the past nine months, there have been major episodes of civil unrest in several countries across the globe. Focusing mainly on the recent mass protests in Iraq, Lebanon and Chile, this briefing draws on the concept of “revolts from the margins” to explain these events. Read more

Published: 30th October, 2019

Updated: 29th March, 2020

Author: Alasdair McKay

Related topics:
  • Paul Rogers' Briefings
  • Sustainable Security Programme
  • Middle East
The Limits of US Military Power

The Limits of US Military Power

President Trump has responded to the emerging challenges to the United States’ power from Iran and North Korea with baleful talk of military action. These threats have achieved little. What does this situation tell us about the limits of America’s military power? Read more

Published: 29th September, 2019

Updated: 30th September, 2019

Author: Alasdair McKay

Related topics:
  • Paul Rogers' Briefings
  • Sustainable Security Programme
  • Middle East
  • Diplomacy
ORG Explains #11: The UK Military in the Eastern Mediterranean

ORG Explains #11: The UK Military in the Eastern Mediterranean

This primer explains what presence, relations and obligations the UK military has in the Eastern Mediterranean region, including Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, the Palestinian Territories, Syria and Turkey. Read more

Published: 12th September, 2019

Updated: 18th September, 2019

Author: Alasdair McKay

Related topics:
  • ORG Explains
  • Sustainable Security Programme
  • Operations
  • Middle East
  • Migration
  • Europe and NATO
The Marib Strategic Thinking Group

The Marib Strategic Thinking Group

This policy brief presents a short profile of Marib governorate and outlines its importance as one of Yemen’s key regions. It outlines how the ongoing conflict has affected it, before presenting the governorate’s key challenges and recommendations for future conflict resolution there. Read more

Published: 2nd August, 2019

Updated: 9th December, 2019

Author: Alasdair McKay

Related topics:
  • Strategic Peacebuilding
  • Middle East
  • Peacebuilding
The Hadramawt Strategic Thinking Group

The Hadramawt Strategic Thinking Group

This policy brief presents a short profile of Hadramawt governorate and outlines its importance as one of Yemen’s key regions. It outlines how the ongoing conflict has affected it, before presenting the governorate’s key challenges and recommendations for future conflict resolution there. Read more

Published: 2nd August, 2019

Updated: 9th December, 2019

Author: Alasdair McKay

Related topics:
  • Strategic Peacebuilding
  • Middle East
  • Peacebuilding
WarPod Ep #4 : We Need to Talk About Yemen

WarPod Ep #4 : We Need to Talk About Yemen

Liam Walpole is joined by Marwa Baabbad, Director of ORG's Strategic Peacebuilding Programme, to discuss the UK's policy towards Yemen and the impact of its security partnership with Saudi Arabia on the country. Read more

Published: 23rd July, 2019

Updated: 9th December, 2019

Author: Alasdair McKay

Related topics:
  • Strategic Peacebuilding
  • The Remote Warfare Programme
  • Middle East
  • Peacebuilding
  • Podcasts
Westminster Round-Up Podcast | June 2019

Westminster Round-Up Podcast | June 2019

The Remote Warfare Programme's Liam Walpole and Megan Karlshoej-Pedersen discuss the latest developments in UK defence and security policy. Read more

Published: 26th June, 2019

Author: Alasdair McKay

Related topics:
  • The Remote Warfare Programme
  • Westminster Round-Up
  • Middle East
  • Podcasts
Confronting Iran: The British Dimension

Confronting Iran: The British Dimension

The posture of the British Armed Forces in and around the Persian Gulf mean that it would be very difficult for the United Kingdom, or its key ally Oman, to remain neutral in any military escalation of the conflict between Iran and the United States. Read more

Published: 20th June, 2019

Updated: 9th December, 2019

Author: Alasdair McKay

Related topics:
  • Asia
  • Paul Rogers' Briefings
  • Sustainable Security Programme
  • Operations
  • Middle East
Confronting Iran: To What End?

Confronting Iran: To What End?

The escalation of tensions between Iran and the United States during May has increased the potential for a new war in the Middle East. This briefing seeks to clarify what interests Washington and its key regional allies, Israel and Saudi Arabia, see as worth risking such destruction. And what might be the alternatives? Read more

Published: 31st May, 2019

Updated: 20th June, 2019

Author: Alasdair McKay

Related topics:
  • Paul Rogers' Briefings
  • Sustainable Security Programme
  • Middle East
WarPod Ep #2 | Yemen, Drones and International Law

WarPod Ep #2 | Yemen, Drones and International Law

To discuss a recent German court case regarding drones, the Remote Warfare Programme team are joined by Fiona Nelson of ECCHR and Jennifer Gibson of Reprieve. Read more

Published: 23rd May, 2019

Updated: 29th November, 2019

Author: Alasdair McKay

Related topics:
  • The Remote Warfare Programme
  • Operations
  • Middle East
  • Podcasts
Caliphate Interrupted: Towards a Stateless IS

Caliphate Interrupted: Towards a Stateless IS

This briefing examines the earlier declarations of victory, reviews the reasons for the false expectations of success and explores whether they throw light on the future of Islamic State. Read more

Published: 21st February, 2019

Updated: 9th December, 2019

Author: Alasdair McKay

Related topics:
  • Asia
  • Paul Rogers' Briefings
  • Sustainable Security Programme
  • Middle East
Iran, the US and the Risk of Accidental War

Iran, the US and the Risk of Accidental War

This briefing updates these earlier analyses and discusses political developments in Europe, the United States and Iran. It examines the risk that markedly rising tensions in the coming months pose a significant risk of an unintended escalation to violent conflict. Read more

Published: 31st October, 2018

Updated: 3rd January, 2020

Author: Alasdair McKay

Related topics:
  • Asia
  • Paul Rogers' Briefings
  • Sustainable Security Programme
  • Middle East
Security cooperation with Saudi Arabia:  Is it worth it for the UK?

Security cooperation with Saudi Arabia: Is it worth it for the UK?

This report assesses the costs and benefits to the UK of its defence and security relationship with Saudi Arabia, as well as the extent to which the UK is able to exert leverage and influence over Saudi Arabian foreign policy. Read more

Published: 4th September, 2018

Updated: 5th November, 2018

Author: Alasdair McKay

Related topics:
  • The Remote Warfare Programme
  • Operations
  • Middle East
No Such Thing as a Quick Fix: The Aspiration-Capabilities Gap in British Remote Warfare

No Such Thing as a Quick Fix: The Aspiration-Capabilities Gap in British Remote Warfare

This report is a first attempt to evaluate the gaps between contemporary strategies and activities in Iraq, Syria and Libya. Read more

Published: 30th July, 2018

Updated: 6th March, 2019

Author: Alasdair McKay

Related topics:
  • Policy and Doctrine
  • The Remote Warfare Programme
  • Remote War: Military, Legal and Political Issues
  • Operations
  • Middle East
  • Africa
Defining Remote Warfare: British Training and Assistance Programmes in Yemen, 2004-2015

Defining Remote Warfare: British Training and Assistance Programmes in Yemen, 2004-2015

Between 2004-2015 Britain engaged in capacity building operations across Yemen’s police, military, and intelligence agencies. This briefing seeks to provide a critical review of these efforts, their successes, and the causes of their ultimate failure, in order to identify lessons for future training and assistance missions. Read more

Published: 11th June, 2018

Updated: 9th December, 2019

Author: Alasdair McKay

Related topics:
  • Conceptual Series: Defining Remote Warfare
  • The Remote Warfare Programme
  • Operations
  • Middle East
Yemen: Reshaping the Peace Process

Yemen: Reshaping the Peace Process

To move towards a resolution, recognising that the time may not yet be ripe for a meaningful peace agreement, ORG and the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies (SCSS) are working to strengthen local capacity for more inclusive and strategic dialogue in two of Yemen’s key regions, Marib and Hadhramout. Read more

Published: 29th May, 2018

Updated: 19th June, 2019

Author: Alasdair McKay

Related topics:
  • Peacebuilding
  • Yemen
  • Middle East
  • Peacebuilding
The Syria Attack: Motives and Consequences

The Syria Attack: Motives and Consequences

This briefing looks at those issues and also the reaction of the main actors in the current complex civil war – the Assad regime, Russia and Iran as well as the Kurds, Turkey, Islamic State (IS), Israel and Saudi Arabia. It also makes an initial assessment of the consequences of the attack. Read more

Published: 24th April, 2018

Updated: 3rd July, 2018

Author: Alasdair McKay

Related topics:
  • Paul Rogers' Briefings
  • Sustainable Security Programme
  • Middle East
ORG Explains #2: The UK Military in the Arabian Peninsula

ORG Explains #2: The UK Military in the Arabian Peninsula

This primer explains what presence, relations and obligations the UK military has in the Arabian Peninsula, including the six monarchies of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Yemen, as well as the international waters of the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden and Red Sea. Read more

Published: 28th March, 2018

Updated: 31st July, 2019

Author:

Related topics:
  • ORG Explains
  • Sustainable Security Programme
  • Middle East
The Invasion of Iraq Fifteen Years On

The Invasion of Iraq Fifteen Years On

20 March 2018 will mark the 15th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. Despite President Trump’s confident assertions that the Islamic State is defeated there and in Syria, if ORG’s predictions from before that invasion continue to hold true, we may be only half-way through a generational struggle. Indeed, dispersal of combatants from Iraq and Syria means that this is becoming an increasingly globalised war in which the West is ill-equipped to prevail. Read more

Published: 28th February, 2018

Updated: 29th May, 2018

Author: Alasdair McKay

Related topics:
  • Non-state armed groups
  • Policy and Doctrine
  • Sustainable Security Programme
  • Middle East
Yemen: Devising Sustainable Processes for Dialogue

Yemen: Devising Sustainable Processes for Dialogue

This report summarises the discussion at a roundtable on the war in Yemen and the potential for supporting peacebuilding capacity in the region. The event took place on 1 December 2017 at the Conflict Analysis Research Centre (CARC) at the University of Kent and was a joint event organised by CARC and Oxford Research Group (ORG). The roundtable took place under the Chatham House Rule, so comments are not attributed to specific individuals or the organisations they are affiliated to. Read more

Published: 31st January, 2018

Updated: 9th December, 2019

Author: Alasdair McKay

Related topics:
  • Strategic Peacebuilding
  • Middle East
Load more Back to top

Showing 10 of 83

Latest

  • Annual Report 2019-2020

    Annual Report 2019-2020

    ORG is proud to share its Annual Report for the period 2019 to 2020.

  • Security in the DRC and Yemen: Military Conflict, Disease Outbreak and Containment

    Security in the DRC and Yemen: Military Conflict, Disease Outbreak and Containment

    This briefing examines the effect of military conflict on the response (and vice versa) to Ebola and COVID-19 in DRC and Yemen, respectively.

  • Mistrust, Misinformation and Community Engagement: Reflections on lessons from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Yemen

    Mistrust, Misinformation and Community Engagement: Reflections on lessons from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Yemen

    This briefing examines the mistrust, misinformation and community engagement during the Ebola and COVID-19 outbreaks in the DRC and Yemen, respectively.

  • Women’s Experiences of Disease Outbreaks in Conflict: Reflections on lessons from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Yemen

    Women’s Experiences of Disease Outbreaks in Conflict: Reflections on lessons from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Yemen

    This briefing will explore the challenges facing women and girls in each of these contexts. It will first examine the response of the international community in the DRC, and identify key challenges to Congolese women.

Most read

  • The Role of Youth in Peacebuilding: Challenges and Opportunities

    The Role of Youth in Peacebuilding: Challenges and Opportunities

    Young people are frequently ‘othered’ in discussions about conflict. This is a dangerous practice as youths can play a very positive role aiding peacebuilding in societies recovering from conflict.

  • Making Bad Economies: The Poverty of Mexican Drug Cartels

    Making Bad Economies: The Poverty of Mexican Drug Cartels

    Some stories say that local economies benefit from cartels in Mexico. But research suggests that the areas most plagued by drug-related violence have seriously suffered economically.

  • ORG's Vision

    Oxford Research Group (ORG) is an independent organisation that has been influential for for nearly four decades in pioneering new, more strategic approaches to security and peacebuilding. Based in London since 2006, ORG continues to pursue cutting edge research and advocacy in the United Kingdom and abroad while managing innovative peacebuilding projects in several Middle Eastern countries.

  • Remote Warfare: Lessons Learned from Contemporary Theatres

    Remote Warfare: Lessons Learned from Contemporary Theatres

    This report is a first attempt to identify some of the factors that have helped or hindered the UK’s current approach to remote warfare.

  • Weavers of Peace: The Higaonon Tribe in the Philippines

    Weavers of Peace: The Higaonon Tribe in the Philippines

    The Higaonon, an indigenous tribe in Northern Mindanao in the southern Philippines, have preserved an ancient system of conflict resolution which has enabled them to be a truly peaceful community. However, there is a need to ensure that this knowledge is not lost in the future.

  • The Cyprus Problem: Why Solve a Comfortable Conflict?

    The Cyprus Problem: Why Solve a Comfortable Conflict?

    Several diplomatic efforts have been made both domestically and internationally to enhance peaceful unity since the start of the Cyprus Problem. Despite the shortcomings of past efforts, it is still desirable not only to resolve the issue, but also to do so in a timely manner.

  • Why Does UN Humanitarian Intervention Remain Selective?

    Why Does UN Humanitarian Intervention Remain Selective?

    Over the past two decades, the United Nations Security Council has responded more strongly to some humanitarian crises than to others. This variation in Security Council action raises the important question of what factors motivate United Nations intervention.

  • The UK and UN Peace Operations: A Case for Greater Engagement

    The UK and UN Peace Operations: A Case for Greater Engagement

    This report supports an enhanced role for Britain in UN peace operations and sets out a case for greater engagement.

  • The Politics of Coltan: An Interview with Michael Nest

    The Politics of Coltan: An Interview with Michael Nest

    In this interview, Dr. Michael Nest discusses the political, environmental, ethical and social issues surrounding the mining of columbite–tantalite (coltan).

  • The Expanding Role of Chinese Peacekeeping in Africa

    The Expanding Role of Chinese Peacekeeping in Africa

    China's increased involvement in United Nations (UN) peacekeeping in Africa reflects a broader trend of the country taking a more proactive approach to foreign policy.

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Accoutability Africa Al-Shabaab AMISOM Peacebuilding Peacekeeping Responsibility to Protect Somalia Special Forces Special Forces oversight Special Operations Forces Transparency UNISOM Yemen

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