Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Diana Alghoul
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The effect of ‘secret’ UAE activities in Yemen
For the past two months it has been reported by Latin American news sources that there are Columbian troops fighting in Yemen as part of the UAE’s contingent in the Saudi-led coalition. El Tiempo report on the issue first, claiming 100 Columbian troops arrived in Yemen in early October...
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No, Turkey has not started WWIII; think about the Syrians
The international community watched in shock at what happened above the Syria-Turkey border this week when a Russian SU-24 jet was shot down by the Turkish air force for allegedly violating Turkish airspace while conducting airstrikes in Syria. The two sides differ in their versions of events, notably over...
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Those behind the Paris attack have globalised xenophobia
The image of little Aylan Kurdi, the Kurdish-Syrian refugee washed up on the shores of Turkey, prompted a wave of compassion around the world for those fleeing from war zones for a safer life in Europe. Two months later, these same people are now being seen as a security...
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Terrorism beyond Al-Qaeda in Yemen
In a special session on Somalia last Monday, Somali Prime Minister Omar Sharmake told the UN Security Council that security in the Gulf of Aden has to be taken seriously. He expressed his worry about the growth of Al-Shabab in his country and the fact that there is an...
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Hossam Bahgat and Egypt’s censorship crisis
In Egypt’s latest attack on freedom of speech, leading independent investigative journalist Hossam Bahgat was arrested on Sunday morning. He is being charged for an article he wrote last month on an attempted coup of the current government, in which he criticised the way in which the Ministry of...
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How Britain can update its Middle East policy to suit its interests
On Tuesday, Britain’s Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) released a report on policy recommendations for the next Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR), due to come out before the end of this year. The SDSR is a report compiled by the ministry of defence which assesses both domestic and...
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Al-Sisi’s policies threaten Britain, so why is Cameron hosting him?
The confirmation of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s visit to Britain on 5 November has caused much controversy amongst human rights activists. There are numerous humanitarian reasons to reject David Cameron’s decision to allow Al-Sisi to visit London, but there are many more reasons for the British public to...
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Understanding the silence behind the war on Taiz
When Yemen is covered in the media, it is usually branded as “the forgotten war”. The bulk of the coverage is on the Saudi airstrikes on Sana’a, which have caused considerable damage. Houthi crimes are being significantly ignored, especially in one particular area in which the Houthis are losing...
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Iran and Saudi Arabia move beyond proxy conflict
As a range of conflicts befall most of the countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), the Saudi-Iranian rivalry has found its way into the equation. The rivalry has existed since the 1979 Iranian revolution, fanned by sectarianism, but has for the most part been a feud...
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Layal Al-Kayaje and the silence surrounding torture in Lebanon
Last week, Human Rights Watch released a report on the detention and torture of Palestinians resident in Lebanon. The Lebanese army released a statement on 22 September that Layal Al-Kayaje was arrested a day before, accused of lying about being raped and tortured by military intelligence officers during her...
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Reconceptualising Yemen with photography: an interview with FRAME Yemen
The Saudi-led operation against Houthi rebels has put Yemen in the spotlight for almost six months, for all the wrong reasons. Instability, unfortunately, is nothing new to Arabia Felix, but since March, airstrikes, landmines, blockades and militias have been at the forefront of the tragedy unfolding in the country....
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What does Hadi’s return to Yemen say about the country?
Just a day after the first anniversary of the Houthi takeover of Sana’a, Yemen’s President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi has returned to Aden after six months of exile in Riyadh. This comes a week after the return of Vice President Khaled Bahah’s return to Aden, along with senior members...
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Yemen beyond Sana’a: what the minutiae implies
Naturally, the main media focus on Yemen since the liberation of Aden has been on Sana’a. The liberation of Sana’a is amongst the major indicators to show that the anti-Houthi coalition is on its way to achieving the aim of dismantling the Houthis and removing them from power. Information...
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Cluster bombs are killing civilians in Yemen
So far, there have been 4,500 people killed and 23,000 wounded in the conflict in Yemen. The calamity shows no sign of abating and the only solution that those fighting seem to have in mind is to have more of the same. Into this has stepped Human Rights Watch,...
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How long will the world tolerate US exceptionalism?
The Washington Post reported recently that Barack Obama has promised an extension of the military aid given to Israel. Instead of the current aid package of $3.1 billion every year, in 2017 it is likely to increase to $3.5 billion a year, making an increase of $400 million dollars...
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Changing the Yemeni capital and the country’s future
Last week, it was announced by Aden governor Nayef Al-Bakri that the city is to become the capital of Yemen for the next five years. The decision comes mainly because of Aden’s strategic location; in many points in history Aden has been at the forefront of Yemeni military and...
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What makes the UAE's assistance to anti-Houthi forces unique?
The July 14 announcement of Aden’s liberation has proven to be a game changer in the Yemen conflict. After the Houthis lost Aden, they have been experiencing several losses in the rest of the country. August 4 was especially traumatic for them, as they lost control of the largest...
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The hijab ban is part of a wider war against women
Hijab debates are on the rise, yet again, in Egypt. As usual, they are initiated by the ruling class who are provoking a national debate for profit. Businesses in tourist areas of Egypt such as Sharm Al-Sheikh are banning women who wear the hijab from entering their restaurants or...
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Erdogan's security dilemma
The 20 July bomb attack in Suruç made it clear that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is facing a long battle. The Daesh bombing of a leftist youth centre took 32 lives; it has not only shown that Turkey is now becoming increasingly vulnerable to such attacks, but also...
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What to expect from the retrial of Al-Jazeera staff in Egypt
With less than a week left before the 30 July retrial of the remaining two Al-Jazeera journalists detained in Egypt, tensions are running high over what might happen next. The Egyptian government is currently holding Mohammed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed on charges of inciting terrorism and being a threat...
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Could an independent South Yemen be good for Saudi Arabia?
The sudden fall of the Houthis in Aden last Wednesday was a cause for celebration for much of Yemen. The Hirak resistance forces have recently dominated the battleground, with the assistance of military aid and training from the Saudi-led coalition. The Houthis retreated rapidly; despite having stolen some of...
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King Abdullah's ISIS paradox
The international community has witnessed a change in King Abdullah of Jordan since ISIS burnt pilot Muath Al-Kasasbeh to death in January. “We are waging this war to protect our faith, our values and human principles,” said the Jordanian monarch, “and our war for their sake will be relentless...
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Defending Riyadh with weapons of mass destruction
As predicted, an agreement with Iran over its nuclear programme was not reached by the 30 June deadline and the delegates at the G5+1 talks gave themselves an extra seven days. Supreme Leader Ali Khameini went back on a condition set by the previous talks to allow international inspection...
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An alliance with Al-Sisi is a strategic error, but is it also dangerous for Britain?
On Tuesday afternoon, Egypt’s Interior Minister, Magdy Abdel Ghaffar, met British ambassador John Casson in Cairo to discuss security issues in the region. Casson said that the reason for the meeting was to show Britain’s “readiness to cooperate with the Egyptian Interior Ministry to support efforts to combat the...