Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Khalil Dewan
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In Yemen, only fatigue of conflict will bring parties to peace talks
As Mohammed Bin Salman’s global tour continues in a bid to stabilise Riyadh’s economy, his foreign policy needs revising to ensure political and security risks aren’t deepening. After three years fighting in Yemen’s civil war, the Houthis have stepped-up their strategy and are going after Saudi Arabia’s economic enterprises. Let’s...
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Somalia’s quandary with UAE: A port in Somaliland
Somalia is taking a bold step against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over the regeneration of a port in Somaliland it considers “belligerent and illegal”. In a tripartite agreement between the UAE’s port company DP World, Ethiopia and Somaliland, Berbera port is to undergo work to resemble the Emirates’ Jebel...
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Can talks in Oman end the war in Yemen?
A recent call by the Sultanate of Oman to hold a round of peace talks is the latest political development in a brutal civil war which has already claimed 10,000 Yemeni lives. With nearly one million cases of cholera in the country and the emergence of suspected bird flu,...
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Tribes and politics in Yemen: A history of the Houthi conflict
Since the beginning of the Saudi-led “Operation Decisive Storm” in March 2015, information regarding Yemen has proven to be scarce. Most of the voices on Yemen are provided by researchers, journalists or political activists put forward as “authority” figures who hold “strong” political sentiments on the conflict. This reality,...
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Remembering Yemen’s 11 February Revolution
On this day seven years ago, Yemen’s former President Ali Abdullah Saleh was forced to step down after a three-decade-long presidency while 20,000 protesters spilled onto the streets of the capital, Sana’a....
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16 years on, Guantanamo Bay remains a blight on the US
11 January marks the 16th anniversary of the controversial prison Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, a place where the US government has held 779 men suspected of fighting with Al-Qaeda without trial. The notorious detention centre now holds 41 men, 31 of whom have endured more than a decade of imprisonment...
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Profile: Ali Abdullah Saleh (21 March 1942 - 4 December 2017)
On 4 December 2017 Ali Abdullah Saleh was killed by the Iranian-backed Houthi armed group at the age of 75. Saleh led Yemen with all its complexities and changing tribal and governorate dynamics for 34 years. He was dubbed the president who was always “dancing on the heads of...
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‘Our people will fight anyone who harms their independence’
Khalil Dewan interviews Salem Thabet Al-Awlaki, spokesman for the Southern Transitional Council and member of the Presidential Council for General Aidarous Al- Zubaidi. The STC has been backed by the United Arab Emirates since its military inception in 2015. As the Southern Transitional Council (STC) expands beyond Aden to neighbouring...
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Aftermath of Somalia’s 9/11 counter-terrorism quandary
The bomber who was responsible for killing more than 300 people in a truck suicide attack in the Somali capital Mogadishu was a former soldier in the army. It appears that the attack may have been revenge for a botched raid by US and local troops on his home...
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‘When the aggression stops, so will we’, say the Houthis
Khalil Dewan interviews Muhammed Al-Bukhaithi, Deputy Head of the Department of External Relations of Ansar Allah (otherwise known as the Houthis) and member of the Political Bureau. The Houthis are currently allied with former President Ali Abdullah Saleh and have been in control of the capital Sana’a since 2014. As...
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US Daesh fighter in Syria poses dilemma for White House
On 12 September an American member who was allegedly fighting with Daesh in Syria surrendered to the Syrian Democratic Forces and was handed over to the United States’ military custody in Iraq. The Department of Defence (DoD) is treating the fighter as an “enemy combatant”. Whether the US decides to...
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Drone shot down by Houthis suggests US support for Saudi coalition air strikes
One Yemeni citizen was very clear that the people can hear the sounds of drones every night in Sana’a, but were surprised to know that this was a US drone. “What,” asked Hussam Al-Sanabani, “was it doing?” He was referring to the US drone shot down by the Iranian-backed Houthi...
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MEMO marks 100 years since the Balfour Declaration
Middle East Monitor is to mark 100 years since the signing of the Balfour Declaration on Saturday in a day-long conference with notable academics, journalists and political activists. The event, which is split into three panel discussions, will cover how the Balfour Declaration came to existence, Britain’s role in the...
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Houthi leader threatens Saudi Arabia and the UAE
It was only last month that the Houthis called upon Saudi Arabia to initiate a truce to stop hostilities across Yemen. Sadly, it was ignored by Saudi Arabia, even though it could have been a step in the right direction to open up future avenues for peace and security...
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Remembering the September 21 Revolution in Yemen
On 21 September 2014, the Houthis in Yemen took over the capital Sanaa...
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US' Black Hawk Down in Yemen
A United States Black Hawk helicopter crashed off the southern Yemeni coast in late August leaving six US army officers stranded in Yemen. Five elite soldiers were rescued after the crash and a sixth officer was reported “missing” in war-torn Yemen. This crash did not resemble the US’ Black Hawk...
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Why did the US target Somali civilians hiding under banana trees?
On 25 August, the United States alongside Somali forces conducted a counterterrorism raid on a village near Baiire, southern Somalia – lower Shabelle region, in search of Al-Shabaab fighters associated with Al-Qaeda. The raid resulted in the killing and maiming of ten civilians including three children and women. The...
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US-UAE Shabwa offensive is a quagmire for Yemen’s tribes
The UAE’s second major counterterrorism operation in Yemen has triggered tribal political blowback...
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Rebel Law: Insurgents, Courts and Justice in Modern Conflict
At the heart of any stable society is the law of the land, whereby its citizens adhere and follow the governance they are living in. Rebel Law shifts from civilian space to the role of law and courts on the battlefield as a means and method of warfare by...
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Houthi’s ballistic missile attacks on Saudi should not be ignored
34 Houthi missiles have entered Saudi Arabia since March 2015, with more notable attacks highlighted in the media reaching Riyadh, Mecca and Saudi oil company Aramco. With the religious pilgrimage, the Hajj, beginning late this month, does the Kingdom need to take steps to neutralise threats by accepting a...
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Yemen's Al-Hirak Movement
UAE-backed Al-Hizam forces “are our sons” says southern movement representative...
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Why are Iran’s drones crossing into Pakistani airspace?
Iranian drones have been venturing into Pakistan’s airspace since March, but it took until June for the Pakistani Air Force to shoot one down as it ventured 4 kilometres across the border. Pakistan has shown little patience with Iran’s Shahed-129 drones compared to the leniency shown to the lethal...
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The US attack on a mosque in Syria was ‘legal’, concludes an internal investigation. Really?
The United States has concluded its internal investigation into the bombing of the Omar Ibn Al-Khattab Mosque in Syria and declared that it was “legal”. According to the official version of events, “two dozen” Al-Qaeda fighters were killed with possibly one civilian casualty, described as a “small-in-stature person”. On...
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The UN is playing down Saudi-UAE human rights abuses in Yemen
The UN Security Council has adopted a Presidential Statement calling on “all parties to the conflict to engage constructively and in good faith to overcome obstacles and find a peaceful solution.” Although this is a positive step in what is a volatile and complex conflict, the statement...