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Countering ISIS Online Propaganda

In the recent years, ISIS’ propaganda has become a major point of discussion among academicians and policy makers alike. The propaganda churned out by the group has reached massive proportions and has produced a certain quality just due to the numbers. Slick videos, graphic designs and remarkable photo shopping skills are characteristic of the group’s Read More >

Countering Violent Extremism

What Are Common Myths About CVE? 1-Extremists have some unique signs that can be Identified easily. ´Contrary to popular Perceptions, extremists can be ordinary citizens well-educated, well-off employed , have a family and  don’t suffer from poverty, marginalization, alienation or psychological disorder . ´They can blend in society and hide their convictions even from their Read More >

The Gulf in a Wider Context: Outside Nation-States in the Intensifying Iranian-Arab Security Competition

Russell contends that Iran’s relations with its Arab neighbors do not take place in a hermetically sealed regional environment. Rather, both Iran and the Arab states balance one another by leveraging relationships with nation-states from outside the Gulf. He addresses the role of foreign powers in shaping Iran-Arab relations. The chapter traces the evolution of Read More >

Security and Bilateral Issues between Iran and its Arab Neighbours

This book provides a detailed analysis of the complicated relations between Iran and its Arab neighbours. Arab perceptions of Iran, its regional policies and role in the Arab region, have never been more complicated than today. How is one to make sense of the increasingly complex and at times tense relationship between Iran and its Read More >

Shaking Things Up: Gulf Security after the Iran Deal

The situation in the Gulf was shaky at the start of 2015, and became more unsettled as the year went on and throughout 2016. Longstanding problems were generally not resolved, and new ones arose in the course of the last two years. The major outside effort to bring stability to the Gulf – the Iranian Read More >

What is Causing Radicalism in the MENA?

The emergence of Al-Qaeda as a global terrorist organization carrying out devastating strikes across the USA, Europe, Middle East and Africa shed a spotlight on terrorism, and by extension on radicalism. The attention has intensified with the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), its atrocities and the regional surge in Read More >

The particular role of religion in Islamic State

Religion, specifically Islam, is central to the identity of Islamic State (IS). It was on the basis of religious doctrine that IS separated from Al Qaeda. It is on the basis of his belonging to the same tribe as the Prophet Muhammed that Al-Baghdadi has legitimised his claims of leadership of the Muslim ummah. Moreover Read More >

The American Tradition of Orderly Political Transition

In the early morning hours of Wednesday, November 9, Donald J. Trump crossed the necessary threshold of 270 electoral votes and became the President-elect of the United States of America.  At noon on Friday, 20 January 2017, Mr. Trump will take the oath administered by U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts on the west Read More >

The Gulf Cooperation Council countries and countering ISIS: threats, policies and challenges

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are being affected by the rise of terrorism and radicalism which in turn has been driven by the creation of ISIS’ state in Iraq and Syria in mid-2014. The group’s presence in Iraq and Syria is inciting many Gulf civilians to travel to Syria to take part in the Read More >

Gulf Politics: The Energy Factor

Few countries in the world can match Iran’s geo-economic and geo-political significance in the global energy markets. The country holds the world’s largest proven natural gas reserves (18.2%) and ranks fourth in oil reserves (9.3%).1 It is a founding member of both the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the Gas Exporting Countries Forum Read More >