NESA Alumnus Hussein Solomon writes:
“It is clear that the European Westphalian state system which was imported into the Middle East by colonial powers through the Sykes-Picot Line in 1916 is under threat. In some cases, such as Libya and Yemen, state collapse is a reality, while in others the future of political authority is increasingly being challenged by non-state actors, as states lose the monopoly over force in their nominally sovereign territories. In other cases political authority is challenged by other, more subtle, threats – such as emigration – which will serve to undermine state sovereignty over the medium to long-term future.”