EPOS Insights

In the last two months, Sunni extremists spread terror across the Middle East and Africa. On June 29, 2014, the Islamic State self-proclaimed its caliphate. After one year, in correspondence to the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan, the organization called its supporters to escalate violence. On June 26, the same day of IS attacks, and exactly 5 years after the 2010 Ramadan offensive against the African Union, Al Shabaab assaulted an AMISOM military base in Somalia. Last, but not least, Boko Haram disseminated panic in the Chadian capital. In the following exclusive article, EPOS analyst Lorenzo Siggillino focuses on the issue of Sunni terrorism, highlighting the causes and the effects of it from a political and social point of view 

EPOS Insights

The Houthis represent a serius threat for the Saud’s Kingdom at both the domestic and the international level. Saudi Arabia responded the menace by directly intervening in the conflict, leading a Sunni regional coalition. Why is Yemen so important for Saudi Arabia and its coalition? What is the Yemeni geostrategic value? In the following exclusive article - the second part of a deep analysis of the situation in Yemen - EPOS analyst Lorenzo Siggillino tries to answers these and other questions, focusing on all the elements in the game and all the interests at stake

EPOS Insights

Yemen is very susceptible to foreign interventions within domestic politics, as the country displays a high number of destabilizing forces combined with a high regional geo-strategic value. The Houthi offensive and the resulting Saudi reaction reinforced the national Sunni-Shia cleavage, pressuring local actors to slowly realign along religious identities. In the following exclusive article - the first part of a deep analysis of the situation in Yemen - EPOS analyst Lorenzo Siggillino focuses on the local actors involved in the insurgency, and outlines the interests of different opposition groups, investigating how their positions evolved and how the Shia offensive impacted on the local society

EPOS Insights

In the Arab world armies are a particular kind of actors: they have been an integral institution within the authoritarian regimes for the last 40 years but have acted as midwiges and active participants in the revolts in Tunisia and Egypt, thereby easing the end of both regimes.  It is possible to classify three models of post-regimes breakdown army postures (Tunisia, Egypt and Libya) but we can consider a fourth model, too, represented by the Yemeni military

EPOS Insights

The Arab Spring has so radically altered the geopolitics of the region that it is now necessary re-imagine the Middle East. The southern shore of the Mediterannean is still ebullient, but two years later the uprising of the revolts, what is the status quo of the situation and what are the expectations of the West after the Arab Spring?

EPOS Insights

Sultan Qaboos, pursued by peaceful demonstrations, has taken the path of reforms. He is supported by his subjects, the Gulf regimes and the United States of America, and he has just thrown down the gauntlet to Iran for oil in the Strait of Hormuz

Epos converses with Professor Karim Mezran

Epos converses with Professor Ibrahim Awad