In Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, conflict and instability endure in contested border regions where local tensions connect with regional and global dynamics. The Asia Foundation, the Rift Valley Institute, and the Carnegie Middle East Center are working together to better understand the causes and impacts of conflict in these border areas and their international dimensions, support more effective policymaking and development programming, and build the capacity of their local partners to leverage research to advocate for peaceful change.
Peripheral Vision: Views from the Borderlands sheds light on how political, security, and socio-economic developments affect the people living in contested borderlands and, reversely, how border dynamics shape change and transition at the national level. Peripheral Vision is published twice a year, as a timely update of dynamics on the ground, while also highlighting the latest news from the X-Border Local Research Network’s activities.
The X-Border Local Research Network is part of the X-Border Conflict Evidence, Policy and Trends (XCEPT) program, a component of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and is funded by UK International Development from the UK government.
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To create an environment more conducive to cooperation and development, U.S. and Chinese efforts should seek the endorsement of neighboring countries and regional organizations. Otherwise, regional and geopolitical rivalries will remain barriers.
Several developments have contributed to Tunisia’s transformation into a transit point for African migrants, including its porous borders, inconsistent migration policies, the proliferation of xenophobic attitudes, and deteriorating economic conditions.
Several developments have contributed to Tunisia’s transformation into a transit point for African migrants, including its porous borders, inconsistent migration policies, the proliferation of xenophobic attitudes, and deteriorating economic conditions.
As the influence of the Assad regime and Russia declines, Iran is emerging as the main actor, which could provoke a major Israeli intervention.
A forthcoming Carnegie paper will argue that to understand Syria’s future, we will have to focus on the country’s peripheries.
The Syrian regime has struggled to govern Syria’s south, while the Ukraine war has weakened Russia’s influence, making both more reliant on Tehran and its allies in the area. However, this may increase the prospects of conflict between Iran and Israel.
In an interview, Harith Hasan discusses Baghdad’s Development Road project, and sees obstacles ahead.
For the Iraqi government to address skeptics’ views about the Development Road, it will need to focus on several key institutional reforms.
To create an environment more conducive to cooperation and development, U.S. and Chinese efforts should seek the endorsement of neighboring countries and regional organizations. Otherwise, regional and geopolitical rivalries will remain barriers.
To understand the underlying factors contributing to the surge in irregular migration from and through Tunisia, the Malcolm H. Kerr Middle East Center and The Global Initiative are organising a joint event on Wednesday, 12 July at 4:00 PM EEST with Tasnim Abderrahim, Hamza Meddeb, and Anna Knoll.
