For the foreseeable future, maritime trade through the Red Sea will remain a hostage to Ansar Allah and Iran. They will likely use this to secure concessions elsewhere.

In an interview, Kheder Khaddour and Armenak Tokmajyan discuss the country’s borders and why they have remained intact.

In Syria’s border regions, changes in demographics, economics, and security mean that an inter-Syrian peace process will require consensus among main regional powers that Syria must remain united, that no one side can be victorious, and that perennial instability threatens the region.

Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE have determined that their national security goes beyond their physical borders. It is just as important to shield their airspace, territorial waters, and even maritime trade routes.

Bashar al-Assad’s regime has used the drug partly as a means of ensuring that Syria is reintegrated into the Arab world, allowing its leadership to reinforce its position after years of isolation and conflict.

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.