Regions
  • ARTICLES

    The Newcomer: Novichok Agents

    On 4 March 2018, Sergei Skripal (Skripal), a former Russian military officer, and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia, were found slipping in and out of consciousness on a public bench, close to a shopping centre in Salisbury, a city in Wiltshire in the UK. They were rushed to the Salisbury District Hospital.

  • ARTICLES

    Worsening Maritime Security Situation in the Bab Al Mandeb Strait

    Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest crude exporter, has suspended all its oil shipments through the Bab Al Mandeb Strait at the southern tip of the Red Sea, following an attack on two vessels by Yemeni Houthi fighters. This article assesses how the ongoing conflict in Yemen impacts the region’s maritime and oil and gas operations.

  • ARTICLES

    No-Go Area: The Prospects for the Oil Industry in Nigeria’s Borno State

    The Nigerian government has long framed Borno State as a potential alternative to its south-eastern oil fields, amid speculation of significant oil reserves in the region. Yet, with Boko Haram’s ongoing insurgency there, coupled with a recent kidnapping in the area, the region is more likely to become a second Niger Delta than an answer to Nigeria’s… 

  • ARTICLES

    Going it alone: President’s Trump’s divergent approaches to nuclear proliferation in Iran and North Korea

    With President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, more commonly referred to as the Iran Deal, and summit with North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, in Singapore, the US leader has shown a significant lack of consistency on the issue of nuclear proliferation. The president’s apparent preference for “going it alone” has… 

  • ARTICLES

    The Numbers are in: Kidnap for Ransom in South Africa

    South Africa has experienced a significant increase in reported kidnappings, with targets now including middle to upper-income businesspersons. Gabrielle Reid investigates the nature of these attacks and how South Africa’s worsening criminal underworld has offered the perfect environment for the growth of this lucrative crime.

  • ARTICLES

    The First 100 Days – An Assessment of Ethiopia’s Abiy Ahmed’s Time in Office

    Last week marked the end of Ethiopian Prime Minster Abiy Ahmed’s first 100 days in office. The new leader, appointed on 2 April, has embarked on a vigorous reform campaign, seeking to open up Ethiopia’s political and economic environments. Plans to privatise key sectors of the economy, including the aviation and telecommunications sectors, together… 

  • ARTICLES

    Insecurity in Libya

    The Government of National Accord is encouraging international businesses and embassies to return to Libya, but such calls belie the fact that insecurity persists in most parts of the country. Westerners and foreign nationals in Libya still face a significant threat of kidnapping and wrongful detention, writes Saif Islam.

  • ARTICLES

    The New Face of Militancy in Mozambique

    The spate of alleged Islamist militant attacks in Mozambique’s northern Cabo Delgado Province since October last year have raised concern regarding the safety of communities in the area. As the region also hosts significant liquefied natural gas deposits, the emerging militant threat could have dire consequences for Mozambique’s fledging oil and gas…