Egypt is in the midst of a profound economic crisis that threatens to disrupt its domestic, economic and foreign policies – deepening public disenchantment and potentially fuelling social unrest. The war in Ukraine has exacerbated this predicament: its …
Nothing brings Lebanon’s squabbling leaders together quite like a spot of cynical procrastination. 31 May was meant to be the deadline for holding the country’s long-overdue municipal elections, but the politicians have missed it for the second year in a …
Bola Tinubu sworn in as president, while violence continued countrywide after brief lull during election period. New president sworn as election results remained challenged. Following election marred by continuing legal challenges, Bola Ahmed Tinubu 29 May …
What is happening? Rival jihadist groups are fighting for control of swathes of north-eastern Nigeria, centred in Borno state on the borders with Cameroon, Chad and Niger, a topographically diverse region encompassing grasslands, forests, mountains and the …
Acute polarisation following Nigerian elections is not uncommon, but the atmosphere will be especially charged when the new president is inaugurated on 29 May. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, 71, of the ruling All Progressives Congress, will take the helm from …
Last week, Libya’s parliament fired one of the country’s two prime ministers, Fathi Bashaga. Libya for years has been split between two rival governments. An internationally recognised prime minister, Abdelhamid Dabaiba, sits in the capital Tripoli and a …
The fight to counter disinformation just got tougher. In April, Twitter limited access to its “application programming interface” or API, a computer protocol that enables application software to communicate efficiently and accurately. Since Twitter was …
What’s new? After reaching consensus with the Thai government on a roadmap toward a peace agreement in February, the insurgent group Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) suspended talks pending formation of a new government after May elections. The suspension …
The fighting between the Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has taken a grave toll on civilians throughout the country. Hundreds of thousands have fled Sudan and those staying behind in urban areas are facing severe shortages …
17 May 2023 It's important to remember that [Syrian president] Assad's return to the Arab League is a symbolic measure to begin the process of ending his regional isolation. AFP Senior Analyst, Gulf states
Gas discoveries in the eastern Mediterranean raised hopes that shared interests in the region’s hydrocarbon wealth could help reshape the geopolitics of a region that has long been beset by conflict and political disputes. But twenty years on, a recently …
What is happening? There is a growing risk of major violence in and around Nagorno-Karabakh, the mountainous enclave over which Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought two wars since the end of Soviet rule. On 23 April, Baku opened a checkpoint on the Lachin …
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has forced Europe to rethink its security and defence architecture. In this video, Crisis Group Trustee Bert Koenders talks about sharpening geopolitical lines in Europe following the war in Ukraine.
The Somaliland army and militias associated with the Dhulbahante people have been fighting for control of Las Anod, capital of Somaliland’s Sool region, since February. The conflict began after the Dhulbahante said they wish to join Somalia rather than be …
Saudi Arabia’s diplomacy is flourishing after a decade in which Riyadh has been entangled in regional conflicts and rivalries. Over the past few years, Saudi Arabia has turned the page on the Gulf Cooperation Council dispute, opened talks with Huthi rebels …
The February 2021 coup in Myanmar undid a decade of reforms, triggered a deep economic crisis, and put the country on a path of protracted state failure. Violent conflict has surged. Although the military currently appears unlikely to collapse or be …
The EU’s relations with China have long been complex. With China’s influence expanding globally and the U.S. increasingly viewing Beijing as its primary competitor, the EU and its member states have choices to make, choices further complicated by China’s …
What’s new? Leaders of the Group of Seven, or G7, will meet in Japan from 19 to 21 May for an annual summit to discuss global economic and political affairs. Why does it matter? While the G7 will focus on Russia’s war in Ukraine and China’s growing …
Rarely has the agenda of the monthly European Union (EU) foreign ministers’ meetings been as packed as the one on 24 April. As EU High Representative Josep Borrell noted after the meeting: “It looks like all the crises come together, piling up”. The day’s …
Fighting between the Sudanese armed forces and a rival paramilitary outfit, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has torn apart Sudan for nearly a month. The capital Khartoum and its residents have borne the brunt of the violence, with millions caught in the …
