European Institute for Studies on
the Middle East and North Africa

Support Us

ANALYSIS

Read Our Latest Article

The Houthi Presence in Iraq: From a Support Network to Operational Depth

Firas Elias

The Houthi Presence in Iraq: From a Support Network to Operational Depth

September 22, 2026

Dr Firas Elias conducted a particularly in-depth investigation into the presence of Yemen’s Houthis in Iraq, focusing notably on their presence and activities, networks, modes of operation, missions, as well as their training arrangements and military cooperation mechanisms. Originally written in Arabic, this article provides a synthesis of this unique investigation, based largely on first-hand information gathered in the field. It thus offers unprecedented insight into how the Houthi presence in Iraq has been structured and how it has evolved.

Read More

CATEGORIES

United Arab Emirates and Sudan: How a Small Country Fuels a Large War?

December 4, 2025

Thierry Vircoulon

From the outset of the war in Sudan between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the United Arab Emirates chose its side. Seeking to counter a Sudanese army influenced by the Muslim Brotherhood, they support the RSF, with whom they had previously established military-financial ties. This Emirati support is part of their broader regional strategy to combat Islamist movements. After two years of war, their military and financial partnership not only persists but is expanding. In response, the Sudanese army has adopted a strategy aimed at accusing the UAE on the international stage and disrupting the flow of supplies coming from the country. On January 7, 2025, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Mohammad Hamdan Daglo Mousa (Hemedti), the leader of the Rapid Support Forces, as well as seven companies based in the United Arab Emirates that conduct business with the RSF. These sanctions underscore the role the UAE is playing in the Sudanese conflict.

Gen Z 212 : Morocco’s Social Discontent and a Post–Arab Spring Generational Reconfiguration

December 2, 2025

Alec Miguel Barcenilla Van Der Maesen

Why Regime Change in Iran Wasn’t on the Table: Washington’s Calculated Caution?

November 27, 2025

Sherko Kirmanj, Binar Fk

What Does Mark Savaya Reveal About the Iraqi-American Relationship?

November 24, 2025

Myriam Benraad

The appointment of Mark Savaya as U.S. Special Envoy to Iraq in October 2025 reflects an effort by the Trump administration to reinforce Iraqi–American relations amid regional instability. Officially aimed at supporting Iraq’s stability and reconstruction, it also signals a U.S. intention to counter Iran-linked Shiite militias. While Savaya’s Iraqi background has drawn attention, questions remain about whether his role can genuinely rebuild trust and sovereignty or instead reflects continued U.S. influence, highlighting broader shifts in Iraq–U.S. relations.

Post-election Iraq: Internal Reconfigurations and U.S.–Iran Rivalries

November 21, 2025

Carole Massalsky

MOST VIEWED

Syria: The Disarmament of the Kurds, or the End of Rojava Era 

September 16, 2026

This article examines the content of the compromise reached between Damascus and the Syrian Kurds, its implication for the regional balance – Turkey, the United-States, Israel, and the peace process with the PKK – and places it within the long-term context of the Kurdish question, comparing it to the far more institutionalised but as fragile trajectory of  Iraqi Kurdistan, whose structural vulnerability, despite thirty years of constitutional autonomy, has been highlighted by Adel Bakawan. Finally, this article considers what the end of the Rojava era might mean for the future of the Kurdish national movement as a whole. 

Read More