Afkār is a publication of the Middle East Council on Global Affairs, providing short-form analyses, insights, and perspectives on regional issues and developments from the Council's experts and outside contributors. Afkār is published in English and Arabic, and is edited by Omar H. Rahman.
In the U.S.–Israel Iran war, success has been measured less by the capacity to destroy than by the ability to control escalation through force, signaling, and diplomacy.
As political tensions rise in southern Yemen, restraint, inclusive dialogue and preserving institutional coherence—not escalation—will determine whether the country stabilizes or slides into deeper fragmentation.
The STC’s failed bid to impose a new reality in eastern Yemen has triggered a sharp Saudi-led correction that weakens separatist ambitions and revives prospects for a more unified Yemeni state.
While the fight between the Houthis and Israel began in connection with the genocide in Gaza, the dynamics are changing and settling into a war on its own terms.