Power in this part of Africa was once determined by land and territory. Today, it is more about control of transit routes, chokepoints, gateways, and connection hubs

Our cover story this week explores the opportunities and risks accompanying Syria's shift from being a corridor of Iranian influence to a state intent on containing it

While Damascus is focused on border reinforcements, weapons interceptions, drone monitoring, and improved coordination with Baghdad, Tehran is working out how to respond

Iraq's young prime minister is determined to bring a mass of private weapons under state control, but armed groups loyal to Iran have other ideas, so he is targeting their finances

From enhancing Saudi Arabia's border security to transferring lessons from the fall of Assad, Syrian military involvement presents both opportunities and risks

Technology has made it easier for anyone to access military know-how, triggering a policy debate on how to constrain non-state actors in the digital space

Beijing has been expanding its base in Djibouti, the tiny state that sits opposite Yemen across the Bab al-Mandab Strait. With numerous other states also in play, this is a region to watch

Both Tehran and Washington have powerful incentives to resolve the conflict through negotiations, but actors on all sides have reasons to derail these efforts

The nuclear deal signed by Iran and world powers on 14 July 2015 did not end decades of hostility between Tehran and Washington. It offered a diplomatic pause in a deeper struggle over influence,…

From machines that develop human emotions to societies governed by artificial intelligence, Arab novelists explore the promises and perils of a radically transformed future