Is the Red Sea moving toward an ordered space governed by capable states or toward a grey zone edging toward disorder? Read our February cover story to find out.
In places like Yemen, Sudan, and Somalia, which all have long coastlines along key maritime routes, the authority of the state and its institutions needs to overcome the forces of disorder.
In Yemen, Somalia, and Sudan, the state has ceased to function as it should. This has led to problems not just on land but at sea, making this trio one big and urgent international issue.
Riyadh wants to help Yemen's various southern factions come up with creative solutions. It wants a unified Yemen, but other parties have a different agenda, complicating efforts to hold a conference.
The Yemeni novelist and computer science professor speaks to Al Majalla about science, uncertainty, and the role of fiction in questioning inherited narratives of progress
The UAE backs southern Yemenis who want secession, while Saudi Arabia wants a unified Yemen. Egypt also favours unity, but is close to both Gulf states, putting it in a difficult position.
Overcoming Yemen's fragmentation requires more support for the Riyadh-led path—one that rejects secession, all militias and institutionalises the state
As support for Israel weakens across the US political spectrum, once-taboo questions about military aid, lobbying influence, and US backing are moving into the mainstream
Algeria is one of Africa's largest producers of hydrocarbons, and its proximity to customers in Europe makes it of growing interest as importers fret over a prolonged supply crisis from countries
Through extravagant processions led by palace women, the Mamluk state projected a message of power and prestige at home and abroad, turning the Hajj obligation into a soft-power tool