Μπορεί να αποφευχθεί ο εμφύλιος στην Υεμένη;

Ενώ κάποτε χαιρετίστηκε από διεθνείς διπλωμάτες ως πρότυπο για την περιοχή, εδώ και μήνες τώρα η Υεμένη φαίνεται να διαλύεται. Καθώς η διαμάχη μεταξύ των Houthis, που ελέγχουν τη Sanaa, και του μεταβατικού προέδρου της χώρας, Abdo Rabbu Mansour Hadi, ο οποίος έχει καθιερώσει μια εναλλακτική πρωτεύουσα στο Aden, εντείνεται, η Υεμένη είναι σε βαθύ κίνδυνο διάσπασης, αν δεν φθίνει σε εμφύλιο πόλεμο, ιδιαίτερα εάν αναλογιστεί κανείς την φύση των συνομιλιών για τις οποίες διαμεσολάβησε το ΝΑΤΟ, με στόχο μια νέα πολιτική συμφωνία. Τα δεινά αποτελέσματα αυτού έχουν φανερωθεί τις τελευταίες ημέρες, όπως είναι η σειρά θανατηφόρων βομβαρδισμών τζαμιών που προκάλεσαν το θάνατο σε περισσότερους από 100 πολίτες της Υεμένης.

Energy In Nigeria: Ghosts Of The Past, Present And Future

If electricity and the management of power sector reforms are key to Nigeria’s economic future, crude oil/gas – and the mismanagement thereof – is at the heart of its current mess. And the decline in oil prices since 2014 constrains Nigeria’s abilities to maneuver at a time when it needs maximum flexibility. Whoever wins the next election, will have to face the ghosts of Nigeria’s energy past, to set the country towards a brighter future. Add to this a volatile security situation, and the next President will face a challenging time. What happens in Nigeria will reverberate across West Africa.

A Marxist take on the 'Brexit' general election

The ideas of Karl Marx suggest that Britain’s general election will not define the country's relationship with the EU.



It is tempting to see the British general election, to be held on May 7th, as a pivotal moment in Britain’s relationship with the EU. If the Conservatives form a government, there will be a referendum on Britain’s EU membership by the end of 2017. If Labour does so, there will not. At the time of writing, the election is impossible to call, with both parties neck and neck in the polls, but neither likely to win enough seats for an outright majority.

Iran Comes to the Israeli Border

In Jordan, Syria’s war is everywhere. Over 600,000 refugees have fled to the country: Cities like Irbid and Zarqa teem with new Syrian inhabitants, and Zaatari camp, which houses 85,000 exiled Syrian Sunnis, is home to at least four donkeys named Bashar. Above it all, coalition cargo planes and screaming F-16s slice through the spring sky toward northern Syria and Iraq, daily reminders of Jordan’s role in the coalition airstrikes against the Islamic State.

Saudi Arabia and Iran Compete in Yemen

Militiamen loyal to the government of Yemeni President Abd Rabboh Mansour Hadi sit on top of tanks in the southern city of Aden. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

While the al-Houthi movement struggles to manage multiple regional challenges to its north, its rise to power in Yemen is a setback for Saudi Arabia on its southern flank. After the fall of the Yemeni government, Riyadh will have to capitalize on the al-Houthis' need for political and financial support to re-establish its influence in the country. But because Iran is trying to fill that support gap, too, Yemen has become another battleground where the two sectarian rivals will struggle against one another.