Ola Rifai is Deputy Director of the Centre for Syrian Studies (CSS) at the University of St Andrews, where her research focuses on the international politics of the Middle East. Her work examines identity politics, nationalism, sectarianism, and ethnic conflict, with particular attention to Syria and the broader contemporary region. Her scholarship engages with the…
Syria is often examined primarily through the angle of geopolitics, armed conflict, and regional power competition. Yet one of the most consequential, and comparatively underexplored, dimensions of the Syrian crisis concern identity: how Syrian identity was historically constructed, how it fragmented under the pressures of war, and whether it can be meaningfully reconstituted in a…
In this episode of the International Risk Podcast, Dominic Bowen speaks with Ola Rifai about the evolution of Syrian identity and how competing narratives of nationalism, sectarianism, and statehood have shaped Syria’s political trajectory and risk before and after 2011. Find out more about how identity was managed under the Assad regime, how sectarianisation unfolded…
Nadwa Al-Dawsari is a veteran researcher, conflict analyst, and policy advisor with 20 years of field experience in Yemen and the broader Middle East. Currently, she serves as an Associate Fellow at the Middle East Institute (MEI) and a fellow at the Center on Armed Groups. She has provided advisory services to policymakers, US and…
Written by Elisa Garbil – 28.08.2025 The transformation of Yemen’s Houthi movement from a marginal insurgency to a disruptive regional force marks one of the most significant non-state evolutions in contemporary Middle Eastern politics. Their growing military capabilities, ideological expansion, and strategic autonomy have positioned the Houthis as not just a local Yemeni problem but a geopolitical…
Coordinated and Produced by Elisa Garbil Dive into the intricacies of the Houthis with Nadwa Al-Dawsari! Nadwa and Dominic discuss the background of the Houthis, where they come from, what their ideology is, what influence they have, economical and geopolitical implications both for Yemen and the world, how they currently govern Norther Yemen, what the international response…
Written by Elisa Garbil – 01.09.2025 Iran’s nuclear program has long been a topic of global debate, intertwined with issues of national security, regional power dynamics, and international diplomacy. As Iran edges closer to advancing its nuclear capabilities, the risks associated with this trajectory extend beyond the borders of the Islamic Republic itself. A careful examination of…
Dr. Katzman is a Senior Advisor at the Soufan Group and a Senior Fellow at the Soufan Center, positions he assumed after retiring in late 2022 from his longtime position as a Senior Middle East Analyst at the Congressional Research Service (CRS). He is also a Senior Research Advisor at the Global Insights Group’s Strategic Analysis and Situational Awareness Group. During his CRS career specialising on Iran, U.S. sanctions on Iran, the Arab Gulf states, Iraq, Afghanistan, and…
Coordinated and Produced by Elisa Garbil Dive into the intricacies of Iranian Nuclear Power with Kenneth Katzman. Find out more about whether Iran has nuclear bombs, what Russia’s role is and whether Russia even plays a role, what Iran’s strategic motivations could be, the implications and consequences of the US and Israel’s military actions, whether there…
Joseph Daher, is a Swiss-Syrian academic and activist. He currently teaches at the University of Lausanne (Switzerland), and at the University of Ghent (Belgium) and has been an affiliated professor at the European University Institute (EUI). He has worked with the EUI on the conflict in Syria and the aftermath of the war. Herewith Joseph has…
