Dwayne | Reading desk

The Soufan Center12 OctArticle

Outside Powers Respond to Instability in the Red Sea

A September advance by the Iran-backed Houthi movement (Ansarallah) down the Red Sea coast has expanded the Yemen conflict, drawing several outside actors into the fighting. The Houthi seizure of territory astride the key Bab el-Mandeb Strait, through which nearly 10 percent of global trade passes, elevated the global significance of the Yemen conflict. The […] The post Outside Powers Respond to Instability in the Red Sea appeared first on The Soufan Center .

Nikkie LyubarskyINTELBRIEF

The Soufan Center9 OctArticle

France’s Student Protests Test a Fragile Government

France is facing its largest student-led protest movement in decades, in which over 500 schools have been closed, with demonstrations beginning in late-September over insufficient school conditions, increasingly challenging the federal government. As of October 6, an estimated 71,500–266,000 protestors — including —14,500-56,000 in Paris — are protesting France’s lycées, or high schools, according to […] The post France’s Student Protests Test a Fragile Government appeared first on The Soufan Center .

Gaby TejedaINTELBRIEF

The Soufan Center8 OctArticle

U.S. and Iran Could Be Moving Toward Escalation

Neither U.S. nor Iranian leaders see a clear pathway for diplomacy to secure their core objectives, pushing both sides to posture and prepare for military escalation to levels not seen since the U.S.-Israeli campaign began. Tehran’s most pressing goal is to break what it acknowledges is a U.S. stranglehold on the Iranian economy, centered on […] The post U.S. and Iran Could Be Moving Toward Escalation appeared first on The Soufan Center .

Gaby TejedaINTELBRIEF

The Soufan Center7 OctArticle

Sinwar’s Carnage and the Domino Effect of the October 7 Hamas Terror Attacks

There is a longstanding debate in the field of terrorism studies about whether terrorism “works.” In other words, does the use of terrorism and political violence help violent extremists achieve their goals and objectives, or does it merely serve to wreak havoc? On the third anniversary of the heinous Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7, […] The post Sinwar’s Carnage and the Domino Effect of the October 7 Hamas Terror Attacks appeared first on The Soufan Center .

Gaby TejedaINTELBRIEF

The Soufan Center6 OctArticle

Second-Order Effects from Hell: A Resurgence in Somali Piracy

Somali piracy has resurged in 2026 and now forms one of the many active threats to international shipping, according to International Maritime Organization data. Piracy off the Horn of Africa in 2026 is at its highest level since 2013, with 25 incidents recorded by mid-September, according to a tally by the European Union Naval Force […] The post Second-Order Effects from Hell: A Resurgence in Somali Piracy appeared first on The Soufan Center .

Gaby TejedaINTELBRIEF

The Soufan Center5 OctArticle

The Region Still in Crisis Three Years after the October 7 Attack

Wednesday marks the third anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, an act from which experts can draw a straight line to the current U.S.-Iran war, and the strategic dead end the Trump team now faces in that conflict. The October 7 assault represented an attempt by Hamas, a key member of an […] The post The Region Still in Crisis Three Years after the October 7 Attack appeared first on The Soufan Center .

Gaby TejedaINTELBRIEF

The Soufan Center2 OctArticle

A Shakshuka in the Gulf: U.S. Options in the Iran War

In American slang, “in a stew” means to be in a difficult situation. Italians say pasticciaccio — a baked pasta dish — to describe an awful mess. Israelis prepare shakshuka, a delicious North African stew, but it can also mean a chaotic situation. The current situation in the Gulf is a shakshuka — a complicated […] The post A Shakshuka in the Gulf: U.S. Options in the Iran War appeared first on The Soufan Center .

Nikkie LyubarskyINTELBRIEF

The Soufan Center1 OctArticle

Dueling Perceptions Cloud Resolution of the U.S.-Iran Conflict

A week of high-level diplomacy on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), including the first U.S.-Iran meeting since June, failed to alter the strategic dynamics of the conflict. U.S. President Donald Trump rejected an Iranian proposal to fully open the Strait of Hormuz within seven days, contingent on the lifting of the U.S. […] The post Dueling Perceptions Cloud Resolution of the U.S.-Iran Conflict appeared first on The Soufan Center .

Nikkie LyubarskyINTELBRIEF

The Soufan Center30 SeptArticle

Ethiopia’s Renewed War Could Engulf the Broader Region

Renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia has left the Pretoria Peace Agreement, the November 2022 deal that ended the brutal civil war between the federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), in tatters. The two-year civil war left 600,000 dead and was considered one of the world’s most lethal conflicts. The TPLF and Ethiopian […] The post Ethiopia’s Renewed War Could Engulf the Broader Region appeared first on The Soufan Center .

Nikkie LyubarskyINTELBRIEF

The Soufan Center29 SeptArticle

A Potential Terrorist Plot Against a British Airbase Shows the Continued Threat of Hybrid Warfare

On Sunday, five British nationals from London were arrested for their involvement in an alleged plot against the Royal Air Force (RAF) Fairford Base located on the border between Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. The suspects were spotted in hoods and masks operating three white vans — at least one falsely branded with a British fuel company […] The post A Potential Terrorist Plot Against a British Airbase Shows the Continued Threat of Hybrid Warfare appeared first on The Soufan Center .

Nikkie LyubarskyINTELBRIEF