Jonathan Burden has a Masters in Middle Eastern Studies and a Bachelors in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, both from the University of Exeter. He currently works as a researcher for Clarion Defence and Security. Jonathan’s primary interests are international relations/security, defence, terrorism, conflict, political risk and the wider geopolitical context of the Middle East.
Contentious Politics: Turkey and Egypt
Flashpoints Between Turkey and Egypt A proper understanding of the bilateral relations between states in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) often rests on a broader understanding of geostrategic…
Exploring Mali’s Jihad
The Malian coup on August 18 briefly brought the West African nation to international attention. However, its problems run deeper and are more intractable than the ambitions of a group…
Can Iraq Contain the Islamic State Alone?
Although the Islamic State (IS) no longer represents an existential threat to the state of Iraq, it is still highly active and remains committed to its radical ideological goals. Reflecting…
The Insider Threat: Rojava and the Islamic State
Rojava, the Kurdish majority-Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, has gained de-facto recognition by both the Syrian regime and the international community. However, the stability of the polity is…
Erdoğan’s Syrian Quagmire
Between 2000 and 2011, Turkey’s relationship with Syria was a model of Turkey’s reorientation towards the Arab world and its ‘zero problems with neighbours’ foreign policy. Free trade deals were…
Boats and Economic Woes: Naval Conflict in the Persian Gulf
Iran projects influence across the Middle East through its network of aligned quasi-state groups, most notably in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. In cyberspace Tehran has the ability to target critical…
The Middle East’s Neglected Insurgency
In early February, a 4x4 stopped at a gas pipeline near the town of El-Arish, capital of Egypt’s North Sinai Governorate. Four masked men, belonging to the Islamic State (IS)…
Mapping the Islamic State in 2019
All the data used in this article is taken from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), unless indicated otherwise. When President Trump announced that the US had…
Why the Consequences of Soleimani’s Assassination Are Not Iraq’s Biggest Challenge
The significance of the street level protest movement that erupted across Iraq’s center and south in 2019 may be neglected as the region grapples with the consequences of the assassination…