Civil war and a Saudi-led naval blockade have Yemen teetering on the brink of a humanitarian disaster.

Pressured by Western governments and Islamic State, Al-Qaeda is undergoing a transition as it struggles to remain relevant in the global movement it helped to create.

Saudi Arabia has intervened against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, and in doing so opened up a new proxy front between the bitter regional rivals.

Considering the warring factions, stunted opportunities for economic growth, an imminent oil shortage, and the severe water problems, Yemen is a social and security time bomb.

If you asked a State Department employee what their worst-case scenario for the Middle East was five years ago, the response might have described what is currently unfolding across the region.

What are the challenges faced by the new Yemeni government in dealing with the Islamist insurgency in the South?

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s recent statement that he ‘rejects power’ and will step down in the coming days has become somewhat of a common refrain in recent months.

Al-Shabab’s latest attack displays a level of planning and execution that doesn’t bode well for the AU-backed transitional government in Mogadishu.

The al-Shabab attack on World Cup revelers in Uganda three weeks ago has served as a wake-up call for African Union leaders.

This weekend’s double bombing in Kampala bears all the hallmarks of an al-Shabab attack. It seems that Somalia’s homegrown strain of the Taliban has struck outside its own borders for the very first time.