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Simon Mabon

My research interests fall within the International Relations of the Middle East and are driven by the interaction of three themes: Religion and Legitimacy; Contested Sovereignty; and Political Violence. I am especially interested in the following areas:

Islam, the state and umma
'Soft power' security dilemmas
Gulf politics
Internal-external security dilemmas
Re-conceptualising sovereignty
Irredentist and secessionist movements
Gulf security
Hizballah
The Internet and 'cyber sovereignty'

Global Geopolitics Series

Liberating Mosul is one thing – next comes the real challenge for Iraq

Apr 02, 2017 01:44 am UTC| Insights & Views

The battle to fully recapture Mosul from the Islamic State (IS) is in its final stages and it is rapidly intensifying. On March 17, 200 civilians were killed in airstrikes on western Mosul mounted by the US and the...

Global Geopolitics Series

How to understand Syria's 'proxy war' – and who's fighting for whom

Sep 29, 2016 14:40 pm UTC| Insights & Views

As another attempted ceasefire falls apart, the destruction of the Syrian people and state goes on. The countrys economy has been annihilated, and the conflicts societal damage will take decades to repair. The need to stop...

Syria peace talks languish in the doldrums as fighting engulfs Aleppo

May 04, 2016 12:26 pm UTC| Insights & Views

The latest round of talks in Geneva have failed to curb a dramatic spiral of violence and the tragedy in Syria is deepening rapidly. A hard-won and admittedly imperfect ceasefire has been broken, resulting in hundreds of...

Meltdowns, crises and Islamic State: a terrible year in the Middle East

Dec 31, 2015 10:31 am UTC| Insights & Views

As we approach the fifth anniversary of the Arab Uprisings, its hard to remember the days of popular protests, of democratic revolutions and of dreams of a better future that rocked the Middle East in 2011. Nearly five...

Economy

Goldman Sachs Raises ECB Rate Hike Forecast Amid Persistent Energy-Driven Inflation

Goldman Sachs has revised its euro area economic outlook, now anticipating two interest rate increases from the European Central Bank as stubbornly high energy-driven inflation continues to overshadow slowing regional...

European Stocks Tumble as Iran-Strait of Hormuz Crisis Rattles Global Markets

European equity markets opened sharply lower on Monday as investors reacted to escalating tensions between the United States and Iran over the Strait of Hormuz. The pan-European Stoxx 600 dropped 1.3%, Germanys Dax slid...

Asian Currencies Slide as U.S.-Iran Tensions and Rising Oil Prices Rattle Markets

Asian currencies faced widespread pressure on Monday as escalating U.S.-Iran tensions and surging oil prices rattled investor confidence across the region. The U.S. dollar steadied following modest losses last week, with...

Global Markets Reel as Middle East Tensions Escalate Energy Fears

Financial markets across the globe are experiencing significant turbulence as the ongoing Middle East conflict raises serious concerns about prolonged disruptions to energy supplies. Wall Street posted sharp losses on...

South Korean Stocks Tumble as Hawkish BOK Governor Appointment Rattles Markets

South Korean equities suffered steep losses on Monday after President Lee Jae Myung appointed Shin Hyun-song as the next Bank of Korea (BOK) governor, a move markets interpreted as a shift toward tighter monetary policy....

Politics

Palestinian Activist Leqaa Kordia Released from U.S. Immigration Detention After Judge's Order

Palestinian activist Leqaa Kordia, 33, has been released from a U.S. immigration detention facility in Texas following a federal judges ruling, marking the end of over a year in custody. Kordia, who grew up in the...

TSA Absences Surge During Government Shutdown as ICE Agents Prepare Airport Deployment

Airport security across the United States is facing a serious staffing crisis as the partial government shutdown enters its fifth week. The Department of Homeland Security reported that Transportation Security...

Iran Threatens Gulf Infrastructure as U.S.-Israel War Enters Critical 48-Hour Window

Tensions in the Middle East have reached a dangerous new flashpoint after Iran threatened to strike energy and water infrastructure across Gulf nations if the United States carries out President Donald Trumps warning to...

Trump Links DHS Funding to Voter ID Legislation

President Donald Trump declared Sunday that he would block any Department of Homeland Security funding agreement unless Congressional Democrats first pass the Save America Act a bill that would require Americans to show...

Ukraine-U.S. Peace Talks Continue in Florida as Zelenskiy Pushes for Diplomatic Progress

Ukrainian and American delegations wrapped up a second day of peace negotiations in Florida on Sunday, as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy signaled cautious optimism about ongoing diplomatic efforts to end Russias war on...

Science

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates

Elon Musks SpaceX is shifting its near-term space exploration strategy, choosing to prioritize a return to the Moon before pursuing missions to Mars, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report citing sources familiar...

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Technology

Elon Musk Announces Terafab: SpaceX and Tesla to Build Dual AI Chip Factories in Austin, Texas

Elon Musk revealed plans for a massive dual-chip manufacturing complex called Terafab in Austin, Texas, set to be jointly developed by SpaceX and Tesla. The announcement marks a significant step in Musks broader strategy...

NVIDIA's Feynman AI Chip May Face Redesign Amid TSMC Capacity Crunch

NVIDIA could be forced to redesign its next-generation Feynman artificial intelligence chip platform as contract manufacturing giant TSMC struggles to keep pace with surging global demand. According to a report from...

Elliott Investment Management Takes Multibillion-Dollar Stake in Synopsys

Activist hedge fund Elliott Investment Management has quietly built a multibillion-dollar position in Synopsys, the electronic design automation (EDA) giant, signaling a push for stronger financial performance from one of...

Palantir's Maven AI Earns Pentagon "Program of Record" Status, Reshaping Military AI Strategy

Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ: PLTR) is drawing renewed investor and industry attention after the U.S. Department of Defense officially designated its Maven Smart System as a program of record, a classification that...

Amazon's "Transformer" Phone: Can It Succeed Where Fire Phone Failed?

Amazon is quietly developing a new smartphone, codenamed Transformer, marking the companys return to mobile hardware more than a decade after its Fire Phone disaster. According to sources familiar with the initiative, the...