In Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, conflict and instability endure in contested border regions where local tensions connect with regional and global dynamics. The Asia Foundation, the Rift Valley Institute, and the Carnegie Middle East Center are working together to better understand the causes and impacts of conflict in these border areas and their international dimensions, support more effective policymaking and development programming, and build the capacity of their local partners to leverage research to advocate for peaceful change.
About UsProgram BrochureعربيPeripheral Vision: Views from the Borderlands sheds light on how political, security, and socio-economic developments affect the people living in contested borderlands and, reversely, how border dynamics shape change and transition at the national level. Peripheral Vision is published twice a year, as a timely update of dynamics on the ground, while also highlighting the latest news from the X-Border Local Research Network’s activities.

Because of Covid-19 restrictions, researchers have had to find alternative ways of getting information.

Pouring money into health infrastructure will have little effect if qualified doctors have few incentives to stay.

The rules of what is deemed acceptable political behavior are constantly shifting in Syria, with perilous consequences.

Turkey is altering the nature of Syrian border areas, perhaps presaging more far-reaching steps.

As the scope of the fighting in Ma’rib intensifies, the signs of an attritional conflict without end are strengthening.

Women are increasingly joining the male-dominated world of smuggling. Could this be the start of a cultural revolution that challenges long-held gender norms?

Along the border between Tunisia and Libya, informal trade agreements led to a tight-knit border economy. But political changes in both Libya and Tunisia have fundamentally altered the economic and security landscape.

In southern Syria, the regime, opposition, foreign powers, and local groups navigate a contentious zone of conflict. Any shift in this delicate balance could mean yet another escalation.

Algerian officials in the northeastern border area between Algeria and Tunisia continue to permit the cross-border smuggling of petrol and other commodities.

The Yemen conflict has affected Saudi border areas and is changing the public’s thinking in the kingdom.
In an increasingly crowded, chaotic, and contested world and marketplace of ideas, Carnegie offers decisionmakers global, independent, and strategic insight and innovative ideas that advance international peace. Join our mailing list to become part of our network of more than 150 scholars in 20 countries and six global centers.
The X-Border Local Research Network is part of the X-Border Conflict Evidence, Policy and Trends (XCEPT) program, a component of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and is funded by UK aid from the UK government.
