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.
Morocco has successfully begun to connect its once-neglected eastern region to domestic and global economic resources. But it is vital to ensure that the benefits these initiatives bring are fairly reinvested in local communities.
In recent days, Jordan has led the way in Arab countries’ rapprochement with Syria. But Amman’s experience shows that, without regional coordination, bilateral normalization can win only limited concessions.
Saudi Arabia’s security is contingent on Yemen’s stability and economic prosperity. As such, Riyadh should help revive Yemen’s moribund economy, in both the borderlands and the inland agricultural sector.
The case of the Salafi groups underscores the complex evolution of cross-border exchange of religious ideas, with external powers able to increase their influence among local communities.
Tunisia's planned free trade zone in Ben Guerdane has stalled while similar projects in Libya have advanced. If Tunisian authorities move quickly to revitalize the plan, they can boost the economy and give hope to the marginalized border population.
In an interview, Armenak Tokmajyan talks about Sarmada, Syria’s border with Turkey, and why the status quo there may change.
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