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Brian M. Perkins

Brian M. Perkins is an Intelligence Manager at a large risk management consultancy and is a former Navy Signals Intelligence Analyst. He has published extensively in peer-reviewed and non peer-reviewed journals and has been cited by the UNHCR, academic presses, and international media outlets. His research primarily focuses on Yemen, though he regularly writes about terrorism and political violence in the broader MENA region.

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    Articles by Brian M. Perkins

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    Turkey Courts African States as France Seeks EU Partners  Brian M. Perkins Turkey’s increasingly assertive military and economic role has seen the balance of power across several key regions begin...

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    STC Gains Highlight the Need for a Succession Plan for President Hadi Brian M. Perkins Representatives from the Southern Transitional Council (STC) met with Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed...

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    What Will Come of Uzbek and Central Asian Militant Groups Fighting Alongside the Taliban? Brian M. Perkins As the United States has worked to finalize the peace deal with the...

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    IS-CAP Attack Claims in DRC Increase, but Capabilities Largely Remain the Same Brian M. Perkins The number of attacks Islamic State Central Africa Province (IS-CAP) has claimed in the Democratic...

    Libyan War Upsets Fragile Tunisian Government

    The increasingly intractable war in Libya is remaking the political landscape in Tunisia as powerful international players vie for influence across the region. The shifting political realities in Tunis are...

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    Can and Will the SADC Help Contain Violence in Mozambique? Brian M. Perkins The insurgency in Mozambique’s northern Cabo Delgado province has continued to escalate over the past several months,...

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    UAE Expands its Influence in the Horn of Africa Brian M. Perkins The UAE has significantly increased its engagement in the Horn of Africa over the past several years, using...

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    The Libyan Conflict and the Moroccan-Algerian Arms Race Brian M. Perkins Algeria and Morocco have long been in competition for diplomatic and military supremacy in the Maghreb and have intermittently...

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    Constitutional Amendment Foreshadows Algerian Military Involvement in the Region Brian M. Perkins Algerian military and intelligence services are undergoing significant change as Libya continues to grapple with its civil war...

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    Southern Transitional Council Seeks Leverage with Declaration of Self-Rule Brian M. Perkins Saudi Arabia’s attempts to extricate itself from the war in Yemen became increasingly complicated as the Riyadh Agreement...

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    Oman’s Delicate Domestic Balance Brian M. Perkins Oman’s longstanding financial and governance model is being tested like never before as the country’s economy continues to decline due to its historic...

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    Attacks Demonstrate IS-CAP Evolution in Mozambique Brian M. Perkins Northern Mozambique has witnessed a significant escalation of operations by Islamic State Central Africa Province (IS-CAP) in recent weeks, with the...

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    The Shifting Power of al-Qaeda’s Affiliates Brian M. Perkins Several significant developments with broad implications for al-Qaeda and its global affiliates have taken place since early 2019. Leadership losses and...

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    Iraq’s Political Crisis Further Hinders Anti-IS Security Collaboration Brian M. Perkins Iraq's political crisis continues to worsen as Abdul Mahdi's intended successor, Mohammed Allawi, withdrew his candidacy (Al Jazeera, March...

    Abdul Reza Shahlai: The IRGC’s Man in Yemen

    On January 3, the same day the United States conducted the airstrike that killed Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Qasem Soleimani and prominent Iraqi politician and militia leader Abu...

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    Afghanistan: Taliban’s Actions Will Help Decide Future of IS-K Brian M. Perkins As the United States and the Taliban are set to begin a partial truce as part of long-running...

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    The Door for Iran Remains Open in Bahrain Brian M. Perkins Tensions between the United States and Iran following the killing of Major General Qasem Soleimani drew speculation of retaliatory...

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    Oman’s Ability to Balance Competing Priorities Will Help Shape the Gulf in Coming Years Brian M. Perkins During the fraught aftermath of the airstrike that killed Major General Qasem Soleimani,...

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    Philippines Lifts Martial Law Amid Fragile Gains Brian M. Perkins On January 1, the government lifted martial law on the embattled Philippines island of Mindanao, which has long been plagued...

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    Indonesia: Jamaah Ansharut Daulah’s Family Approach and Freedom of Movement Challenges Indonesian Forces Brian M. Perkins Indonesian security forces have launched a significant crackdown on suspected members of the IS-linked...

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    Bahrain Remains Powder Keg for Iranian Proxy Conflict Brian M. Perkins Iranian involvement in the most prominent conflicts in the Middle East—particularly in Yemen, Iraq and Lebanon—has dominated international headlines...

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    Al-Qaeda Likely to Exploit Baghdadi’s Death Brian M. Perkins The death of Islamic State (IS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is being hailed as a victory by al-Qaeda, which stands to...

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    Iraq Protests Could Help Check Iranian Influence Brian M. Perkins Anti-government demonstrations taking place in Iraq pose a new, precarious challenge for both the United States and Iran as the...

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    Preventing Spread of Terrorism in Coastal West Africa Brian M. Perkins A spate of deadly attacks by militant groups in Mali and Burkina Faso came just weeks after a key...

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    Maldives: Presidential Commission Findings Prompt Proposed Changes to Anti-Terror Act Brian M. Perkins The Maldivian government introduced a sweeping new bill that would amend the 2015 Anti-Terrorism Act as the...

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    Iraq: External Actions Against PMF Threaten Delicate Balance Brian M. Perkins Iraq remains in an extremely precarious position after declaring victory over Islamic State (IS) in December 2017, and regional...

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    Yemen: Long-simmering Tensions Between Southern Forces and Pro-Hadi Forces Erupt in Aden Brian M. Perkins Aside from the remote portions of Yemen’s eastern governorates, Southern Yemen has experienced the least...

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    Mozambique: Islamic State Claims Reveal Little About Ansar al-Sunna Brian M. Perkins Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP)—which is comprised of a wing in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)...

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    Afghanistan: Al-Qaeda Primed to Continue Expanding in Afghanistan Brian M. Perkins Despite being less flashy than its rival Islamic State (IS), al-Qaeda and its affiliates have achieved a lot over...

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    Morocco Continues to Face Terror Threat Despite Success of BCIJ Brian M. Perkins It has been more than six months since a group of Moroccans inspired by Islamic State (IS)...

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    Mozambique: Exploring Tentative Links Between Islamic State, ADF, and Ansar al-Sunnah Brian M. Perkins Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for an attack in Mozambique on June 4, the first such...

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    Iraq: US-Iran Tensions Inflaming Divisions Already Being Exploited by Islamic State Brian M. Perkins Tensions between the United States and Iran have continued to escalate in recent weeks amid concerns...

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    Burkina Faso:  Recent Attacks Point to Spread of Terrorism in Burkina Faso and the Region Brian M. Perkins On May 16, Burkina Faso’s Foreign Minister called for the creation of...

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    Islamic State Claims Signal Resilience and Shifting Strategy Brian M. Perkins Over the past several weeks, Islamic State (IS) has firmly demonstrated that it has entered the next phase of...

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    Bangladesh: Political Polarization Makes Return of Terrorism Increasingly Likely Brian M. Perkins Incidents of terrorism have declined significantly in Bangladesh over the past several years following the devastating attack on...

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    Indonesia: Family Ties in Terrorism Increasingly Evident Ahead of Elections  Brian M. Perkins The threat of terrorism continues to loom large in Indonesia as the country gears up for elections...

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    New Zealand: Will New Zealand Look to Australia to Expand Anti-Terrorism Legislation? Brian M. Perkins On March 15, a mass shooting at the al-Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre in...

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    Islamic State Fighters Regroup in Iraq, Rebuild Support and Smuggling Networks  Brian M. Perkins The past several weeks has seen a surge in Islamic State (IS) attacks in Iraq as...

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    Iran: Jaish al-Adl Attack Could See Increased Iran-India Cooperation Brian M. Perkins Iran has seen a recent surge in terrorism incidents within the country over the past year, particularly in...

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    Mali and Somalia: al-Qaeda Affiliates Coordinated Claims Point to Coordination with Core AQ Brian M. Perkins The release of a video message from al-Qaeda’s leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, on February 5...

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    YEMEN: Houthi Drone Attack and Fragile Ceasefire Brian M. Perkins The fragile Stockholm Agreement ceasefire in Yemen’s port city of Hudaydah that was agreed upon in Sweden on December 18,...

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    Morocco—Islamic State Sympathizers in Morocco Brian M. Perkins The North African country and popular tourist destination, Morocco, has mostly been spared from the terrorism and jihadist violence that has plagued...

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    Iran—Suicide Attack in Chabahar Underscores Local Turmoil Brian M. Perkins A suicide bomber detonated an explosive-laden vehicle at a police headquarters in the Iranian port city of Chabahar on December...

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    Somalia: Rise in al-Shabaab Activity in Central Somalia Al-Shabaab has made a notable resurgence over the past several months, conducting numerous attacks across the country, including in the capital, Mogadishu....

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    Cameroon: Biya’s Reelection and Worsening Separatist Violence The reelection of Cameroonian President Paul Biya in October likely forebodes the further destabilization of the Central African nation. Cameroon has been a...

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    Lines Between al-Qaeda and JNIM Blur in Burkina Faso Brian M. Perkins Militant violence continues to increase in Burkina Faso as both local and regional militant organizations have spread within...

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    Pro-Islamic State Groups Threaten Australia Australian authorities have largely managed to mitigate the threat of terrorism within the country over the past several years, foiling more than a dozen plots...

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    Iraq: Basra Protests Protests that first began in July and intensified in early September have wreaked havoc on Iraq’s port city of Basra. The unrest—motivated by protesting government corruption, and...

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    Mali: Election Maintains Status Quo Amid Rising Jihadist Threat            Mali's presidential election was preceded by outbreaks of violence and terrorist attacks before concluding with a contentious run-off election on August...