Eric Watkins
Eric Watkins, who writes on oil, shipping and terrorism, is the first Western person ever allowed to reside in Yemen as a foreign correspondent. Altogether, he lived some 20 years in the Red Sea region, including Saudi Arabia (1981-88), Yemen (1989-94) and Cyprus (2000-04). On the recommendation of the desert explorer Wilfred Thesiger, Watkins was elected a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society in 1989 for his contributions to knowledge of the Arabian Peninsula. Watkins holds a PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of California at San Diego, and is writing a book documenting the impact of trade on Yemeni history.
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Articles by Eric Watkins
Obstacles to Closer Counter-Terrorism Coordination in Malacca Straits
According to a variety of observers around the globe, the chances for a terrorist attack in the Straits of Malacca remain high. The fact that the Straits play such a...
Japan’s Energy Supplies at Risk
Japan is well-known for being a resource-poor country, particularly when it comes to the acquisition of energy resources—such as oil and natural gas—that are needed to run its high-powered economy....
Landscape of Shifting Alliances
There can be little doubt that Yemen plays a key role in the US-led war on al-Qaeda’s terrorist network, but it is a role that the Arab country would have...
Facing the Terrorist Threat in the Malacca Strait
Much of the world's economy depends on the security of shipping that passes through a narrow body of water in Southeast Asia known as the Strait of Malacca. Situated between...
Blackening the Face of Terrorism In Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia appears to have scored something of a propaganda coup in its war against terrorism with the surrender of Othman al-Amri, an Islamist militant hunted by security forces for...
Yemen’s Innovative Approach to the War on Terror
Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Salih appears to have weathered the worst of his terrorist problem. Indeed, with no al-Qaeda related incidents in two years, Salih's previously suspect security credentials are...
Yemeni Cleric Moayad’s Conviction Further Strains U.S.-Yemeni Relations
German Chancellor Gerhardt Schroeder's visit to Yemen in early March was well timed. Indeed, coinciding with the closing arguments in the New York terror trial of Yemeni cleric Mohammed Ali...
YEMENI CLERIC MOAYAD’S CONVICTION FURTHER STRAINS U.S.-YEMENI RELATIONS
German Chancellor Gerhardt Schroeder's visit to Yemen in early March was well timed. Indeed, coinciding with the closing arguments in the New York terror trial of Yemeni cleric Mohammed Ali...
YEMEN’S INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO THE WAR ON TERROR
Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Salih appears to have weathered the worst of his terrorist problem. Indeed, with no al-Qaeda related incidents in two years, Salih's previously suspect security credentials are...
Blackening The Face Of Terrorism In Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia appears to have scored something of a propaganda coup in its war against terrorism with the surrender of Othman al-Amri, an Islamist militant hunted by security forces for...
Facing The Terrorist Threat In The Malacca Strait
Much of the world's economy depends on the security of shipping that passes through a narrow body of water in Southeast Asia known as the Strait of Malacca. Situated between...
Landscape Of Shifting Alliances
There can be little doubt that Yemen plays a key role in the US-led war on al-Qaeda’s terrorist network, but it is a role that the Arab country would have...