Drawing on consultations with diplomats and experts from more than 20 governments and international institutions, this report surveys the changing geopolitical context astride the Red Sea, outlines the rationale for a Red Sea multilateral framework, and offers design elements for architects to consider. It unpacks the diplomatic initiatives undertaken to date—by the EU/Germany, African Union/IGAD, and Saudi Arabia/Egypt—and finally, it offers perspectives from the Red Sea’s littoral countries, from “neighboring states,” and from global actors—including Europe, the…
Entries by Zach Vertin
The euphoric birth of South Sudan was celebrated around the world – a triumph for global justice and a sign that one of the world’s most devastating wars was finally over. But the party would not last; the Republic’s freedom-fighters soon plunged their new nation back into chaos, shattering the promise of liberation and exposing the hubris of their Western backers. An epic tale of paradise won and lost, A Rope from the Sky is…
This paper examines the IGAD-led peace process for South Sudan from 2013 to 2015. Viewed through a prism of mediation best practice, it is a critical assessment of the attempt to negotiate a settlement of the conflict and a distillation of lessons learned. While singular conclusions are hard to draw, the paper concludes that the process may have helped to slow South Sudan’s civil war and provided a platform to confront the fundamental changes required…