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Following the failed attempt of a Nigerian engineering student Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab to blow up Northwest Airlines’ Flight 253 over the United States last December, Yemen received unprecedented global attention. The media focus has dropped somewhat since then, but the region remains the subject of considerable concern

GSN wrote about the beginnings of “the next insurgency” in Iraq in April 2009, describing meetings between Iraqi Sunni leaders and Baathist insurgents, which were characterised as a “long-term hedging of bets” by both parties ahead of the US drawdown and the assumption of full control by the Shia-led government in Baghdad. Sources within the US and Iraqi government intelligence systems believe this next insurgency is starting to unfold.

The US State Department on 15 September confirmed the role of the Omani government in securing the release of imprisoned hiker Sarah Shourd, who was arrested with two other Americans by Iran 13 months ago when walking in the mountainous Iranian/Iraqi border region

As James Mattis settles in as the new head of US Central Command, one of his first major regional strategy reviews is US security assistance to Yemen

Operation Iraqi Freedom ended on 1 September after more than seven years of US ‘combat operations’ in Iraq. GSN marks the occasion by analysing the new US military mission, Operation New Dawn

Obama said the drawdown allowed the US military to divert resources to the continuing campaign in Afghanistan, where it remained committed to defeating Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

With the 31 August deadline looming for the withdrawal of US combat forces in Iraq, GSN has visited locations across the country to conduct a wide-ranging assessment of the security situation and the likely impact of withdrawal. We asked what the drawdown would mean on the ground and whether the Iraqi Security Forces will cope.

Gulf Co-operation Council states have long been the focus of efforts by US administrations and their regional military structure Central Command (Centcom) to enforce the Pax Americana. But with some GCC allies already feeling distanced from high-level contacts in Washington, the resignation of General Stanley McChrystal as head of US Forces and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, and his replacement by Centcom commander General David Petraeus, threatens to leave them feeling even more distanced from the US civil-military relationship.

Ten people have been killed in clashes between northern Houthi rebels and government-allied tribesmen

The heavy-handedness of the government’s security operations has forced retired southern soldiers into common cause with the Southern Movement, piling pressure on a creaking regime

Navy base expansion, Calls for security agreements with Iran, Waha Capital raises funds for military, Rifles order,

According to GSN’s contacts in southern Yemen, the federal military is rapidly reinforcing the south. The regime in Sanaa appears to have deftly switched its more capable units from the Saada rebellion from 18 May onwards, bringing an estimated 14 battalions to the south in time for the unification anniversary on 22 May.

Mohammed was shot in the back when he was caught fishing in Qatari waters on 8 May. Qatari authorities said they used force because he failed to comply with orders to stop. Mohammed was airlifted to Doha's main Hamad Hospital

In an effort to counter Yemen’s reputation as the world’s most heavily armed country on a per capita basis, the Ministry of Interior on 15 April said the authorities had confiscated more than 600,000 weapons since August 2008

Public tensions have died down following reports of a skirmish between Emirati and Saudi vessels that was blamed on a dispute over the route of the Dolphin pipeline which brings Qatari gas to the UAE