While the world has been focused on the Strait of Hormuz and the economic toll of the war in Iran, mounting tensions in the Horn of Africa could send new shockwaves through an already vulnerable global economy.
Tensions are rising between Ethiopia, its northern Tigray region, and neighboring Eritrea. The region has endured decades of conflict, and a renewed crisis could further destabilize the Horn of Africa while intensifying the ongoing civil war in Sudan. Regional powers are increasingly drawn into these overlapping conflicts, raising the risk of a broader confrontation along one of the world’s most strategically important waterways.
Beyond the human toll, the implications for global commerce are significant. Eritrea and Sudan border the Red Sea, where a wider regional conflict could threaten key ports, maritime infrastructure, and shipping lanes. With roughly 12% to 15% of global maritime trade and up to 30% of container traffic passing through the Red Sea, the world can ill afford another major disruption as the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz continues to unfold.
Please join us for a discussion on the ramifications of these unfolding events, featuring MEI Senior Fellow Mirette F. Mabrouk and European Council on Foreign Relations Visiting Fellow Jonas Horner. The discussion will be moderated by MEI Vice President for Policy Dr. Ken Pollack.
Speakers Biographies
Mirette F. Mabrouk is a Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute, where she focuses on economic development, regional security, and sustainable development issues in the Middle East and North Africa. Prior to joining MEI, she served as the deputy director and director for research and programs at the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East at the Atlantic Council.
Jonas Horner is the Information Advisor to the United Nations Office of Resident Coordinator for Sudan and a Visiting Fellow of the Africa programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations. In addition to advising the UN, he writes and provides advisory input on conflict, politics, and regional geopolitics in Sudan and the Horn of Africa.
Kenneth M. Pollack (Moderator) is Vice President for Policy at the Middle East Institute. Dr. Pollack began his career as a Persian Gulf military analyst at the CIA and served twice on the National Security Council, first as Director for Near East and South Asian affairs and then as Director for Persian Gulf affairs.
