We are SEPAD High impact, international research from academics and policy makers working in the field

Background About Us

Recent Reports

After years of proxy war, Saudi Arabia and Iran are finally squaring up in the open Dr. Simon Mabon - 3rd Sep 2018

Ever since Saudi Arabia executed Shia Cleric Nimr al-Nimr for terrorist ...

Saudi Iranian Relations after the rise of Mohammad Bin Salman Dr. Simon Mabon - 3rd Sep 2018

The son of King Salman, Mohammad Bin Salman (MbS) had already been one o...

Studying sectarianism while beating dead horses and searching for third ways Morten Valbjørn - 20th Sep 2018

A pivotal piece by our research fellow, Morten Valbjørn, which consider...

What We Do

The Sectarianism, Proxies and De-sectarianisation (SEPAD) project based at Lancaster University’s Richardson Institute is a collaborative project aimed at understanding the conditions that give rise to sectarian violence and proxy conflicts.

Sepad Reports

Bahrain: The Epicentre of the Saudi-Iranian Rivalry?

For many, the archipelago of Bahrain is at the epicentre of the geopolitical and sect-based struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Situated 16 kilometres from the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia, linked by the King Fahd Causeway, and 768 kilometres...

The Yemen War: A Proxy Sectarian War?

The diffusion of protests against authoritarian regimes across the Arab world in 2011 reinvigorated Yemen’s marginalized social movements and united different geographical and political factions in Yemen, such as the northern Houthi movement and...

Sectarianized Geopolitical Contests and the Rise of Armed Sectarian Nonstate Actors

The rise of armed sectarian nonstate actors (NSAs) is one of the main consequences of the grand Saudi-Iranian contest over regional dominance unleashed in the wake of the 2003 US invasion and occupation of Iraq.¹ Albeit this contest pre...

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