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Sarah Phillips

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BA(Hons) Newcastle, PhD ANU
Senior Lecturer


H04 - Merewether Building
The University of Sydney
NSW 2006 Australia

Phone: +61 2 9114 0833
Fax: +61 2 9351 3624

Sarah Phillips specialises in governance and reform in Yemen and the Middle East, political party development, political Islam, and the dynamics of patronage networks. Her recent book analyses the nature of changes to Yemen's power structures, political dynamics and institutions since the intention to democratise was announced in 1990.

She is currently looking at political and security developments in Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and the Horn of Africa, and the relationship between tribes and militant jihadi networks in fragile states.

Research Expertise

  • Yemeni politics
  • Political reform in the Middle East
  • Non-state security challenges
  • Jihadi networks
  • Tribal politics
  • Instability in the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa
  • Political reform and the development/security nexus

Publications

Books and Monographs

Phillips, S. (2011) Yemen: The Politics of Permanent Crisis, Adelphi Series, Routledge Publications, London.

Phillips, S. (2008) Yemen's Democracy Experiment in Regional Perspective: Patronage and Pluralized Authoritarianism, Palgrave Macmillan, New York.

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Journal Articles

Phillips, S. (2011) ‘Who Tried to Kill Ali Abdullah Saleh? The hidden feud behind the revolution in Yemen.' Foreign Policy, 13 June. >

Phillips, S. (2011) ‘AlQaeda and the Struggle for Yemen’ Survival, 53 (1), February/March 2011, pp. 95120.

Phillips, S. (2007) 'Evaluating Political Reform in Yemen', Carnegie Papers: Democracy and Rule of Law Project, vol. 80.

Phillips, S. (2006) 'Yemen: Opposition Hopes to Gain in Elections by Government Mistakes', Arab Reform Bulletin, vol. 4, no. 7

Phillips, S. (2006) 'Foreboding About the Future in Yemen', Middle East Report Online.

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Reports and Policy Papers

Phillips, S., Anthony Bubalo and Samina Yasmeen (2011) ‘Talib or Taliban? Indonesian students in Pakistan and Yemen’. Lowy Institute for International Policy. >

Phillips, S. (2011) ‘Yemen: Developmental Dysfunction and Division in a Crisis State,’ The Developmental Leadership Program, Research Paper 14, February 2011.

Phillips, S. (2009) 'Politics in a Vacuum: The Yemeni Opposition’s Dilemma', Viewpoints No 11: Discerning Yemen’s Political Future, Middle East Institute, United States.

Phillips, S. and Shanahan, R. (2009) 'AlQa’ida, Tribes and Instability in Yemen', Lowy Institute for International Policy.

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Book sections

Phillips, S. (forthcoming, 2013) 'Yemen' in The Middle East, ed. Ellen Lust-Okar, Sage Publishers, Washington, DC.

Phillips, S. (forthcoming, 2012) 'Tracing the Cracks in the Yemeni System' in The Arab Revolts: Dispatches on Militant Democracy in the Middle East, ed. David A. McMurray and Amanda Ufheil-Somers, Indiana University Press, Indiana.

Phillips, S. (forthcoming, 2012) 'Good Governance and Air Strikes: America’s Awkward Toolkit in Yemen' in American Democracy Promotion in a Changing Middle East, ed. A. Shahram, Routledge, London.

Phillips, S.(2010) 'Yemen' in The Middle East, ed. Ellen LustOkar, CQ Press, a division of SAGE Publications, Washington DC, United States.

Phillips, S. (2010) 'Breaking Yemen Apart' in The Battle for Yemen: AlQaeda and the Struggle for Stability, ed. Ramzy Mardini, The Jamestown Foundation, Washington D.C, United States, pp. 5660.

Phillips, S. (2010) 'What comes next in Yemen? AlQaeda, the tribes and statebuilding' in Yemen on the Brink, ed. Christopher Boucek and Marina Ottaway, Carnegie Endowment, Washington D.C., United States, pp. 7589.

Phillips, S. (2008) 'Yemen: The Centrality of Process' in Beyond the Façade: Political Reform in the Arab World, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Washington, DC, United States.

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Conference Papers

Phillips, S.(forthcoming - 2012) 'State Formation and Human Agency: The Case of Somaliland' The Australian Political Science Association, 24 September, The University of Tasmania.

Phillips, S. (2012) 'Whose Security? The Securitisation of Development in Yemen' The Middle East in Revolt, 18 March, The University of Melbourne.

Phillips, S. (2011) ‘The Counterterrorism Agenda in Yemen’ The Arab Revolutions in Context, 3 June, The University of Melbourne.

Phillips, S. (2011) ‘Making Space? Yemen’s Protestors and the Old Guard’ Spirited Voices from the Muslim World, The University of Sydney, 28-30 April.

Phillips, S. (2011) ‘The Security Lens and the Arab Uprisings’ The Middle East In Revolution, The University of Sydney, 16 March.

Phillips, S.(2011) ‘Yemen: Developmental Dysfunction and Division in a Crisis State,’ Developmental Leadership Program Research Findings Conference, Frankfurt, Germany, 1011 March.

Phillips, S.(2011) “Yemen, Al Qaeda, and Revolution,” Australian Institute for International Affairs, Sydney, 22 February, 2011.

Phillips, S. (2010) 'Patronage and Instability in Yemen', Middle East Studies Association MESA Annual Conference 2010, San Diego, United States, 18 21 November.

Phillips, S. (2010) ‘Good Governance and Air Strikes: America’s Awkward Toolkit in Yemen’ US Democracy Promotion in the Middle East, The University of Melbourne, 2122 October 2010.

Phillips, S. (2009) 'Public LecturePromoting Democracy in the Middle East', Sydney Democracy Forum, Sydney, Australia, October.

Phillips, S. (2009) 'Public LectureTribes and Militants in the Arab World', Pak Institute for Peace Studies Conference, Islamabad, Pakistan, 27 August.

Phillips, S. (2009) 'Will the Tribes Trump the Jihadis? Observations from Yemen, Iraq and Somalia', The Economics and Politics of War and Peace Conference, Sydney, Australia, 26 27 June.

Phillips, S. (2009) 'Public LectureYemen on the Brink: Implications for Regional Stability', Australian Institute of International Affairs Conference, Canberra, Australia, 16 April.

Phillips, S. (2008) 'JMP Opposition Coalition Dynamics', Current Developments in Yemen Seminar for the United States State Department, Washington DC, United States, August.

Phillips, S. (2006) 'Democratisation and the Persistence of Authoritarianism in Yemen', Middle East Studies Association Conference, Boston, United States, November.

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Conference Proceedings

Phillips, S. (2010) 'The Forest for the Trees: AlQa’ida and “Stabilisation” in Yemen', Proceedings of the Exeter Gulf Studies Conference 2010 "The 21stCentury Gulf: The Challenge of Identity", Exeter University, United Kingdom, 30 June - 3 July.

Phillips, S. (2009) 'Yemen’s Postcards from the Edge: alQa’ida, Tribes and Nervous Neighbours', Proceedings of the Australian Political Studies Association Annual Conference 2009, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia, 28 30 September.

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Newspaper Opinion Pieces

Phillips, S., (2012) 'Yemen: US fight against al Qaeda likely to fail', The Interpreter, 29 May.

Phillips, S. (2011) ‘Figurehead comes to light within alQa'ida's most dangerous franchise’ The Australian, 5 May.

Phillips, S. (2011) ‘Western policymakers shouldn't accept this Saleh spin’ The Guardian, 10 April.

Phillips, S. (2011) ‘Yemen Terrorists are Pawns of Power’ The Australian, 5 April.

Phillips, S.(2010) 'Yemen asks for aid to ward off AlQaeda', The Australian, 16 March.

Phillips, S. (2010) 'US risks boost to alQa'ida by Yemen attacks', The Australian, 19 January.

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Film or Broadcast

Phillips, S. (2011) Interview on One Plus One, ABC1, 6 May.

Phillips, S. (2011) Interview on Radio National Breakfast, 4 May.

Phillips, S. (2011) Interview on Late Night Live with Phillip Adams, 7 April.

Phillips, S. (2011) Interview on Saturday Morning Extra, 26 March.

Phillips, S. (2010) Interview on Late Night Live with Phillip Adams, 3 February.

Phillips, S. (2010) Interview on ABC Classic FM with Margaret Throsby.

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