Hello and welcome to Background Briefing, available 24 7 at background briefing.

I'm Ian Masters and today we'll look into a number of stories and issues in the news.

We'll begin with continued strikes by the US and UK against Houthi targets in Yemen and

assess what impact they will have on the peace talks close to ending the Civil War that was started

by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2015, as well as whether this escalation will

spark a wider war in the Middle East. Joining us as Shireen al-Adimi, a professor of education

at Michigan State University. Having lived through two civil wars in her country of birth

Yemen, she has played an active role in raising awareness about the US-supported

Saudi-led war on Yemen since 2015, and through her work she aims to encourage political action

amongst fellow Americans to bring about an end to US intervention in Yemen.

Then with Taiwan's pro-sovereignty DPP winning over the KMT in this weekend's election,

which mainland China's government of Xi Jinping has called a choice between war and peace,

we will speak with Michael Swain, a senior research fellow and former director of the Quincy Institute's East Asia Program. He is one of the most prominent American scholars on Chinese security studies

and previously worked for nearly 20 years as a senior fellow

at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace,

specializing in Chinese Defense and Foreign Policy,

U.S.-China relations and East Asian international relations.

He's also advised the United States government on Asian security issues,

and his books include remaining aligned on the challenges facing Taiwan and conflict and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region, a strategic net assessment.

We will discuss his brief, at Responsible State Statecraft paths to crisis and conflict over Taiwan.

Then finally we will speak with Edward McCaffrey, the Robert C. Packard trustee chair

in law and a professor of law, economics and political science at the University of Southern

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