Middle East Research and Information Project

Middle East Research and Information Project

Critical Coverage of the Middle East Since 1971

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Latest Issue:

Campus Politics–Palestine and the New University Order

Campus Politics–Palestine and the New University Order

Censorship and Surveillance at US Universities

Torin Monahan

‘The University Is a Site of Struggle’—A Roundtable with Faculty Organizers on Repression and Resistance on US Campuses

Lisa Hajjar, Lara Deeb, Darryl Li, Andrew Ross, and Meera Shah

After the Encampments—A Roundtable with Student Organizers on Palestine, the University and What Comes Next

Maya Wind and Students from Collettivi Autorganizzati Universitari (Italy), Stop Academic Complicity Collective (France), KCL Stands for Justice (UK), UCI Rank and File (USA), Academic Opposition (Germany)

Fighting the Campus Crackdown

Aslı Bâli

Why the Middle East Studies Association Took the Trump Administration to Court

The Palestine Test for German Universities

Jannis Julien Grimm and Lilian Mauthofer
Read the issue →

MERIP Updates

NEW: Arab AI Slop and the Precarious Politics of Digital Kitsch
Examples of Arab AI slop. Queen Elizabeth as an Al Ahly football fan, Sisi overseeing Trump and Netanyahu as street cleaners and Ahmed al-Sharaa beating Bashar al-Asad in a WWE match.
Egypt

NEW: Arab AI Slop and the Precarious Politics of Digital Kitsch

Dear Friends and Comrades, If you spend any time on social media, you’ve seen the uncannily rendered videos and memes known colloquially as AI slop, crudely generated videos playing on stereotypes meant to generate viral outrage. In our upcoming summer issue of Middle East Report, Nermin Elsherif looks at
James Ryan, Nermin Elsherif • 4 min read
NEW: ‘Closed Until Further Notice’ – Keeping a Tehran Art Institution Alive During Wartime
Argo Factory closed, Tehran, Iran, June 2026. Photograph by Simay Hashemi. Courtesy of Pejman Foundation.
MERIP updates

NEW: ‘Closed Until Further Notice’ – Keeping a Tehran Art Institution Alive During Wartime

Dear Friends and Comrades, The US and Israeli war has altered daily life in Iran. Between airstrikes that have destroyed basic infrastructure across the country and a regime bent on repressing political expression, the institutions that sustain cultural life have had to navigate some perilous straits. Today we are sharing
James Ryan, Hamidreza Pejman, Parham Ghalamdar • 7 min read
The MERIP Podcast

The MERIP Podcast Episode 27: Susanne Dahlgren

Today’s episode of the MERIP Podcast features a conversation between MERIP executive director James Ryan and Susanne Dahlgren, a longtime MERIP contributor and analyst focused on Yemen whose recent essay, “Yemen After the Saudi-Emirati Split” appeared in our Current Analysis section on July 8, 2026.  Last December, the
James Ryan, Susanne Dahlgren • 1 min read
The MERIP Podcast

The MERIP Podcast Episode 26: The MERIP Roundtable, On the World Cup 2026

On today’s program we have another installment of our MERIP Roundtable, where MERIP’s executive director, James Ryan is joined by past and present members of our editorial committee, along with recent contributors, to discuss current events. This edition focuses on the 2026 World Cup, now in its final
James Ryan, Paul Silverstein, Sabiha Allouche, Nabil Al-Tikriti • 2 min read
MERIP updates

The MERIP Podcast Episode 25: Iran in Context Part II

Politics and Counter Politics in Contemporary Iran
James Ryan, Naghmeh Sohrabi, Mohammad Ali Kadivar, Paniz Musawi Natanzi • 1 min read
NEW: Yemen After the Saudi-Emirati Split
Supporters of Yemen's separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) gather in Daleh, the hometown of the group's chief Aidrus al-Zubaydi, February 16, 2026. Getty Images/AFP
MERIP updates

NEW: Yemen After the Saudi-Emirati Split

Dear Friends and Comrades, In the midst of the war on Iran and the ongoing Israeli attacks on Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank, the protracted conflict for Yemen’s future has slid out of view for many. Today we are sharing with you a critical assessment of some important
James Ryan, Susanne Dahlgren • 1 min read
The MERIP Podcast

The MERIP Podcast Episode 24: Iran in Context Part I

Gender and Revolution
James Ryan, Sabiha Allouche, Nazanin Shahrokni, Paola Rivetti • 1 min read
The MERIP Podcast

The MERIP Podcast Episode 23: Ayça Alemdaroğlu

Today’s episode of the MERIP Podcast features an interview with Ayça Alemdaroğlu about her article, “The Capture of Turkey’s Universities Under the AKP,” in our Spring 2026 issue, “Campus Politics–Palestine and the New University Order.” MERIP executive director James Ryan spoke with Alemdaroğlu about the efforts of
James Ryan, Ayça Alemdaroğlu • 1 min read
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Current Analysis

Arab AI Slop and the Precarious Politics of Digital Kitsch
Examples of Arab AI slop. Queen Elizabeth as an Al Ahly football fan, Sisi overseeing Trump and Netanyahu as street cleaners and Ahmed al-Sharaa beating Bashar al-Asad in a WWE match.
Current Analysis

Arab AI Slop and the Precarious Politics of Digital Kitsch

As Israel’s genocide in Gaza and the subsequent regional war reshape the Arab internet, AI-generated slop has emerged as a new form of digital kitsch and political fantasy fueled by precarious labor.
Nermin Elsherif • 13 min read
'Closed Until Further Notice'—Keeping a Tehran Art Institution Alive During Wartime
Argo Factory closed, Tehran, Iran, June 2026. Photograph by Simay Hashemi. Courtesy of Pejman Foundation.
Art

'Closed Until Further Notice'—Keeping a Tehran Art Institution Alive During Wartime

Artist Parham Ghalamdar interviews Hamidreza Pejman on the shifting role of cultural institutions during crisis.
Hamidreza Pejman, Parham Ghalamdar • 13 min read
Yemen After the Saudi-Emirati Split
Supporters of Yemen's separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) gather in Daleh, the hometown of the group's chief Aidrus al-Zubaydi, February 16, 2026. Getty Images/AFP
Yemen

Yemen After the Saudi-Emirati Split

In early December 2025, Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council (STC) took many by surprise when it seized control of the country’s oil-rich Hadhramaut governorate, a region that had been under the control of Saudi-backed forces. After its eastern neighbor al-Mahra declared allegiance to the STC, the
Susanne Dahlgren • 11 min read
Rethinking Political Change in Iran from Protest to War
Striking oil workers at South Pars field in Bushehr province on November 4, 2025. Image courtesy of Drop Site News.
Iran

Rethinking Political Change in Iran from Protest to War

One month before the United States and Israel began the current war against Iran on February 28, 2026, mass uprisings within the country resulted in the severest government crackdown in its modern history. Protests and repression were accompanied by calls for outside intervention. US President Donald Trump declared on January
Mohammad Ali Kadivar • 11 min read

Primers

Palestine and Israel—A Primer
Primers

Palestine and Israel—A Primer

This primer provides an overview of key actors, organizations, historic events, political developments and diplomatic initiatives that have shaped the status and fate of Palestinians and the State of Israel from the late nineteenth century to the present. It is divided into topical sections and organized roughly chronologically—although some
Joel Beinin, Lisa Hajjar • 64 min read
A Primer on Lebanon—History, Palestine and Resistance to Israeli Violence
Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike on Beirut, Lebanon on October 3, 2024. Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu via Getty Images
Primers

A Primer on Lebanon—History, Palestine and Resistance to Israeli Violence

The Israeli bombardment of Lebanon between September and November 2024 was the deadliest violence in the country since the civil war.
Lara Deeb, Maya Mikdashi, Tsolin Nalbantian, Nadya Sbaiti • 38 min read
The Struggle for Sudan
A Sudanese woman chants slogans during a demonstration demanding a civilian body to lead the transition to democracy, outside the army headquarters in Khartoum on April 12, 2019. Ahsraf Shazly/AFP via Getty Images.
Primers

The Struggle for Sudan

An introduction to the basic dynamics of the political landscape in Sudan since the 2019 revolution.
Khalid Mustafa Medani • 20 min read
Water in the Middle East: A Primer
Fishing at the Chebayesh marsh in Dhi Qar province, Iraq, April 2019. Thaier al-Sudani/Reuters
MER Article

Water in the Middle East: A Primer

A valuable introduction that challenges the dominant narratives, in PDF format.
Jessica Barnes • 1 min read

MERIP Updates

NEW: Arab AI Slop and the Precarious Politics of Digital Kitsch
Examples of Arab AI slop. Queen Elizabeth as an Al Ahly football fan, Sisi overseeing Trump and Netanyahu as street cleaners and Ahmed al-Sharaa beating Bashar al-Asad in a WWE match.
Egypt

NEW: Arab AI Slop and the Precarious Politics of Digital Kitsch

Dear Friends and Comrades, If you spend any time on social media, you’ve seen the uncannily rendered videos and memes known colloquially as AI slop, crudely generated videos playing on stereotypes meant to generate viral outrage. In our upcoming summer issue of Middle East Report, Nermin Elsherif looks at
James Ryan, Nermin Elsherif • 4 min read
NEW: ‘Closed Until Further Notice’ – Keeping a Tehran Art Institution Alive During Wartime
Argo Factory closed, Tehran, Iran, June 2026. Photograph by Simay Hashemi. Courtesy of Pejman Foundation.
MERIP updates

NEW: ‘Closed Until Further Notice’ – Keeping a Tehran Art Institution Alive During Wartime

Dear Friends and Comrades, The US and Israeli war has altered daily life in Iran. Between airstrikes that have destroyed basic infrastructure across the country and a regime bent on repressing political expression, the institutions that sustain cultural life have had to navigate some perilous straits. Today we are sharing
James Ryan, Hamidreza Pejman, Parham Ghalamdar • 7 min read
The MERIP Podcast

The MERIP Podcast Episode 27: Susanne Dahlgren

Today’s episode of the MERIP Podcast features a conversation between MERIP executive director James Ryan and Susanne Dahlgren, a longtime MERIP contributor and analyst focused on Yemen whose recent essay, “Yemen After the Saudi-Emirati Split” appeared in our Current Analysis section on July 8, 2026.  Last December, the
James Ryan, Susanne Dahlgren • 1 min read
The MERIP Podcast

The MERIP Podcast Episode 26: The MERIP Roundtable, On the World Cup 2026

On today’s program we have another installment of our MERIP Roundtable, where MERIP’s executive director, James Ryan is joined by past and present members of our editorial committee, along with recent contributors, to discuss current events. This edition focuses on the 2026 World Cup, now in its final
James Ryan, Paul Silverstein, Sabiha Allouche, Nabil Al-Tikriti • 2 min read
MERIP updates

The MERIP Podcast Episode 25: Iran in Context Part II

Politics and Counter Politics in Contemporary Iran
James Ryan, Naghmeh Sohrabi, Mohammad Ali Kadivar, Paniz Musawi Natanzi • 1 min read
NEW: Yemen After the Saudi-Emirati Split
Supporters of Yemen's separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) gather in Daleh, the hometown of the group's chief Aidrus al-Zubaydi, February 16, 2026. Getty Images/AFP
MERIP updates

NEW: Yemen After the Saudi-Emirati Split

Dear Friends and Comrades, In the midst of the war on Iran and the ongoing Israeli attacks on Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank, the protracted conflict for Yemen’s future has slid out of view for many. Today we are sharing with you a critical assessment of some important
James Ryan, Susanne Dahlgren • 1 min read
The MERIP Podcast

The MERIP Podcast Episode 24: Iran in Context Part I

Gender and Revolution
James Ryan, Sabiha Allouche, Nazanin Shahrokni, Paola Rivetti • 1 min read
The MERIP Podcast

The MERIP Podcast Episode 23: Ayça Alemdaroğlu

Today’s episode of the MERIP Podcast features an interview with Ayça Alemdaroğlu about her article, “The Capture of Turkey’s Universities Under the AKP,” in our Spring 2026 issue, “Campus Politics–Palestine and the New University Order.” MERIP executive director James Ryan spoke with Alemdaroğlu about the efforts of
James Ryan, Ayça Alemdaroğlu • 1 min read
Be the first to know

Get the latest stories delivered to your inbox.

Subscribing...
You've been subscribed!
Could not subscribe. Please try again.

Latest Issues

View All Issues

Campus Politics–Palestine and the New University Order
• 1 min read
Reconstruction and Ruin
• 1 min read
Material Politics of Normalization
• 1 min read
New Gender Frontlines
• 1 min read
Resistance—The Axis and Beyond
• 1 min read
Carceral Realities and Freedom Dreams
• 1 min read
Post-Fossil Politics
• 1 min read
The Struggle for Sudan
• 1 min read
Palestine
• 1 min read
Front Lines
• 1 min read

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Critical Coverage of the Middle East Since 1971

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