This week marks the fifteenth anniversary of the Egyptian revolution, which for all the pain and suffering which followed still marks a momentous moment in Middle Eastern history and a model of social mobilization and protest organization that continues to inspire. For meaningful reflection on the extraordinary events of 2011,
I watched Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis murder a man on Saturday. The killing was captured by multiple videos from several angles, and all tell the same undisputable story. As with their smearing of Renee Good a few weeks ago, I watched Trump administration officials immediately label Alex Pretti a
The twists and turns in the rapidly evolving Middle Eastern order continue to unfold. Syria's SDF suddenly collapsed across much of its territory and signed a ceasefire with the Syrian government, potentially heralding an important advance in the consolidation of a centralized state – but one that is not
All signs point to an imminent American bombing attack on Iran, ostensibly in support of protestors challenging the regime. Such a military intervention in search of regime change has long been a fantasy for Iran hawks. We've been debating this all purpose policy demand for all seasons since
I'm delighted to announce the launch of the fifteenth (!) season of the Middle East Political Science Podcast! For over a decade, I've been hosting authors of new books and articles in the field to talk about their research – 290 episodes heading into the new season. Last
Relations between Saudi Arabia and the UAE have over the last week erupted into an incredibly nasty and heated conflict eerily reminiscent of their joint 2017 campaign against Qatar. The most immediate cause was an ill-advised bid by the UAE-backed STC to take control of several key Yemeni provinces which
I've just returned from a whirlwind trip to Denmark and Norway, where I gave four book talks – a million thanks to the University of Copenhagen and DIIS, Aarhus University, NUPI and the University of Oslo – about America's Middle East: The Ruination of a Region. I also
I have a new piece out in Foreign Policy (gift link) arguing against the Trump administration's executive order designating branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations. It was a strange piece to write, in some ways. I've been engaged in the academic and policy debate
I'm delighted to announce the publication of POMEPS Studies 57 Syria After Assad on the anniversary of the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad one year ago. There have been a number of really good, thoughtful and critical pieces published in conjunction with the anniversary (from our political science community
I spent last weekend at the annual meeting of the Middle East Studies Association in Washington DC – the first in-person meeting of MESA in several years, and a much needed one for an embattled academic community. MESA has been absolutely exceptional over the last several years in rising to the
Plus Syria, Title VI investigations, and a full roundup from the MENA Academy The war in Sudan is decidely not a nihilistic "war about nothing", argues Khaled Mustafa Medani in a tour de force article in the Fall 2025 issue of the APSA's section journal MENA
Crazy things happen in world politics all the time, yes, but there really aren't many scenes as surreal as Ahmed Sharaa – not so long ago a leading jihadist insurgent in Iraq and Syria and now Syria's president – triumphantly visiting the White House. But unlike a lot