(For those who care. But what's a blog for if you can't share personal news?) First, as some of you may have seen, the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation just announced their 2026 class of Distinguished Scholars. I am absolutely thrilled that they chose to support my
In a provocative new article in the Middle East Journal, Mohammed Hafez argues that all threads of the Islamist project have failed, a collective exhaustion as complete as the post-1967 death of the pan-Arabist project. Muslim Brotherhood style movements such as those in Egypt, Jordan and Tunisia that contested elections,
The Trump administration has been steadily assembling a vast armada of airpower in the Gulf, ostensibly to apply pressure on Iran during negotiations. While the administration has been urging Iranian leaders to take a deal, American public demands on Iran on nuclear enrichment, ballistic missiles, and regional allies seem like
This week we feature new Arab public opinion surveys, a new issue of Middle East Report, and some of the latest research from the MENA Academy. I was traveling all last week, so the Middle East Political Science Podcast will be taking a break this week. The Arab Center recently
I'm on the road this week for the Ruination Tour. Please come out and see me, if you can, at one of these stops: Princeton University, today (Tuesday) at 4:30 at the Bobst Center; Wednesday, New York City - in conversation with Jillian Schwedler at Hunter College&
It is difficult to not worry about the stability and even survival of Jordan these days. Escalating Israeli aggression in the West Bank and political momentum towards annexation puts the Kingdom squarely in the crosshairs of potentially massive refugee flows, violence, and instability. The failure of Syria's post-Assad
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