And other big questions about the direction of Middle Eastern politics. Thank you so much for subscribing to Abu Aardvark's Ghost and the MENA Academy (sounds like a killer indy band, right?). Moving from Substack to Ghost raised the costs of maintaining the blog considerably – Ghost's
Stephane Lacroix's spectacular new book on Islamism in Egypt, plus (perhaps) the last MENA Academy scholarship roundup of the summer The end of the summer is fast arriving, I'm afraid. Last week, I offered up some grim forecasts for the coming semester along with a long
Maybe I can help. The first of August is the traditional breaking point for academics to suddenly realize that despite the scorching temperatures the summer is rapidly coming to an end. The coming semester is going to be deeply challenging for all of us, and especially for those of us
A fascinating new collection of essays building on our recent book has never been more timely Note: I've been sick the last few days and have fallen behind on posting. I'll be making up for that, I'm afraid. Keep an eye out very soon
An important new book offers surprising answers. That, plus a call for papers on Syria and this week's roundup of new journal articles! As promised, we're back this week with a full MENA Academy roundup – including not only journal articles but also a return to our
My new Foreign Affairs piece with Shibley Telhami points out the opportunities and the potential traps of recognition in a new regional reality Back in June, France and Saudi Arabia were pushing plans for a UN conference on the two state solution for Israel and Palestine centered on a push
Plus, a new MENA Academy roundup Twelve years ago today, huge crowds took to the streets in Egypt demanding that President Mohammed el-Morsi step down from office. The Tamarod June 30 protests were not, as claimed at the time, the biggest democratic uprising in history, but they were big. They
An incompetent administration leaps without looking into a new phase of regional war There was a brief moment last week when it looked like Donald Trump had come to his senses. After signaling that he was about to bomb Iran, he suddenly stepped back from the brink, indicating that he
The huge US decision about entering the Iran-Israel war feels strangely familiar. For the last fifteen years or so, my graduate level Elliott School course on the International Relations of the Middle East has included a simulation exercise built around the scenario of Israel requesting that the United States join
Vali Nasr's new book offers a guide to how Iran will likely respond to Israel's war. Israel's surprise attack on Iran has upended many long-held assumptions about regional order and security in the Middle East. Over the first four days of the war, Israel
What is it really trying to achieve... and can it succeed? Last night, Israel launched a major military strike against Iran, killing a number of its senior military commanders and taking shots at key nuclear sites. The strike came only days before the sixth round of the US-Iran nuclear talks
Plus a full new roundup from the MENA academy! Syria's new government has made significant progress in recent weeks, but still has a tough road ahead of it. On the positive side, the Trump administration appears to be following through on its commitment during the Saudi Gulf summit