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
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
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
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
My new article for Foreign Affairs (no paywall) argues that Israel's belief that its unchecked air campaign bombing Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iran with impunity can be the path to regional hegemony is a dangerous fantasy. Hegemony requires more than just military dominance – and even the military dominance
Plus a full roundup from the MENA Academy and a new publication on gender and sexuality in Africa It's time for our regular roundup of research and articles from the MENA Academy and it's a really rich crop! But first, I'm delighted to share
It is difficult to share Trump’s optimism that the cease-fire has unlocked a broader transformation of the Middle East—or even that it will survive contact with reality on the ground in Gaza. I have a new article out in Foreign Policy (the first I've published
Plus the latest from the MENA Academy Last week, the Trump White House announced a somewhat odd 20 point peace plan for Gaza; the language was so casual and the key points so vague that I at first assumed that it was just a public summary of the real document,
Plus another roundup from the MENA academy! For most of the first two years of Israel's devastating war on Gaza it avoided paying serious costs despite the mounting expert consensus that its campaign involved at the least major war crimes and potentially amounted to genocide. The historic rulings