Artificial Humanitarianism—The Data-Driven Future of Refugee Responses
In Jordan’s Za’atari refugee camp, to pay for food at one of the World Food Programme (WFP)’s distribution centers, Syrian refugees must lean into an iris scanner that registers their biometrics. The scanner then logs their transaction onto the program’s blockchain...Narratives of ‘the Oppressed’—The Dialectic of Resistance Behind the Axis
Since its formation, the Axis of Resistance has embodied a defiant stance against imperialism and Zionism. The phrase itself first circulated in the English-language media, in the early 2000s—a response to then-President George W. Bush’s ominous talk of the “axis of...Hanging by a Thread—The Red Sea Blockade and Jordan’s Fragile Garment Industry
Houthi attacks have revealed an industrial paradox.
Power Struggles—Energy as a Weapon of War, Domination and Resistance in Palestine
The role of the grid in Israel’s colonial domination.
Dispatch from South Lebanon—Life as Resistance at the End of the World
A look at land, and life, on Lebanon’s frontlines.
Yemen’s Ansar Allah
On the Houthi movement’s roots, governance and resistance.
Iran, Palestine and the Axis of Resistance
Tehran’s meydan-e Felestin—Palestine Square—is a historic site when it comes to the country’s relations with Israel and Palestine. Before the 1979 revolution, it hosted Israel’s embassy and went by a different name: Kakh (Palace) Square. In February of...A Primer on Lebanon—History, Palestine and Resistance to Israeli Violence
On September 17, 2024, pagers exploded across Lebanon, indiscriminately killing at least 32 people and blinding or otherwise maiming thousands. The next day, walkie-talkies exploded, again killing and maiming indiscriminately. In the days that followed, Israeli...The End of the Axis of Resistance?
Analysts have been quick to view the swift collapse of Bashar al-Asad’s regime in Syria as a fatal and final blow to the so-called Axis of Resistance: the network of Iranian proxies spanning from Lebanon to Yemen. But such premature post-mortems underestimate what the...Joseph (Joe) Stork—A Tribute
For much of the first 25 years of his professional life, Joe Stork and MERIP (the Middle East Research and Information Project) were virtual synonyms. He co-founded the organization in 1970 and dedicated himself to its development until he stepped down in 1995. He...Issue 313 (Winter 2024) Masthead
Middle East Report, “Resistance—The Axis and Beyond,” Winter 2024, No. 313, Vol. 53 No. 4 Executive Director James Ryan jamesryan@merip.org Executive Editor Katie Natanel katienatanel@merip.org Managing Editor Marya Hannun maryahannun@merip.org Photo...A Note on the Cover Image
While MER issue 313 grapples with the question of resistance to Israeli-US domination in light of a weakened regional axis, its cover centers the intimate, everyday textures of life that continue to animate the struggle for liberation. Samar Hussaini’s “Inherited...Artificial Humanitarianism—The Data-Driven Future of Refugee Responses
AI and big data are changing contemporary humanitarianism for better and worse.
