In 2022, MERIP launched a transformative partnership with The University of Exeter’s Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies (IAIS). MERIP’s Executive Editor and Managing Editor positions are based at Exeter within IAIS’ Centre for Middle East Politics.

The Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies is one of the foremost academic institutions in the UK offering research and teaching degree programmes in a wide range of areas within the field of Arab, Middle Eastern, and Islamic Studies. We offer Arabic and Middle East languages as well as comprehensive education in the literatures and cultures of the Arab world and Middle East, the history, politics, economies, societies, and anthropology of the region and almost every aspect of Islamic studies from medieval to modern Islam. A number of dedicated research centers and links with other subject areas provide you with an opportunity to branch out into other disciplines and areas of study, as well as reinforcing the teaching you receive through cutting-edge research and engagement with current issues.

Paul Silverstein, Chair of MERIP’s Board of Directors, remarked ,“We see this partnership with IAIS as a crucial step in furthering our mission to reach academics, journalists, NGOs and informed citizens beyond North America. We anticipate that the partnership will additionally help MERIP achieve financial and organizational sustainability for decades to come.”

Professor Sajjad Rizvi, former Director of IAIS, commented “We are extremely excited about this partnership with MERIP, which will strengthen our global links with scholars, journalists, and NGOs working on the Middle East. MERIP has always been at the forefront of public scholarship on the contemporary Middle East, and this partnership confirms the global standing of IAIS. We are confident that this partnership will provide valuable opportunities for our staff and students to become more involved in writing, editing, and publishing on the region.”