Latest Issue:
Art at Work—People, Power and Cultural Production
Arab AI Slop and the Precarious Politics of Digital Kitsch
As Israel’s genocide in Gaza and the subsequent regional war reshape the Arab internet, AI-generated slop has emerged as a new form of digital kitsch and political fantasy fueled by precarious labor.
‘Women at Work’—Challenging the Art/Craft Divide
A review of the Dalloul Art Foundation’s 2025 exhibition.
MERIP Updates
NEW: Arab AI Slop and the Precarious Politics of Digital Kitsch
Dear Friends and Comrades, If you spend any time on social media, you’ve seen the uncannily rendered videos and memes known colloquially as AI slop, crudely generated videos playing on stereotypes meant to generate viral outrage. In our upcoming summer issue of Middle East Report, Nermin Elsherif looks at
NEW: ‘Closed Until Further Notice’ – Keeping a Tehran Art Institution Alive During Wartime
Dear Friends and Comrades, The US and Israeli war has altered daily life in Iran. Between airstrikes that have destroyed basic infrastructure across the country and a regime bent on repressing political expression, the institutions that sustain cultural life have had to navigate some perilous straits. Today we are sharingThe MERIP Podcast Episode 27: Susanne Dahlgren
Today’s episode of the MERIP Podcast features a conversation between MERIP executive director James Ryan and Susanne Dahlgren, a longtime MERIP contributor and analyst focused on Yemen whose recent essay, “Yemen After the Saudi-Emirati Split” appeared in our Current Analysis section on July 8, 2026. Last December, theThe MERIP Podcast Episode 26: The MERIP Roundtable, On the World Cup 2026
On today’s program we have another installment of our MERIP Roundtable, where MERIP’s executive director, James Ryan is joined by past and present members of our editorial committee, along with recent contributors, to discuss current events. This edition focuses on the 2026 World Cup, now in its final
NEW: Yemen After the Saudi-Emirati Split
Dear Friends and Comrades, In the midst of the war on Iran and the ongoing Israeli attacks on Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank, the protracted conflict for Yemen’s future has slid out of view for many. Today we are sharing with you a critical assessment of some important
Current Analysis
Yemen After the Saudi-Emirati Split
In early December 2025, Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council (STC) took many by surprise when it seized control of the country’s oil-rich Hadhramaut governorate, a region that had been under the control of Saudi-backed forces. After its eastern neighbor al-Mahra declared allegiance to the STC, the
Rethinking Political Change in Iran from Protest to War
One month before the United States and Israel began the current war against Iran on February 28, 2026, mass uprisings within the country resulted in the severest government crackdown in its modern history. Protests and repression were accompanied by calls for outside intervention. US President Donald Trump declared on January
'Our Compass is Broken'—Israel's Ongoing War in South Lebanon
Every day since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza in 2023, my father, like many other villagers from Lebanon’s south, has listened to the news in the hope of hearing that he can return to our village along the border of South Lebanon and rebuild our house.
War Across Boundaries–Perspectives on Iran and a Region Under Siege
On February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran, initiating a war with wide-ranging consequences for Iran and the broader region and devastating effects for their populations. Already, millions have been displaced and thousands killed. But this war is not a sudden rupture. It isPrimers
Palestine and Israel—A Primer
This primer provides an overview of key actors, organizations, historic events, political developments and diplomatic initiatives that have shaped the status and fate of Palestinians and the State of Israel from the late nineteenth century to the present. It is divided into topical sections and organized roughly chronologically—although some
MERIP Updates
NEW: Arab AI Slop and the Precarious Politics of Digital Kitsch
Dear Friends and Comrades, If you spend any time on social media, you’ve seen the uncannily rendered videos and memes known colloquially as AI slop, crudely generated videos playing on stereotypes meant to generate viral outrage. In our upcoming summer issue of Middle East Report, Nermin Elsherif looks at
NEW: ‘Closed Until Further Notice’ – Keeping a Tehran Art Institution Alive During Wartime
Dear Friends and Comrades, The US and Israeli war has altered daily life in Iran. Between airstrikes that have destroyed basic infrastructure across the country and a regime bent on repressing political expression, the institutions that sustain cultural life have had to navigate some perilous straits. Today we are sharingThe MERIP Podcast Episode 27: Susanne Dahlgren
Today’s episode of the MERIP Podcast features a conversation between MERIP executive director James Ryan and Susanne Dahlgren, a longtime MERIP contributor and analyst focused on Yemen whose recent essay, “Yemen After the Saudi-Emirati Split” appeared in our Current Analysis section on July 8, 2026. Last December, theThe MERIP Podcast Episode 26: The MERIP Roundtable, On the World Cup 2026
On today’s program we have another installment of our MERIP Roundtable, where MERIP’s executive director, James Ryan is joined by past and present members of our editorial committee, along with recent contributors, to discuss current events. This edition focuses on the 2026 World Cup, now in its final
NEW: Yemen After the Saudi-Emirati Split
Dear Friends and Comrades, In the midst of the war on Iran and the ongoing Israeli attacks on Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank, the protracted conflict for Yemen’s future has slid out of view for many. Today we are sharing with you a critical assessment of some important
