** May 2020 Update. After careful consideration, MERIP has decided to extend the removal of its paywall through August. Please check back here for continued announcements as we continue to monitor the situation.
Dear MERIP Family,
For almost 50 years, MERIP has been first and foremost a community of people who care deeply about the Middle East and the world. That is truer today than it has ever been. As every pocket of the globe and every member of our community face the challenges of COVID-19, we at MERIP want to let you know the steps we are taking to bolster this community and continue our mission.
Effective immediately, MERIP has removed the paywall from its entire website and archive through August. Our archive contains invaluable analysis of the systems, structures and conditions that will shape how COVID-19 impacts the Middle East. As students, scholars, activists and concerned citizens find themselves displaced from their institutions and facing frightening economic uncertainty, we want to ensure that anyone can access MERIP’s content regardless of circumstance.
MERIP will publish new content about COVID-19 in the Middle East. Over the coming months, look for analysis of the region’s health systems, the impact of war on health and the political consequences of the global pandemic. In addition, we will be highlighting voices from the region, to understand how the virus is reshaping life in the Middle East. Finally, our social media channels will share past MERIP articles that offer particularly useful insight into the rapidly changing situation on the region.
We will continue to speak truth to power. The unique situation of a global pandemic reinforces the need to advocate for and amplify the voices of the marginalized and disenfranchised. American-led wars and disastrous foreign policies have decimated health systems, through war in Iraq and Yemen, sanctions in Iran and beyond. Millions of refugees live in camps and unsafe housing without proper medical care and without the ability to stop the rapid spread of the virus. Migrant workers in Gulf countries without legal rights are under lockdown in crowded facilities. Vast inequality decreases many people’s ability to access adequate medical care. For these reasons, our mission is more vital than ever.
Thank you for being part of the MERIP community. We wish you safety and good health.
With gratitude,
Mandy Terc
Executive Director
