Middle East Research and Information Project

Critical Coverage of the Middle East Since 1971

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'A Place Without a Door' and 'Uncle Give me a Cigarette'—Two Essays by Palestinian Political Prisoner, Walid Daqqah
Portrait of Walid Daqqah by artist and architect Hazem Abutawila.Protesters gather to hold a demonstration demanding the release of Walid Daqqa in Bethlehem, West Bank on June 7, 2023. His wife and daughter appear in the poster behind him. Wisam Hashlamoun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Current Analysis

'A Place Without a Door' and 'Uncle Give me a Cigarette'—Two Essays by Palestinian Political Prisoner, Walid Daqqah

Essays, smuggled out of prison, have been translated as part of the campaign for Daqqah's release.
Walid Daqqah, Dalia Taha • 8 min read
'Undesirables' and the Mediterranean Graphic Novel
The cover of Aomar Boum and Nadjib Berber’s book “Undersirables.”A 2002 political cartoon by Nadjib Berber sharply criticizing IMF policies in Algeria. The man in the suit says, “With the IMF, my motto is… if the Algerians don’t want to drop their pants, they have to tighten their belts.” To which the other man replies, “The problem is we have neither one nor the other.” Courtesy of Susan Slyomovics.
Current Analysis

'Undesirables' and the Mediterranean Graphic Novel

Aomar Boum on tracing the holocaust to North Africa through his new graphic novel with Nadjib Berber.
Aomar Boum, Elizabeth Perego • 12 min read
The Everyday Politics of Authoritarian Rule in Jordan
Jillian Schwedler, Protesting Jordan: Geographies of Power and Dissent (Stanford University Press, 2022)José Ciro Martínez, States of Subsistence: The Politics of Bread in Contemporary Jordan (Stanford University Press, 2022)Jessica Watkins, Creating Consent in an Illiberal Order: Policing Disputes in Jordan (Cambridge University Press, 2022)
Current Analysis

The Everyday Politics of Authoritarian Rule in Jordan

Three recent books on Jordan trace authoritarianism in the mundane rhythms of daily life.
Sean L. Yom • 15 min read
Awakening to the Politics of Israel—An Interview with Sonya Meyerson-Knox of Jewish Voice for Peace
Demonstrators with Jewish Voice for Peace Chicago protest President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel on December 14, 2017. Scott Olson/Getty Images
Current Analysis

Awakening to the Politics of Israel—An Interview with Sonya Meyerson-Knox of Jewish Voice for Peace

In the context of Israel's newly elected far-right government and ongoing censorship of Palestine in academia and social media, MERIP shares the second of a two-part series of interviews on changing American Jewish attitudes towards Israel and Zionism. In this interview, Lori Allen speaks with Sonya
Lori Allen, Sonya Meyerson-Knox • 9 min read
The Challenge in Sudanese Women’s Football
Players vie for the ball during the Sudanese Women Football League match between Tahadi (green) and Difaa (yellow), in Khartoum on September 30, 2019. Ashraf Shazly/AFP/Getty ImagesA still from Zein’s 2019 documentary ‘Khartoum Offside.’ ORE Productions-Marwa Zein.
Current Analysis

The Challenge in Sudanese Women’s Football

Women’s football in Sudan has grown significantly since the 2000s, with more than 720 players and 21 teams now participating in the women’s national league. Yet attitudes toward women’s play vary across the country, with many footballers facing religious condemnation, social stigmatization, police h
Sara Al-Hassan, Deen Sharp • 11 min read
COP27, Alaa Abd El-Fattah and the Dreams of the Revolution—A Conversation with Omar Robert Hamilton and Ashish Ghadiali
Alaa Abd El-Fattah’s sisters, Mona and Sanaa Seif, at the sit-in outside of the UK Foreign Office on October 30, 2022. Alisdare Hickson. CC 2.0.
Current Analysis

COP27, Alaa Abd El-Fattah and the Dreams of the Revolution—A Conversation with Omar Robert Hamilton and Ashish Ghadiali

On November 6, 2022, COP27 will begin in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, with the aim of delivering on the Paris Agreement and the intention to acknowledge the disproportionate effects of climate change on the Global South, through "Loss and Damage." On the same day, British-Egyptian political prisoner and
The Editors • 12 min read