Major Labels—Reviewing Andrew Simon’s ‘Media of the Masses’
Rethinking Egyptian history through sound.
Transnational Repression Against Exiled Women Activists
In Spring 2011, as the uprising against Bashar Al-Assad erupted in Syria, Sana, the daughter of Syrian exiles living in Canada, began engaging in online activism. Her support for the revolution rapidly gained traction among fellow Syrians and a widening global...The Legal Webs of Transnational Repression
On October 2, 2018, Saudi journalist Jamal Kashoggi was killed in the Saudi embassy in Istanbul. Intelligence services quickly determined his death to be a targeted assassination ordered by the Saudi crown prince. The instance was a brazen act of transnational...How a Tree Became a Voice—A Collective Reflection on the Iraqi Media Platform, Jummar
We launched the Iraqi independent media platform, Jummar, in October of 2022 with the goal of serving as “an independent Iraqi media initiative that seeks to pave the way for creative and ethical journalism in and about Iraq.”[1] The publication of this collective...Reporting from Tunis
In the aftermath of the 2011 revolution, Tunisian journalist Bassam Bounenni published an article on the dissident digital news site, Nawaat. In it, he criticized the media’s practices under fallen dictator Zine el-Abidine Ben ‘Ali (1987-2011). For the media to play a...Normalizing the Surveillance State—Cybersecurity Cooperation and the Abraham Accords
The new, and not-so-new, cyber dimension of Arab-Israeli normalization.
India, Israel and the Coordination of Control
How Modi is weaponizing the ‘Israeli Experience’ to target dissent.
Organizing for Digital Rights—An Interview with Mohamad Najem of SMEX
Activists are fighting for an online civic space.
Big Tech’s Partnership with Authoritarianism
A perspective on the role of major tech corporations in fueling repression.
Issue 307/308 (Summer/Fall 2023) Masthead
Middle East Report, “Frontlines–Journalism and Activism in an Age of Transnational Repression,” Summer/Fall 2023, No. 307/308, Vol. 52 No. 2-3 Executive Director Mandy Terc mandyterc@merip.org Executive Editor Katie Natanel katienatanel@merip.org...A Note on the Cover Image
The cover image for MER issue 307/308 features a mural of jailed Moroccan investigative journalist, Omar Radi. The words “Free All Journalists” are emblazoned next to him. Radi was first detained in Casablanca in December of 2019 for “insulting a judge”—a charge that...Perspective—Recognizing and Repairing the Harm to Iraq’s Minority Communities
As the Costs of War project has documented, the US invasion of Iraq and its aftermath (including interventions, the rise of militant groups and terror attacks) resulted in more than three hundred thousand deaths due to direct violence. Twenty years later, the knock-on...The Political Logic Behind Iraq’s Fragmented Armed Forces
On the cusp of losing power following a poor performance in the October 2021 election, Iraq’s Fateh Alliance and its Popular Mobilization Forces—a coalition of armed factions under the umbrella of the Iraqi state—sent protesters to occupy parts of Baghdad’s heavily...The Rise and Fall of Kurdish Power in Iraq
More than thirty years after its founding, the KRG faces an uncertain future.
Two Decades of Uneven Federalism in Iraq
Transforming the centralized Iraqi state into a federal state was one of the most pressing political goals for the engineers and so-called nation builders behind the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. Proponents of federalism, like the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and...Water, Oil and Iraq’s Climate Future
Two resources tell the story of Iraq’s climate vulnerability.
Iraqi Women’s Activism—20 Years After the US Invasion
What the last two decades have meant for Iraq’s women’s movement.
Perpetual Protest and the Failure of the post-2003 Iraqi State
Tishreen transformed Iraq’s protest culture. Can protest transform the post-2003 state?
Interview—The Past, Present and Future of Iraq’s Cultural Heritage
A conversation with archaeologists Mark Altaweel and Jaafar Jotheri.
