Egypt

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

James Ryan, Nermin Elsherif • 4 min read

Current Analysis

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.

Nermin Elsherif • 13 min read

MERIP updates

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 sharing

James Ryan, Hamidreza Pejman, Parham Ghalamdar • 7 min read

Art

'Closed Until Further Notice'—Keeping a Tehran Art Institution Alive During Wartime

Artist Parham Ghalamdar interviews Hamidreza Pejman on the shifting role of cultural institutions during crisis.

Hamidreza Pejman, Parham Ghalamdar • 13 min read

MERIP updates

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

James Ryan, Susanne Dahlgren • 1 min read

Yemen

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

Susanne Dahlgren • 11 min read