The MERIP Podcast The MERIP Podcast Episode 20: The MERIP Roundtable, On the Iran War Part III Today’s episode is the third installment of our MERIP Roundtable discussing the war on Iran, instigated by the United States and Israel on February 28, 2026, and its regional reverberations. This episode focuses on Israel’s expanded war on Lebanon. Following the assassination of Ali Khamanei, supreme leader of James Ryan, Rima Majed, Ali Musleh • 2 min read
The MERIP Podcast The MERIP Podcast Episode 19: The MERIP Roundtable, On the Iran War Part II On today’s episode of the MERIP Roundtable our discussion focused on people’s experiences of the war on Iran and throughout the region two and a half weeks in. Much of the discussion of this war in the western media has centered on the strategic calculus of the United James Ryan, Naghmeh Sohrabi, Toby Jones, Kaveh Ehsani • 2 min read
MERIP updates The MERIP Podcast Episode 18: The MERIP Roundtable, On The Iran War Part I On the social impact and regional politics of the US-Israeli war on Iran James Ryan, Ida Nikou, Arang Keshavarzian, Sean L. Yom • 2 min read
The MERIP Podcast The MERIP Podcast Episode 17: Niema Alhessen Today’s episode of the MERIP Podcast features an interview with Niema Alhessen, a Sudanese researcher based in Cairo who is focused on urban conflict and displacement. She is the author of “Burri Under Siege—How War Remade Everyday Life in a Sudanese Neighborhood” in our Winter 2025 issue of James Ryan, Niema Alhessen, Deen Sharp • 1 min read
The MERIP Podcast The MERIP Podcast Episode 16: Iman Ali In today’s episode Iman Ali talks about her recently published article, “Repair Amid Ongoing Ruination—Rebuilding Dahiyeh Once More,” which appeared in our Winter 2025 issue, “Reconstruction and Ruin.” Iman Ali, a doctoral candidate in anthropology at Cornell University, has been conducting fieldwork in Lebanon to investigate the impacts James Ryan, Iman Ali, Najib Hourani • 2 min read
The MERIP Podcast The MERIP Podcast Episode 15: In the Archive with Brahim El Guabli On this episode of our In the Archive series, MERIP’s Executive Director, James Ryan, speaks with Brahim El Guabli about his essay, “The Sub-Saharan Turn in Moroccan Literature,” which appeared in the Spring 2021 issue of Middle East Report, “Maghreb from the Margins.” El Guabli speaks about how migration James Ryan, Brahim El Guabli • 1 min read
The MERIP Podcast The MERIP Podcast Episode 14: The MERIP Roundtable, On Iran's Protests In this installment of the MERIP Roundtable podcast, we discuss the latest wave of protests in Iran. The protests began on December 28, 2025, as merchants and bazaar workers reacted negatively to new budgetary measures announced by President Masoud Pezeshkian. The protests snowballed in the first week of January, reaching James Ryan, Asma Abdi, Kaveh Ehsani, Maziyar Ghiabi • 1 min read
The MERIP Podcast The MERIP Podcast Episode 13: Ned Leadbeater Today on the podcast we have an interview with Ned Leadbeater, a researcher and analyst based in Britain who recently wrote an article for our Summer/Fall double issue on the material politics of normalization titled, “Fiber Optics and the Hidden Politics of Connectivity.” His article explores the politics surrounding James Ryan, Ned Leadbeater • 1 min read
The MERIP Podcast The MERIP Podcast Episode 12: Honoring Joe Stork, Live in DC Featuring Sarah Leah Whitson, Lisa Hajjar, Mouin Rabbani, Joel Beinin, Zachary Lockman, Rick Reinhard, Joan Mandell and Joost Hiltermann James Ryan, Lisa Hajjar, Mouin Rabbani, Joel Beinin, Zachary Lockman, Joan Mandell, Joost Hiltermann • 1 min read
MERIP updates The MERIP Podcast Episode 11: In the Archive with Beshara Doumani Today we have a very special episode, part of a new occasional series that will highlight some of the truly great work MERIP has done over the last 50-plus years, all of which is free to read in our archive. In the first of this series, we’re featuring the James Ryan • 1 min read
The MERIP Podcast The MERIP Podcast Episode Ten: Raouf Farrah On the Sumud Convoy, the Gaza Flotilla, and North African Solidarity James Ryan, Raouf Farrah • 1 min read
The MERIP Podcast The MERIP Podcast Episode Nine: The MERIP Roundtable, "On The Regional War" Featuring Maziyar Ghiabi, Shana Marshall and Kevin Schwartz James Ryan • 1 min read