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Middle East Research and Information Project

@merip.bsky.social

6.1K followers 84 following 572 posts

The Middle East Research and Information Project (MERIP) has provided critical, alternative reporting on the Middle East since 1971. www.merip.org

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James Ryan @jdryan08.bsky.social · 11h

Today I announced MERIP’s fall fundraising campaign with a special note. It’s been truly invigorating to be leading this small organization through a new period of growth and relevance, and to see support come from truly wide corners where friends and comrades are standing up for us.

Middle East Research and Information Project @merip.bsky.social · 12h

Today we announced our fall campaign with one goal--to bring our flagship publication Middle East Report back into print for the first time since 2020! Join us by making a recurring donation of $10 or more today! Read more in this note from our executive director. buff.ly/CzusxlP

Building a Sustainable Future for MERIP

Dear Friends and Comrades, When I came on board at MERIP in 2024 the task at hand was clear: find ways to engage our audience and our supporters more deeply and remain accessible to a wide audience.…

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James Ryan @jdryan08.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

An honor to meet Mahmoud Khalil tonight in Philadelphia, and to support, through MERIP, this stop on his book tour. As I told him, I am so grateful for the fight he is enduring on behalf of all of us. Palestinians and Palestinian-Americans foremost, but we all will be more free if he is victorious.

Middle East Research and Information Project @merip.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

TOMORROW: Mahmoud Khalil, Live in Philadelphia. Join MERIP and organizers Mavey Books and CAIR-Philly for a special event celebrating the release of Mahmoud Khalil's new book No Land To Stand On: Notes on Detention. buff.ly/x0vRDoY

Middle East Research and Information Project @merip.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

NEW PODCAST: 25 Years Since 9/11 And Still No Justice--Here's Why Live from Busboys and Poets in Washington DC, Lisa Hajjar, John Ryan and Alka Pradhan discuss their reporting and research on detainees at Guantánamo Bay. buff.ly/iJg95Ky

The MERIP Podcast Episode 29: 25 Years Since 9/11 And Still No Justice--Here's Why

Today on the MERIP Podcast we’re sharing a recording of a live event featuring Lisa Hajjar and John Ryan discussing their last two decades of reporting, researching and writing from Guantánamo Bay.…

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Emily L. Hauser (she/her) ❌👑 @emilylhauser.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

🧵*Very* non exhaustive where-to-start list: 1) Pal Bsky accts @theimeu.bsky.social @danaelkurd.bsky.social @merip.bsky.social @diplomatofnight.com @remembergaza.bsky.social @gazasoupkitchen.bsky.social @palestinestudies.bsky.social @unrwa.org @soniasulaiman.bsky.social @amplifypalestine.bsky.social

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svl @droseph.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Yemen has been brutally punished for not wanting to be dominated by Gulf cartel despots.

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#StupidSuez @diplomatofnight.com · 20/09/2026

Highly recommend those who still cling onto the two-state paradigm, especially one which rests upon the concept of demilitarization or the transfer of military control to a consortium, examine just how deep Israeli control goes. This was from 2009. We're 17 years away from this.

Dismantling the Matrix of Control - MERIP

Almost a decade ago I wrote an article describing Israel’s “matrix of control” over the Occupied Palestinian Territories. It consisted then of three interlocking systems: military administration of mu...

Middle East Research and Information Project @merip.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

SUPPORT MERIP: Everything we publish is paywall free. Help us keep it that way with a one-time or monthly donation today! buff.ly/3Y4OqH6

SUPPORT MERIP'S CRITICAL WORK BY DONATING For 50 years, MERIP has published critical analysis of Middle Eastern politics, history, and social justice not available in other publications. Our articles…

Middle East Research and Information Project @merip.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

ICYMI: “Remittances at Risk—Sanctions, War and Informal Finance in Yemen” As the war evolves, Yemenis are faced with steeper and steeper challenges receiving remittances from relatives abroad. buff.ly/c5nGpXz

Remittances at Risk—Sanctions, War and Informal Finance in Yemen

Yemeni migrant workers abroad send billions of dollars to Yemen every year, making remittances one of the country’s largest and most consistent sources of foreign currency. The primary corridor runs…

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al-Mutaghatris @al-mutaghatris.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

there are so many normal people underneath all of this war and chaos to worry about :(

Middle East Research and Information Project @merip.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

NEW: "Remittances at Risk--Sanctions, War and Informal Finance in Yemen" Oshin Pandey and Narayani Sritharan analyze the impact of sanctions on the ability of Yemeni migrant workers to send money back to their relatives. buff.ly/c5nGpXz

Remittances at Risk—Sanctions, War and Informal Finance in Yemen

Yemeni migrant workers abroad send billions of dollars to Yemen every year, making remittances one of the country’s largest and most consistent sources of foreign currency. The primary corridor runs…

Middle East Research and Information Project @merip.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

THIS SUNDAY: Join longtime MERIP editor and contributor Lisa Hajjar and author John Ryan to discuss 25 years of injustice for those imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay. Live at Busboys and Poets in Washington, DC. buff.ly/oaf1kvd

25 Years Since 9/11 And Still No Justice—Here's Why

September 13, 2026 @ 5PM EST, Busboys and Poets 14th and V

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Arang Keshavarzian @keshavarziana.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

If you assigned MERIP articles this semester or are planning to crib from it for your lectures, donate what you can

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#StupidSuez @diplomatofnight.com · 11/09/2026

Always repping MERIP, consider donating today so they can put out the most important content on MENA this fall

Middle East Research and Information Project @merip.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

SUPPORT MERIP: We rely on donor support so we can produce all of our writing and podcasts free to all! DONATE NOW buff.ly/unzNx1l

SUPPORT MERIP'S CRITICAL WORK BY DONATING For 50 years, MERIP has published critical analysis of Middle Eastern politics, history, and social justice not available in other publications. Our articles…

Middle East Research and Information Project @merip.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

NEW PODCAST: Arran Walshe joins the MERIP podcast to discuss the evolution of the countercultural scene in Amman. buff.ly/D2hG1qB

The MERIP Podcast Episode 28: Arran Walshe

Today on the MERIP Podcast James Ryan talks with Arran Walshe, a journalist and researcher based in Amman. Walshe is the author of “Alternative Amman–Making Counterculture in the Jordanian Capital,”…

Middle East Research and Information Project @merip.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

THIS SUNDAY: Join longtime MERIP editor and contributor Lisa Hajjar and author John Ryan to discuss 25 years of injustice for those imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay. Live at Busboys and Poets in Washington, DC. buff.ly/oaf1kvd

25 Years Since 9/11 And Still No Justice—Here's Why

September 13, 2026 @ 5PM EST, Busboys and Poets 14th and V

Middle East Research and Information Project @merip.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

EVENT REMINDER: Register now for our co-sponsored event with Lisa Hajjar and John Ryan on 25 years of injustice at Guantanamo Bay! 9/13 Live in DC at Busboys and Poets, 14th and V www.merip.org/event/25-yea...

25 Years Since 9/11 And Still No Justice—Here's Why

September 13, 2026 @ 5PM EST, Busboys and Poets 14th and V

Middle East Research and Information Project @merip.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

EVENT: Mahmoud Khalil, Live in Philadelphia MERIP is thrilled to be co-sponsoring an author talk with Mahmoud Khalil, organized by @maveybooks.bsky.social and @cairphilly.org on September 25, 7PM at the Friends Center, 1501 Cherry St. www.merip.org/event/mahmou...

Mahmoud Khalil: No Land to Stand On

September 25, 2026 @ 7 pm, Friends Center, 1501 Cherry St., Philadelphia, PA

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Ploughshares @ploughshares.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

New from grantee @merip.bsky.social: Middle East Report 319, "Art at Work." Art made in wartime. Iranian cultural institutions under bombardment. Protest music, Gulf art markets, theater under occupation, and more. Read here ⬇️ loom.ly/Fh1mPkk

MER 319: Art at Work–People, Power and Cultural Production

Dear Friends and Comrades, We’re thrilled to share Issue 319 of Middle East Report, “Art at Work–People, Power and Cultural Production.” Across the region today, art is being made, redefined and reimagined under extreme conditions of war, political upheaval and the interplay of state and market capital. Through

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Ben Rosenzweig @benrosenzweig.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

After the overthrow of Iranian democracy, the US supported the Shah's dictatorship. Excerpt from Fred Halliday on ‘Trade Unions and the Working Class Opposition’, in the October 1978 issue of MERIP Reports, not long before the anti-Shah revolution. doi.org/10.2307/3011... @merip.bsky.social

Middle East Research and Information Project @merip.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

NEW IN MER 319: "The Business of Culture" Shir Alon reviews Beth Derderian's new book, "Art Capital: Museum Politics and the Making of the Louvre Abu Dhabi" buff.ly/UEbHFNI

The Business of Culture

A Review of Beth Derderian's ‘Art Capital: Museum Politics and the Making of the Louvre Abu Dhabi'

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Ploughshares @ploughshares.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

25 years after 9/11, the case in the military commissions system has not moved past the pre-trial phase. Grantee @merip.bsky.social explores why at an event on Sept 13 at Busboys & Poets DC. RSVP: loom.ly/h0vSsX4

25 Years Since 9/11 And Still No Justice—Here's Why

September 13, 2026 @ 5PM EST, Busboys and Poets 14th and V

Middle East Research and Information Project @merip.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

NEW IN MER 319: 'Women at Work'--Challenging the Art/Craft Divide Marybelle Issa reviews a recent exhibition of art by Arab women at the Dalloul Foundation in Beirut. buff.ly/Di9mYQ9

‘Women at Work’—Challenging the Art/Craft Divide

A review of the Dalloul Art Foundation’s 2025 exhibition.

Middle East Research and Information Project @merip.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

SUPPORT MERIP: Every article on our site is free to read. We depend on reader support to keep it that way. Make a one-time or monthly donation today! buff.ly/dnc2dY5

SUPPORT MERIP'S CRITICAL WORK BY DONATING For 50 years, MERIP has published critical analysis of Middle Eastern politics, history, and social justice not available in other publications. Our articles…

Middle East Research and Information Project @merip.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

NEW IN MER 319: "The Grandmother's Anger--Theater at the Margins of Occupation" Playwright Lekaa Sharaf speaks with Maria Kastrinou about her play, "Ancestral Rage" written from the occupied Golan Heights during Israel's genocide in Gaza. buff.ly/Jg0v47z

The Grandmothers’ Anger—Theater at the Margins of Occupation

Playwright Lekaa Sharaf speaks with anthropologist Maria Kastrinou about theater in the Golan and the art of listening amid ongoing occupation and genocide.

Middle East Research and Information Project @merip.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

NEW IN MER 319: “Listening to the Jazira—Songs as Counter Archives in Northeast Syria” Heidi Affi provides a historical listening tour through a counter-archive of resistance in Northeast Syria’s folks music.

Listening to the Jazira—Songs as Counter Archives in Northeast Syria

Local shaabi music legend Khader al Nasser calls himself the “master” as he professes to teach a group of young women about love while plucking chickens in an old music video circulating on YouTube.…

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James Ryan @jdryan08.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

RIP Suleiman Mansour. Here is Dina Ramadan’s fascinating 2016 @merip.bsky.social piece on the travels and (mis)interpretations of his work, Camel of Burdens. www.merip.org/2016/10/the-...

The Straw That Broke the Camel’s Back - MERIP

In January 2015, Christie’s announced that a painting by the Palestinian Suleiman Mansour, Camel of Burdens II (Jamal al-Mahamil), would be the highlight of its annual auction of modern and contempora...

Middle East Research and Information Project @merip.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

NEW IN MER 319: "Exhibiting the Gulf--Kuwait's Overlooked Role in Regional Art" Abdullah al-Mutairi provides an alternative history of the development of the fine art scene in the Arab world, told through the story of Khalifa al-Qattan. buff.ly/QPfseyr

Exhibiting the Gulf—Kuwait’s Overlooked Role in Regional Art

In February 2026, the international Art Basel festival was held for the first time in Qatar and is scheduled to return in January 2027. In November 2026, London’s Frieze art fair is due to launch…

Middle East Research and Information Project @merip.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

NEW IN MER 319: "The Soundtrack of Dissent--The Music of Protest in Iran" by Nafiseh Sharifi. From the reformist 90s to Women, Life Freedom and this year's Dey Protests, popular music has threaded through Iran's protest movements. READ NOW buff.ly/BZN0VGE

Soundtrack of Dissent—The Music of Protest in Iran

In February 2026, one month after mass protests in Iran led to a government crackdown killing thousands, Shervin Hajipour released a new song from inside the country. Hajipour had become…

Middle East Research and Information Project @merip.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

NEW IN MER 319: "Alternative Amman--Making Counterculture in the Jordanian Capital" Arran Walshe reports on the heavy metal, alternative and dance music scenes in Amman, revealing how artists grapple with economic and political straits. READ NOW buff.ly/n5ZRz6a

Alternative Amman—Making Counterculture in the Jordanian Capital

On a balmy April night in Amman’s Jabal Al-Weibdeh, a DJ was perched on the roof of Zawyeh Space, leaning over a battered mixer as a small crowd of mostly twenty-somethings chatted under the sky. A…

Middle East Research and Information Project @merip.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

If you enjoy our new issue, please consider making a one-time or monthly donation to help us continue to produce our reporting and analysis without paywalls! buff.ly/Fb0G2aY

SUPPORT MERIP'S CRITICAL WORK BY DONATING For 50 years, MERIP has published critical analysis of Middle Eastern politics, history, and social justice not available in other publications. Our articles…

Middle East Research and Information Project @merip.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

NEW IN MER 319: "Gazing into Gaza with Mahmoud Alhaj" Curator Rana Anani provides a visual walk through of Mahmoud Alhaj’s 2024 exhibition “Control Anatomy” that spans decades of work under occupation, war and surveillance in Gaza. buff.ly/1dCrSaM

Gazing into Gaza with Mahmoud Alhaj

A visual essay featuring Alhaj’s 2024 exhibition 'Control Anatomy.’

Middle East Research and Information Project @merip.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

NEW IN MER 319: "On Drawing the Act of Looking" In a visual essay, artist Jana Traboulsi walks viewers through her recent work and the art of Mazen Kerbaj and Bahij Jaroudi to reflect on what it means to look at and to draw war and genocide as witnessed through social media. buff.ly/eXQ6XuA

On Drawing the Act of Looking

A visual essay on witnessing and rendering violence.

Middle East Research and Information Project @merip.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

NEW ISSUE: Art at Work--People, Power and Cultural Production Issue 319 of Middle East Report explores culture not as an escape from politics, but as a space where struggles over power, identity and belonging are continually negotiated. READ NOW buff.ly/Iq7N4yV

Art at Work—People, Power and Cultural Production

Middle East Research and Information Project @merip.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

EVENT: 25 Years Since 9/11 And Still No Justice--Here's Why Join MERIP contributor Lisa Hajjar and author John Ryan to discuss the continued injustice faced by detainees at Guantanamo Bay, live at Busboys and Poets, 14th & V, 9/13 5PM. INFO and RSVP www.merip.org/event/25-yea...

25 Years Since 9/11 And Still No Justice—Here's Why

September 13, 2026 @ 5PM EST, Busboys and Poets 14th and V

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🍉نرمين @nerminelsherif.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

If you’re curious about how queen Elizabeth appears as a food blogger ranking Cairo’s best Koshari carts, or how Al-share’ beats Bashar Al-assad à la WWE style, check my latest article on AI Slop and the Precarious Politics of Digital Kitsch with @merip.bsky.social www.merip.org/2026/08/the-...

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.

Middle East Research and Information Project @merip.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

SUPPORT MERIP: Our next issue, Art at Work, like all issues of Middle East Report, will be free to read without paywalls. We depend on our readers' support to help us keep it that way. Make a one-time or recurring donation today!

SUPPORT MERIP'S CRITICAL WORK BY DONATING For 50 years, MERIP has published critical analysis of Middle Eastern politics, history, and social justice not available in other publications. Our articles…

Middle East Research and Information Project @merip.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

ICYMI: Last week we published our first preview of our upcoming issue, Art at Work. Artist Parham Ghalamdar interviews Hamidreza Pejman, founder of the Pejman foundation, about how they have managed their gallery spaces during the war. READ NOW

'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.

Middle East Research and Information Project @merip.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

NEW: "Arab AI Slop and the Precarious Politics of Digital Kitsch" Nermin Elsherif explores the kitschy politics and precarious labor behind AI slop videos in the Arab world. READ NOW

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.

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Ploughshares @ploughshares.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

War affects much more than military and political institutions—it can also reshape culture and art. From grantee @merip.bsky.social, an interview with Hamidreza Pejman on keeping Tehran's independent art community alive. loom.ly/4DrwPfU

'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.

Middle East Research and Information Project @merip.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

SUPPORT MERIP: One time and monthly recurring donations are how we’re able to continue bringing out critical analysis without paywalls. Make a donation today!

SUPPORT MERIP'S CRITICAL WORK BY DONATING For 50 years, MERIP has published critical analysis of Middle Eastern politics, history, and social justice not available in other publications. Our articles…

Reposted by Middle East Research and Information Project

Arang Keshavarzian @keshavarziana.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

A great interview on running an art institution in Iran. "We are under pressure from several directions at once, and the pressures are not even aligned with one another. Each comes from a different place, but all of them converge on the same point: the impossibility of standing on any solid ground."

'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.

Middle East Research and Information Project @merip.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

NEW: 'Closed Until Further Notice'--Keeping a Tehran Art Institute Alive During Wartime. Hamidreza Pejman, founder and director of Tehran's Pejman Foundation, discusses how their galleries have navigated the US-Israeli war with artist Parham Ghalandar. buff.ly/ErkCMlq

'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.

Reposted by Middle East Research and Information Project

James Ryan @jdryan08.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Glad I could talk through the escalation between the Houthis and KSA with Susanne this week. Too much of what little analysis you see on Yemen is very superficial, Susanne’s been following Yemen on the ground (and in our pages) for 40 years. Listen up!

Middle East Research and Information Project @merip.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

SUPPORT MERIP! If you've been enjoying the MERIP Podcast and all of our recent pieces, please consider making a donation to support our work. We provide all of our content without paywalls, and rely on our readers and listeners to keep it that way!

SUPPORT MERIP'S CRITICAL WORK BY DONATING For 50 years, MERIP has published critical analysis of Middle Eastern politics, history, and social justice not available in other publications. Our articles…

Middle East Research and Information Project @merip.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

NEW PODCAST: Susanne Dahlgren joins MERIP executive director James Ryan to discuss the Houthis' attacks on Saudi Arabia and her recent essay in Current Analysis, "Yemen After the Saudi-Emirati Split." LISTEN NOW

The MERIP Podcast Episode 27: Susanne Dahlgren

Today’s episode of the MERIP Podcast features a conversation between MERIP executive director James Ryan and Susanne Dahlgren, a longtime MERIP contributor and analyst focused on Yemen whose recent…

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Mike G @mistermike.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

From @merip.bsky.social (who I love)

open.spotify.com

Episode 26: The MERIP Roundtable, On the World Cup 2026

The MERIP Podcast · Episode

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Mike G @mistermike.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

I heard a podcast where a guest talked about how inspiring the English team was, in terms of the wide swaths of society she saw getting involved. It got me thinking about the reductive way we talk about multicultural Western states. We couldn't make minorities more invisible if we actively tried.