Dear Friends and Comrades,

Two weekends ago, friends and colleagues gathered in Washington, DC for the annual Middle East Studies Association conference, where we reflected on and honored the memory of our co-founder and longtime editor, Joe Stork, who passed away a little over a year ago. At the conference, and at a lively gathering at Busboys and Poets, our staff, longtime contributors and comrades from across the country spoke about MERIP’s decades long commitment to fostering a space for critical, rigorous analysis, while building a supportive community in which our work can thrive. 

It was equal parts inspiring and gratifying to hear about the community that Joe brought together through MERIP and his extraordinary efforts to keep our organization afloat. It reminded me, again, that even though we now do much of our work remotely, none of it is possible without community support. Everything we’ve accomplished over the last year—publishing three outstanding issues, starting a podcast, organizing events and launching the new website—have been made possible by the support of you, our readers. 

All of our development has put the organization in a place where it is poised to do even more great things in 2026. With new and refined tools at our disposal, we hope to strengthen the organization in the next year so that we can offer more critical perspectives on the current challenges the Middle East and the world are facing at this moment. A year ago Bashar al-Asad’s regime in Syria fell in swift and surprising fashion. Despite the shock of that moment, there are fresh challenges under President Ahmad al-Shara’a: the search for justice and accountability for Asad’s crimes, enduring attacks and expanded land grabs by Israel and the quest for Kurdish autonomy. The last year has seen a continuation of the genocide in Gaza, a rapid escalation in dispossession across Palestine, and the aggressive expansion of Israel’s regional war against Iran with attacks on Lebanon, Yemen and Qatar. At the moment, there is a tenuous, routinely violated ceasefire agreement that has created a cloud of uncertainty as everyday life in Gaza enters a new dystopic reality. We’ve addressed these developments through incisive dispatches and rigorous analysis and have centered voices from dissident and activist movements throughout. 

Our ability to produce more work absolutely depends on increased support from our readers. At MERIP we rely on a lot of volunteer labor from our editorial committee, and our entire staff is part-time. The commitment and drive of everyone in our community is what makes it possible for us to produce a leading publication like Middle East Report on a fraction of a fraction of the budget our peers enjoy. But, that commitment, like most material things, has its limits. 

As we come to the end of the year, we hope you’ll be able to support our work now and in the future. No amount is too small—our average donation is $100. If you haven’t already this year, please consider making a donation to MERIP today. If you already have, thank you, and perhaps consider making a monthly contribution, or giving us one more boost before the close of the year. 

In Solidarity,

James Ryan
Executive Director

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