Dear Friends and Comrades,

Today I am happy to announce that Sabiha Allouche, a longtime MERIP contributor and editor, and  Senior Lecturer in Middle East Politics at the Institute for Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter has been elected to MERIP’s Board of Directors. Her work encompasses gender and sexuality studies, critical security studies, migration and social mobility. She has a long record of service to MERIP, including serving as an issue editor for our latest issue, Art at Work–People, Power and Cultural Production, and our Spring 2025 issue, New Gender Frontlines. She has been an active participant and organizer in our events series, including our recent Iran in Context web events. She also recently served on the board of the British Society for Middle East Studies, and is an Associate Editor at the British Journal of Middle East Studies.  

I am thrilled to have Sabiha Allouche’s wisdom and guidance through the Board of Directors as we steer MERIP into an exciting, sustainable future. I also want to thank Kaveh Ehsani for his long service to MERIP as he cycles off our board. Kaveh has been a valued contributor to the direction MERIP has taken the last several years, in addition to being a staunch advocate for our mission and an engaging podcast guest. The organization is better off for having him with us the last few years.

In Solidarity,

James Ryan
Executive Director