Middle East Research and Information Project

Critical Coverage of the Middle East Since 1971

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The Gulf and the British Regional Divide
Newcastle supporters prior to the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur at St. James Park on October 17, 2021 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Daniel Chesterton/Offside/Getty Images
MER Article

The Gulf and the British Regional Divide

In a troubling symbiotic relationship, Britain’s so-called “levelling up agenda,” begun by Boris Johnson, aims to address the regional divide between the country’s North and South, in part, by courting investments from the Gulf. Within this agenda, football clubs—important local assets with emotiona
Philip Proudfoot, Ali Reda • 11 min read
National Football Masculinities and the Game in Egypt
An Egyptian boy, wearing the jersey of Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, practicing football at a field in the Egyptian star’s home village of Nagrig, Egypt, May 13, 2018. Gehad Hamdy/dpa/Getty Images
MER Article

National Football Masculinities and the Game in Egypt

As football fans around the world tune in to the World Cup in Qatar, President Abd al-Fattah al-Sisi’s regime is rather turning its back on the game, which used to constitute a centerpiece of Egyptian nation building. Based on research conducted for his book, Egypt’s Football Revolution: Emotion, ma
Carl Rommel • 13 min read
The Politics of “Unskilled" Labor in Qatar—An Interview with Natasha Iskander
Workers inside the Lusail stadium, constructed for the 2022 World Cup, Doha, Qatar, 2019. Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters
MER Article

The Politics of “Unskilled" Labor in Qatar—An Interview with Natasha Iskander

With the approach of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Natasha Iskander speaks to Arang Keshavarzian about the politics of labor that underpin the tournament – and their devastating effects. From the deliberate framing of migrant workers as “unskilled” to the regulation of workers protests, minimal refor
Natasha Iskander, Arang Keshavarzian • 14 min read
The Politics and Passions of Football
Al-Ahly fans at the African Champions League game between Al-Ahly and Mamelodi Sundowns at Cairo International Stadium, Cairo, Egypt, February 26, 2022. Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters
MER Article

The Politics and Passions of Football

The Fall 2022 issue of Middle East Report, “Football—Politics and Passions,” examines the regional and global importance of the beautiful game in the lead up to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The authors of issue 304 reflect on the multiple ways football moves individuals and systems between South Asi
The Editors of Issue #304 • 3 min read