The Cairo West power plant near the Nile river, Cairo, Egypt, 2025. Islam Safwat/Bloomberg via Getty Images Issue 315-316 Hardwiring Normalization—Infrastructures, Extraction and Gaza’s Future In the summer of 2025, a 38-page blueprint circulating inside the Trump administration was leaked to the press: the Gaza Reconstitution, Economic Acceleration and Transformation (GREAT) Trust. At first glance, it resembled countless other speculative development schemes, renderings of luxury resorts, free-trade zones and smart cities. Gaza, the Rafeef Ziadah • 11 min read
Issue 315-316 Issue 315/316 (Summer/Fall 2025) Masthead Middle East Report, “The Material Politics of Normalization,” Summer/Fall 2025, No. 315/316, Vol. 54 No. 2–3 Executive Director James Ryan jamesryan@merip.org Executive Editor Billie Jeanne Brownlee bbrownlee@merip.org Managing Editor Marya Hannun maryahannun@merip.org Senior Staff Editor & Photo Editor Michelle Woodward mwoodward@ (Author not identified) • 1 min read
Issue 315-316 A Note on the Masthead Over the summer, MERIP’s executive editor Katie Natanel rotated off the editorial team after three and a half years. Katie joined at the beginning of MERIP’s partnership with Exeter’s Institute for Arab and Islamic Studies, stepping into what was then a new position within the organization. Behind (Author not identified) • 1 min read
Sara Qaed Issue 315-316 A Note on the Cover Image The cover of MER’s Summer/Fall double issue, “The Material Politics of Normalization,” features a 2020 illustration by Bahraini artist Sara Qaed. The image—a pair of scissors bent into the Arabic word for “no” (la)—was published on Qaed’s Instagram two days before the signing of the (Author not identified) • 2 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
The MERIP Podcast The MERIP Podcast Episode Eight: Helen Lackner This episode of the MERIP podcast features an interview with longtime MERIP contributor and noted journalist Helen Lackner on the state of Yemen's Houthi movement. The conversation with MERIP Executive Director James Ryan follows up on her essay, "Yemen's Ansar Allah" that was published James Ryan • 1 min read
Syria The MERIP Podcast Episode Seven: Syria at the Crossroads III This week in the feed we have the audio from our August 14th, 2025 event "Syria at the Crossroads: Unpacking Sectarianism and the Crisis in Suweida." The conversation features perspectives from Syrian journalists, scholars, and activists Sara Ajlyakin, Sana Mustafa, and Yasser Munif, and was co-moderated by James Ryan • 1 min read
The MERIP Podcast The MERIP Podcast Episode 6: The MERIP Roundtable, "On Recognition" The MERIP Roundtable is a new format for the MERIP podcast featuring conversation on urgent issues in the Middle East with members of MERIP's Editorial Committee. The theme of this episode's conversation is "Recognition" -- both the widening circle of Israeli, diaspora, and Jewish figures James Ryan • 1 min read
The MERIP Podcast The MERIP Podcast Episode Five: Syria at the Crossroads II This week on the MERIP Podcast Feed we have the audio recording of our June 23rd event "Syria at the Crossroads: Regional Politics and the Movement for Palestine." This conversation was the second in our series jointly produced with SPECTRE: A Marxist Journal. It featured a discussion of James Ryan • 1 min read
The MERIP Podcast The MERIP Podcast Episode Four: Syria at the Crossroads I This week on the feed is the audio recording of our zoom event "Syria at the Crossroads: Popular Revolt, Counterrevolution, and Regional Transformation" featuring Leila Al-Shami, Wafa Mustafa, and Djene Bajalan. Syria at the Crossroads is a special event series co-produced by MERIP and SPECTRE: A James Ryan • 1 min read