Middle East Research and Information Project

Critical Coverage of the Middle East Since 1971

Sign In Sign Up

Charles Tilly

Charles Tilly directs the Center for Studies of Social Change at the New School for Social Research in New York City.

MER Article

The Europe of Columbus and Bayazid

From the perspective of Sultan Bayazid II, the Ottoman ruler in Istanbul, Columbus’ expeditions may have been a distant diversion. In fact, they belonged to a set of profound changes in relations between Islamic and Christian territories on a world scale. For the 500 years before 1492, the fortunes

Charles Tilly • 8 min read

MER Article

War and State Power

A student of European states finds much to wonder at in the recent Persian Gulf War. [1] Not that the armed, predatory character of Middle Eastern states, the invasion of a rich state’s territory by a financially strapped neighbor or a great power’s massive intervention in a local

Charles Tilly • 8 min read