NEW: Arab AI Slop and the Precarious Politics of Digital Kitsch
Dear Friends and Comrades, If you spend any time on social media, you’ve seen the uncannily rendered videos and memes known colloquially as AI slop, crudely generated videos playing on stereotypes meant to generate viral outrage. In our upcoming summer issue of Middle East Report, Nermin Elsherif looks at
NEW: ‘Closed Until Further Notice’ – Keeping a Tehran Art Institution Alive During Wartime
Dear Friends and Comrades, The US and Israeli war has altered daily life in Iran. Between airstrikes that have destroyed basic infrastructure across the country and a regime bent on repressing political expression, the institutions that sustain cultural life have had to navigate some perilous straits. Today we are sharingThe MERIP Podcast Episode 27: Susanne Dahlgren
Today’s episode of the MERIP Podcast features a conversation between MERIP executive director James Ryan and Susanne Dahlgren, a longtime MERIP contributor and analyst focused on Yemen whose recent essay, “Yemen After the Saudi-Emirati Split” appeared in our Current Analysis section on July 8, 2026. Last December, theThe MERIP Podcast Episode 26: The MERIP Roundtable, On the World Cup 2026
On today’s program we have another installment of our MERIP Roundtable, where MERIP’s executive director, James Ryan is joined by past and present members of our editorial committee, along with recent contributors, to discuss current events. This edition focuses on the 2026 World Cup, now in its final
NEW: Yemen After the Saudi-Emirati Split
Dear Friends and Comrades, In the midst of the war on Iran and the ongoing Israeli attacks on Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank, the protracted conflict for Yemen’s future has slid out of view for many. Today we are sharing with you a critical assessment of some importantThe MERIP Podcast Episode 23: Ayça Alemdaroğlu
Today’s episode of the MERIP Podcast features an interview with Ayça Alemdaroğlu about her article, “The Capture of Turkey’s Universities Under the AKP,” in our Spring 2026 issue, “Campus Politics–Palestine and the New University Order.” MERIP executive director James Ryan spoke with Alemdaroğlu about the efforts of