Current Analysis Fifty Years of Occupation “Beautiful Israel” and the 1967 War Joel Beinin The 1967 Arab-Israeli war unleashed forces that reshaped Israeli politics and society. But much about the war is rooted in the military tactics, governance practices and political culture of “beautiful Israel,” as liberal Ashkenazi Zionists often nostalgically refer to the pre-1967 state. Maha Nassar, Ilana Feldman, Zachary Lockman, Noura Erakat, Joel Beinin • 23 min read
Current Analysis Labor and Class in Iran Mohammad Maljoo is a Tehran-based economist researching labor issues and the transformation of capital-labor relations in post-revolutionary Iran. Widely published in several languages, Maljoo is also the Persian translator of numerous books on political economy by thinkers such as Karl Polanyi, E. P. Thompson and Albert Hirschman. The bulk of Paola Rivetti • 14 min read
Current Analysis Lessons Learned (and Ignored) On May 23, 1997, Mohammad Khatami, who had spent most of the 1990s as head of the National Library, defeated Ali Akbar Nateq Nouri, the speaker of Parliament, to become president of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The election was a turning point in post-revolutionary history—the underdog beat the Naghmeh Sohrabi, Arang Keshavarzian • 19 min read
Current Analysis The Travel Ban and Iranian-Americans By the end of his first few weeks in office, President Donald Trump had managed to rile up most everyone in the country who was not agitated already. Of the many unsettling Trump initiatives, one of the most contentious has been his effort to make good on campaign promises of Semira Nikou • 15 min read
Current Analysis Striking for Dignity and Freedom More than 1,500 Palestinian political prisoners began a hunger strike on April 17 for better conditions inside Israeli jails. Their demands include access to education, proper medical care and an end to the practice of solitary confinement. They are striking to make their families’ lives easier, too—for regular Amahl Bishara • 6 min read
Current Analysis Fear and Loathing in Turkey Shortly after the failed coup attempt of July 16, 2016 in Turkey, I received a frantic text message from a lifelong friend, Lale Kemal. Lale is a prominent freelance journalist with an impeccable 37-year record of non-partisan reporting and analysis. She is an internationally known expert on Turkish civil-military relations, Ümit Cizre • 17 min read
Current Analysis On the Breadline in Sisi's Egypt On March 6, 2017, hundreds of local residents took to the streets of towns and cities in Upper Egypt and the Nile Delta after the Ministry of Supply cut their daily ration of subsidized baladi bread. By the following day, thousands were protesting in 17 districts across the country. In Neil Ketchley, Thoraya El-Rayyes • 10 min read
Current Analysis The Walled-Off Hotel Controversy The British street artist known as Banksy is no stranger to controversy. His public art about capitalism, misogyny and racism always produces conversation. His newest installation in occupied Bethlehem, the Walled Off Hotel, is generating significant public debate about Palestine-Israel. According to different media reports, Banksy aims to focus attention Jamil Khader • 14 min read
Current Analysis The Subversive Power of Grief One need not cast one's mind too far back to see that both the Egyptian government and the Coptic Orthodox Church are worried more about the December 11 church bombing's destabilizing potential than about the national unity they spoke of during the state-run funeral. Paul Sedra • 3 min read
Current Analysis Turkey in a Tailspin The epic blunder of the military coup attempt on July 15 has sent Turkey into a tailspin. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the prime minister and cabinet, the parliament, the top military brass, the intelligence community and the police all became aware of the plot at the same time as ordinary Ümit Cizre • 16 min read
Current Analysis Some Initial Thoughts on the Chilcot Report We asked a few MERIP friends and Iraq scholars for their reflections on what they have read so far of the report now regarded as the official assessment of British involvement in the Iraq war. (Author not identified) • 10 min read
Current Analysis Letter to UN Secretary-General Regarding Saudi Arabia's Removal from List of Armies Charged with War Crimes "The ruling Saudi regime obviously knows how to use its wealth to manipulate dysfunctional international bodies such as the UN. However, in the eyes of the global community it stands charged with overwhelming evidence of war crimes and of fundamental human indecency." (Author not identified) • 4 min read
