Middle East Research and Information Project

Critical Coverage of the Middle East Since 1971

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Issue 312

Articles from Fall 2024

Editors’ Picks—Reading and Watching the Prison in North Africa and the Middle East
The book covers of Rotten Evidence: Reading and Writing in an Egyptian Prison by Ahmed Naji, The Shell: Memoirs of a Hidden Observer by Mustafa Khalifa, and The Purple Color of Kurdish Politics: Women Politicians Write from Prison Edited by Gültan Kışanak.
MER Article

Editors’ Picks—Reading and Watching the Prison in North Africa and the Middle East

The editors of MER issue 312, “Carceral Realities and Freedom Dreams,” assembled a list of literary works and films (available in English) that take up the prison across space and time. These works capture the themes of the issue: carceralism—that is, forms of un-freedom—and organized resistance against it.
(Author not identified) • 10 min read
The Genocide Will Be Automated—Israel, AI and the Future of War
An aerial photo taken on October 3, 2024 shows the destruction of Jabalia refugee camp, and people who have no choice but to live in the ruins, Gaza City, Gaza. Mahmoud ssa/Anadolu via Getty Images
MER Article

The Genocide Will Be Automated—Israel, AI and the Future of War

"We are here on the Gaza border," said Shalev Hulio, posing with a gun slung over his shoulder. It was November 7, 2023, and he was recording a video to announce the launch of his new cybertechnology start-up, Dream Security. In 2022, Hulio had stepped down from his
Leila Katibah • 10 min read
Cairo's Incarcerated Geographies
A general view on April 29, 2018 of a government-demolished slum that existed behind the state television and radio headquarters (R) in the Maspero Triangle area in the center of Cairo. Khaled Desouki/AFP via Getty ImagesMaspero Triangle, before and after destruction. Source: Google Earth.Map by the author and published on May 8th, 2024.
MER Article

Cairo's Incarcerated Geographies

In 2015, the Egyptian government announced a series of urban development plans, a schema that included having a city free of slums. As part of this plan, the state implemented a policy to relocate residents of so-called unsafe areas to new neighborhoods and redevelop existing neighborhoods using a combination of
Omnia Khalil • 5 min read
Resisting Carceralism and Fighting for Freedom—A Roundtable
An Egyptian policeman near watch towers at Tora prison on the southern outskirts of Cairo. Picture taken during a guided tour organized by Egypt’s State Information Service on February 11, 2020, Khalid Desouki/AFP via Getty ImagesA demonstration in Nablus, in the occupied West Bank, on August 3, 2024, in solidarity with Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons and the people of Gaza. Zain Jaafar/AFP via Getty Images
MER Article

Resisting Carceralism and Fighting for Freedom—A Roundtable

Four activists reflect on building a global anti-carceral movement.
Sahar Francis, Asim Qureshi, Kaouther Ferjani, Yara Sallam • 19 min read