People gather to protest on January 8, 2026, in Tehran, Iran. Anonymous/Getty Images MERIP updates NEW: Governing Crisis–Sanctions, Austerity and Social Unrest in Iran New analysis on the protests from Ida Nikou Ida Nikou • 2 min read
The MERIP Podcast The MERIP Podcast Episode 14: The MERIP Roundtable, On Iran's Protests In this installment of the MERIP Roundtable podcast, we discuss the latest wave of protests in Iran. The protests began on December 28, 2025, as merchants and bazaar workers reacted negatively to new budgetary measures announced by President Masoud Pezeshkian. The protests snowballed in the first week of January, reaching James Ryan, Asma Abdi, Kaveh Ehsani, Maziyar Ghiabi • 1 min read
MERIP updates MERIP's Top 10 of 2025 Dear Friends and Comrades, Today we’re sharing with you the 10 most-viewed articles we published in 2025. Each of these pieces provides crucial, current analysis of regional dynamics driven by Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza: from the impacts of AI as both a technology of war and tool James Ryan • 3 min read
The MERIP Podcast The MERIP Podcast Episode 13: Ned Leadbeater Today on the podcast we have an interview with Ned Leadbeater, a researcher and analyst based in Britain who recently wrote an article for our Summer/Fall double issue on the material politics of normalization titled, “Fiber Optics and the Hidden Politics of Connectivity.” His article explores the politics surrounding James Ryan, Ned Leadbeater • 1 min read
Film still from Palestine 36. Courtesy of Watermelon Pictures. Palestine Palestine 36 and the Hard Facts of History Annemarie Jacir’s epic portrayal of the revolt that never ended. Lori Allen • 13 min read
An illegal dump in Adana, Turkey in 2020. Plastic packaging from popular British supermarkets like Sainsbury's and French frozen food retailer Picard is ending up being dumped illegally in the Turkish countryside. (Yasin Akgul/AFP via Getty Images) MERIP updates NEW: Dirty Work—The Hidden Machinery and Human Toll of Europe’s Broken Recycling Trade By Adnan Khan Adnan Khan • 5 min read
The MERIP Podcast The MERIP Podcast Episode 12: Honoring Joe Stork, Live in DC Featuring Sarah Leah Whitson, Lisa Hajjar, Mouin Rabbani, Joel Beinin, Zachary Lockman, Rick Reinhard, Joan Mandell and Joost Hiltermann James Ryan, Lisa Hajjar, Mouin Rabbani, Joel Beinin, Zachary Lockman, Joan Mandell, Joost Hiltermann • 1 min read
MERIP updates Support MERIP on Giving Tuesday Dear Friends and Comrades, Two weekends ago, friends and colleagues gathered in Washington, DC for the annual Middle East Studies Association conference, where we reflected on and honored the memory of our co-founder and longtime editor, Joe Stork, who passed away a little over a year ago. At the conference, James Ryan • 3 min read
MERIP updates NEW: ‘We Want to Breathe’ – Dispatch from Tunisia By Dhouha Djerbi James Ryan • 2 min read
MERIP updates The MERIP Podcast Episode 11: In the Archive with Beshara Doumani Today we have a very special episode, part of a new occasional series that will highlight some of the truly great work MERIP has done over the last 50-plus years, all of which is free to read in our archive. In the first of this series, we’re featuring the James Ryan • 1 min read
MERIP updates Dick Cheney Dead An Archival Remix on the Neoconservative Legacy James Ryan • 3 min read
The MERIP Podcast The MERIP Podcast Episode Ten: Raouf Farrah On the Sumud Convoy, the Gaza Flotilla, and North African Solidarity James Ryan, Raouf Farrah • 1 min read