MER Article

Routes to Disruption—Supply Chain Sabotage and Israel's War on Gaza

Since October 7, at least three shipments of military-grade jet fuel (JP-8) have reached Israel from the United States, powering the fighter jets and Apache helicopters that have, for more than nine months now, continued to decimate Gaza. Each shipment carried 30,000 barrels of fuel—enough to refuel a

Elia El-Khazen, Charlotte Rose • 6 min read

MER Article

Fossil Fueled Comfort—The History and Cost of Air Conditioning in Bahrain

How AC has reshaped the urban landscape and labor politics of the Gulf.

Marwa Koheji • 9 min read

MER Article

The Rise and Fall of Kurdish Power in Iraq

More than thirty years after its founding, the KRG faces an uncertain future.

Bilal Wahab • 11 min read

MER Article

Water, Oil and Iraq’s Climate Future

Two resources tell the story of Iraq's climate vulnerability.

Zeinab Shuker • 9 min read

Uncategorized

Water, Oil and Iraq’s Climate Future

In the second preview article from MERIP's spring issue, The State of Iraq—twenty years after the invasion, Zeinab Shuker writes about how oil and water tell the story of Iraq's climate vulnerability.

Zeinab Shuker • 9 min read

MER Article

The Financial Ties that Bind the Arab Gulf Monarchies and the United States

In July 2021, former President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and advisor Jared Kushner obtained a $2 billion investment for his newly formed private equity firm, Affinity Partners, from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund. Notably, the deal was approved despite opposition from the Saudi fund’s investme

David Wight • 12 min read

Current Analysis

Labor Organizing on the Rise Among Iranian Oil Workers

Oil workers in Iran have been striking since June 19, 2021, leading some observers to ask whether protests are becoming routine within the existing political system or are a prelude to a bigger uprising. The authors explain what makes these strikes remarkable, why Iran's neoliberal policies pushed w

Mohammad Ali Kadivar, Peyman Jafari, Mehdi Hoseini, Saber Khani • 14 min read

MER Article

"Algeria is not for Sale!" Mobilizing Against Fracking in the Sahara

Although Algeria's 2019 Hirak uprising came as a surprise to many, previous instances of popular mobilization, like the impressive protests against fracking that emerged in several southern Algerian cities in 2014 and 2015, not only highlighted the intersection of political and environmental questio

Naoual Belakhdar • 9 min read

MER Article

The Unintended Consequences of Turkey’s Quest for Oil

The discovery of oil in Turkey's southeast encouraged state elites to imagine that development would lead to the assimilation of Kurds into Turkish culture and language. Instead, oil infrastructures and the resulting social changes had very different consequences. Zeynep Oguz explains the historical

Zeynep Oguz • 13 min read

Current Analysis

The Unintended Consequences of Turkey’s Quest for Oil

The discovery of oil in Turkey's southeast encouraged state elites to imagine that development would lead to the assimilation of Kurds into Turkish culture and language. Instead, oil infrastructures and the resulting social changes had very different consequences. Zeynep Oguz explains the historical

Zeynep Oguz • 13 min read

MER Article

The Oil for Security Myth and Middle East Insecurity

Since the end of World War II, US policy toward the Middle East has ostensibly been dedicated to protecting the free flow of hydrocarbons to sustain the global economy. In reality, America’s pursuit of energy security has increased insecurity in the region through conflict, militarization and suppor

Jacob Mundy • 19 min read

Current Analysis

The Oil for Security Myth and Middle East Insecurity

Since the end of World War II, US policy toward the Middle East has ostensibly been dedicated to protecting the free flow of hydrocarbons to sustain the global economy. In reality, America’s pursuit of energy security has increased insecurity in the region through conflict, militarization and suppor

Jacob Mundy • 19 min read