Covid-19 Coverage

Voices from the Middle East: The Future of the Hirak Movement in Algeria

Is the Algerian state using the COVID-19 crisis and the suspension of weekly street protests as an opportunity to put an end to the Hirak social movement? What is the Hirak doing now? How is the government responding to the pandemic? Muriam Haleh Davis interviews the Algerian journalist Selma Kasmi

Muriam Davis, Selma Kasmi • 7 min read

Current Analysis

The Making of a "Resistance Parliament" in Iran and the Challenges Ahead

Iran's parliamentary elections in February handed the conservative supporters of the Supreme Leader a major victory. Abedini and Armin explain how and lay out why the regime is poorly positioned to deal with popular discontent, crushing US sanctions and the spreading coronavirus.

Vahid Abedini, Razieh Armin • 11 min read

Regional Authoritarians Target the Twittersphere

Saudi Arabia’s illicit infiltration of Twitter turns out to be only the tip of the iceberg of regional regime’s efforts to wrest control of political discourse on social media.

Alexei Abrahams • 11 min read

Regional Uprisings Confront Gulf-Backed Counterrevolution

Wealthy, ambitious and emboldened by US acquiescence, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have emerged as key protagonists in thwarting popular movements.

Jonathan Fenton-Harvey • 11 min read

Resurgent Protests Confront New and Old Red Lines in Jordan

In response to multiple waves of protests, including a surge of protests in 2019, the Jordanian state has worked hard to establish and enforce five red lines for the protests not to cross in order to rein in the potential impact of unified protests across the kingdom.

Curtis Ryan • 15 min read

Thinking Critically About Regional Uprisings

In order to broaden our frameworks for thinking critically about the new round of uprisings, MERIP editorial committee member Jillian Schwedler asked a number of critical scholars for their perspectives on how we should be thinking about regional protests and what is often overlooked or misunderstoo

Jillian Schwedler • 20 min read

Cracks in Tunisia’s Democratic Miracle

Less than a decade after the 2011 uprising that ousted a dictator, the election of an anti-establishment president amidst popular turmoil indicates that many Tunisians reject the narrative that all is well with Tunisia’s new liberal democracy.

Laryssa Chomiak • 9 min read

Dhiban as Barometer of Jordan’s Rural Discontent

Dhiban shares with much of rural Jordan a long history of seismic societal shifts and gradual economic marginalization. This history forebodes continued unrest in underdeveloped areas as long as economic problems remain unaddressed.

Colfax Phillips • 15 min read

From Protesta to Hirak to Algeria’s New Revolutionary Moment

But protesters have not gone home, and many have vowed to stay until the underlying structure of rule in Algeria changes and its ruling elite–known as Le Pouvoir (the power)–are expelled from power. The protesters are demanding that an entirely new system–which some call a new revolution–be put in p

Robert Parks, Robert P. Parks • 10 min read

Lebanon’s Thawra

This uprising is demanding justice beyond sectarian, class, religious or cultural divides. In the clarity brought about by the uprising, the regime’s politics of division has been challenged by the uprising’s politics of solidarity.

Rima Majed, Lana Salman • 9 min read

Iraqis Demand a Country

Chanting “We want a country,” the youth-led protesters of Iraq are demanding nothing less than a new country as the uprising goes beyond narrowly defined political demands concerning electoral politics and legal reforms.

Zahra Ali • 10 min read

MER Article

Protest Camp as Counter-Archive at a Moroccan Silver Mine

Eight years ago, residents of Imider in Morocco's rural southeast shut down a silver mining company's water pipe on a nearby mountain to protest the damages to their health and livelihoods. This direct action turned into the longest sit-in protest encampment in Moroccan history. Perched on a rugged

Zakia Salime • 13 min read