A great opportunity for Middle East scholars looking to workshop their first book.

Apply now for the Spring 2026 POMEPS Virtual Research Workshops! The deadline to apply is October 15, 2025. For more information on how to apply, visit: pomeps.org/call-for-app...

Today is the last day to vote in Apsa Mena officer elections. Please vote if you haven’t already. And if you have, thanks for voting!

Section members - Reminder about our elections! Only a few days left to get your vote in. You should have received an email (hint: search for 'Survey Research' in your inbox), or you can find the ballot on @apsa.bsky.social Connect. Get your votes in for your new elected representatives! #menasky

Dear colleagues in the APSA MENA section: We have one more week of online voting for 3 executive committee positions: chair, treasurer, and at-large member. Pls see the link in your email from APSA and please vote!

Famine confirmed for first time in Gaza FAO, UNICEF, WFP & WHO reiterate call for immediate ceasefire & unhindered humanitarian access to curb deaths from hunger & malnutrition.

Revealed: Israeli military’s own data indicates civilian death rate of 83% in Gaza war www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...

The destruction of #Gaza by Israel continues, with nearly 200.000 structures damaged or destroyed, according to the latest @UNOSAT / @UNHABITAT analysis. With over 60 million tons of rubble, and most of the agricultural land gone, Gaza is made unhabitable unhabitat.org/sites/defaul...

NEW PODCAST: The MERIP Roundtable "On Recognition" @jdryan08.bsky.social is joined by EdCommers @lisahajjar.bsky.social, @seanyom.bsky.social, and Jacob Mundy to discuss genocide recognition by Israeli figures and institutions, and UK/Canada recognition for a Palestinian state. buff.ly/IZuBpDI

Everyone now agrees that Gaza is at least close to genocide, but instead of acting to stop it the US and too many others are normalizing it. My new piece asks what that means for Gaza, Israel, regional order… and IR theory. abuaardvarkghost.ghost.io/normalizing-...

TODAY 1PM EST: Syria at the Crossroads: Unpacking Sectarianism and the Crisis in Suweida w/ Sara Ajlyakin, Sana Mustafa and Yasser Munif Co-sponsored by MERIP and @journalspectre.bsky.social

The start of a new semester is the perfect time to become a core supporter of Abu Aardvark’s Ghost and the MENA Academy. For the next three weeks I’m offering 25% off annual subscriptions - please consider joining up and helping me to keep the blog going! abuaardvarkghost.ghost.io/new-semester...

‘Can you tell us how he died?’: Mohamed Salah criticises UEFA over tribute to ‘Palestinian Pelé’ www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Better read this by @byjordangreen.bsky.social about "a strain of white power violence known as “militant accelerationism.” Its adherents promote a militant vanguard committed to terrorism and insurrection as a means of bringing about a white ethno-state."

The newest issue of Middle East Report is now out: New Gender Frontlines. Open access and available here:

Coming up soon: Today's launch event for the Gender Frontlines issue of Middle East Report. Details:

“Both Israel and the US will almost certainly come to rue their embrace of might makes right as they reach the limits of their military capabilities and find themselves alone in a world without allies or sympathy.” New piece just dropped. abuaardvarkghost.ghost.io/yep-trump-go...

The Iranian parliament has voted to close the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz in the wake of US attacks, presaging major spikes in oil prices and disruptions to global energy security.

Erdogan announced plans this week to step up Turkey’s missile production. Some see it as a sign that the Israel-Iran war could trigger an arms race in the region, with countries aiming to build deterrence and preempt future conflicts Via @suzanfraser.bsky.social apnews.com/article/turk...

"The incident was the latest in nearly daily mass deaths of Palestinians who were seeking aid in past weeks, including near sites operated by the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation."

"As Israel strikes targets across the Iranian capital...it hits civil-society figures associated with the country’s protest movement alongside officials...Parnia Abbasi, 23, a poet and an English teacher, was killed together with her parents and brother on the first day of the air campaign..."

With even less news coming out of Gaza due to an internet blackout & crowding out effects due to Israel's attack on Iran, it's essential to keep asking where things are, especially amid claims that aid is getting in via the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Reporting confirms analysts' worst fears.

UPDATE: Over 200 Israeli strikes in Iran kill 9 IRGC commanders and nuclear scientists. Details on who they are/replacements www.al-monitor.com/originals/20...

Israel’s targeting thus far — and it is very early — looks like it is not just about degrading the nuclear program. It seems to be trying to provoke regime collapse in Iran and put an end to the nuclear talks with the US. abuaardvarkghost.ghost.io/why-did-isra...

Were Aime Césaire alive to conduct a structural analysis of the advancing militarization of American law enforcement since 9/11, I suspect he would have understood DHS as a template for how Imperial Boomerangs operate in the 21st century. Me for @zeteo.com on LA, and what led to it.

A more accurate rendition of what is happening in LA if it had happened in any other country

Deadline approaching! June 7 - for nominations for APSA MENA section leadership posts. 3 will be opening up. Pls see details in this 3 post thread:

In this issue we feature excellent contributions on three big themes: Is there an emerging regional order in the Middle East?; The politics of time in MENA; Joe Biden’s legacy in the Middle East.

I’m delighted to share the spring issue of MENA Politics—APSA MENA Section’s Newsletter. This is our first issue as the incoming editorial team with amazing Diana Barbara Greenwald and Samer S Shehata. You can download the full issue or individual essays here: zenodo.org/records/1538...

Another really interesting (and useful for teaching) issue of the @apsamena.bsky.social Newsletter... with special sections of the question of a "New Regional Order" in the Middle East and the legacies of the Biden Administration's policy towards the Middle East.

Submit your nominations to apsamena[at]gmail.com with: · A one-paragraph bio · A brief statement (few sentences) on why the nominee would like to serve in this role · Specify the nominee's preferred position(s), including a ranked order if considering multiple positions Join us!

This year, we are looking to fill three positions: Chair; Treasurer; Member-at-Large All nominees must be current APSA-MENA Section members and have completed their PhD. The deadline to submit an application is June 7th, and elections will be held over the summer.

Want to get more actively involved in the APSA MENA Section? Our nominating committee will be assembling candidates for our upcoming section elections. If you're a member of the section (and have a Phd), you can nominate yourself or a colleague to be considered!

The issue covers 3 main topics: the possibility of a new regional order; the politics of time; and the Biden administration's legacy in the region. There's a feature essay, two symposia, and a roundtable! You'll also find updates from @arabpsn.bsky.social, the APSA MENA program, and section news.

In their introduction to the issue, the editors reflect on challenges ahead given ongoing attacks against free speech in academia, with Middle East studies at its centre. They also push us, however, to not lose sight of developments in the region. The contributions to the issue aim to do both.

The Spring issue of our section's newsletter is out! It's the first one with the wonderful incoming editorial team @dbgreenwald.bsky.social @sebnemgumuscu.bsky.social & Samer Shehatat - and it's jam-packed! Download it here: zenodo.org/records/1538...

Check out @maydarwich.bsky.social's essay alongside others in our latest newsletter, covering whether and what shape the "new regional order" is taking, including a feature essay by Louise Fawcett and a very rich set of essays in the symposium.

Congratulations to the new editorial team for a wonderfully rich first issue!

Very pleased to share the Spring 2025 issue of the @apsamena.bsky.social newsletter, co-edited with @samershehata.bsky.social and @sebnemgumuscu.bsky.social: zenodo.org/records/1538...

The latest issue of MENA Politics is now posted on the APSA MENA website. You can find the newsletter, and other important information about our section, here: apsamena.org/mena-politic...

Webinar: Strategies for Teaching American Politics in Turbulent Times Join our expert panelists for a discussion on teaching American Politics in times of political uncertainty and crisis.  Thursday, June 5, 2025 | 1:00 p.m. Eastern | Register Here Responding to the current political environment…

This week, U.S. President Donald Trump is set to visit Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Read @abuaardvark.bsky.social on Trump’s approach to the Middle East—and what the president could achieve during this trip:

Dear colleagues studying Middle East politics: The latest issue of our APSA section newsletter MENA Politics is now out -- 80+ pages of important updates, reports, and analysis. You can find it here: zenodo.org/records/1538... #Menasky #Polisky

Why did Jordan ban the Muslim Brotherhood (again)? @curtisryan.bsky.social explores the possibilities. arabcenterdc.org/resource/jor...

Iran dreamed up a U.S.-style Marshall Plan to rebuild Syria after the civil war. It invested billions to build influence there. Docs from its looted embassy in Damascus reviewed by Reuters show how that plan went spectacularly wrong w the ouster of Bashar al-Assad. www.reuters.com/investigatio...

My thoughts: Jordan Bans the Muslim Brotherhood Amid Increasing Regional Strife — @arabcenterdc.org arabcenterdc.org/resource/jor...

My thoughts: Jordan Bans the Muslim Brotherhood Amid Increasing Regional Strife — @arabcenterdc.org arabcenterdc.org/resource/jor...

Deadline next Tuesday! 📢 The APSA Advancing Research Grants Spring 2025 cycle will award #earlycareer scholars whose #research areas are focused in race, ethnicity and politics, inequality and inequity, gender, sexuality and politics, LGBTQ+ politics, and accessibility politics. Apply by 5/6!

BREAKING: The World Food Program says its food stocks in Gaza have run out under Israel’s nearly 8-week-old blockade, ending a main source of sustenance for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the territory.

There is still time to apply to the MENA Methods Workshop, to be held in Amman, Jordan. Deadline is approaching fast: April 27 ! Good luck to all who apply.