I really enjoyed being a guest on this podcast with Guy Burton and Francesco Bel Castro -- The latest FootPol Podcast featuring Jordan's first World Cup and more:

New episode in our 2026 World Cup Debutants series now out! Jordan’s historic first qualification. With @curtisryan.bsky.social, we explore football, identity, rivalries and politics shaping the game in that country. Do listen and like, share and subscribe! www.buzzsprout.com/2253650/epis...

“A whole civilization will die tonight” is the most vile thing a US president has ever said, certainly during the post-1945 era when they’ve had the power to kill civilizations with the dropping of a bomb. I’m staring into the darkness. May this not be one of the most fateful days in human history.

Jordan is in an increasingly vulnerable position in the Iran war, but Jordan is also really between two conflicts. I wrote about this here, and on how the allies are a major part of the problem arabcenterdc.org/resource/jor...

This is the latest in the @pomeps.bsky.social studies series: IR Theory and the Middle East at War - a great lineup of authors here: pomeps.org/pomeps-studi...

He has a green card, but ICE is continuing a pattern of criminalizing criticism of US foreign policy and eviscerating the First Amendment. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Colin Powell told George Bush in the run-up to the Iraq war: "You break it, you own it". Trump's Iran message to allies in Asia and beyond is: "I break it, you own it". Good Evan Feigenbaum on how Trump's war could prove a disaster for US Indo-Pacific ambitions carnegieendowment.org/emissary/202...

I wrote here on Jordan’s concerning situation as the US and Israeli war with Iran continues to expand - ‘Jordanian Security and the US-Israel War on Iran’ arabcenterdc.org/resource/jor...

Memo on "Israel, the Axis of Resistance, and the End of Deterrence" for the POMEPS Studies 58 (@pomeps.bsky.social) pomeps.org/israel-the-a...

The “Suez moment” I talk about here abuaardvarkghost.ghost.io/ir-theory-an...

The Project on Middle East Political Science is pleased to announce POMEPS Studies 58: IR Theory and the Middle East at War. Download the full PDF here: pomeps.org/pomeps-studi...

Foreign ministers from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt will meet in Islamabad today in an attempt to come up with a plan to de-escalate the Iran war, after another group got involved in the expanding conflict: Yemen's Houthi rebels. n.pr/4bGtmic

I wrote here on Jordan’s concerning situation as the US and Israeli war with Iran continues to expand - ‘Jordanian Security and the US-Israel War on Iran’ arabcenterdc.org/resource/jor...

"I think responses [that ask only for the Administration to 'explain itself'] are pathetic. This isn’t a mystery that needs to be solved. This is not the case of the missing casus belli."

“Much more likely is a short to medium-length campaign to degrade the capabilities of the IRGC and the paramilitary Basij force in order to reduce the repressive capacity of the Iranian state... That wouldn’t be as easy in reality as it is on social media.” abuaardvarkghost.ghost.io/eternal-suns...

Thrilled to publish this exceptional collection on Syria a year after Assad pomeps.org/pomeps-studi...

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!