Air pollution poses a serious threat to public health in #Kuwait. A new paper by Huda Alrashidi shows how improved PM₁₀ forecasting can help provide more reliable warnings for dust storms and high-pollution events. researchonline.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/13...

Mai Taha and I wrote this article on sonic cartographies of internationalism, now up on @antipodeonline.bsky.social! It traces how radio broadcasting was central to liberation struggles around the world, asking how sound draws out different maps of solidarity onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

The programme for #DzFest2026 is now out! The UK's Algerian Festival for Arts & Culture returns from 23 Sept –10 Oct, with this year's theme exploring #Heritage and #Decolonisation. Take a look at the full programme: dzfest.com/dzfest-2026-...

Could #Kuwait become greener? To Soha Alterkait, it takes more than planting trees. For the blog, she looks at the potential of Islamic waqf as a tool for environmental governance.

Can Kuwait Really Become Greener? Why Planting Trees Is Only Part of the Answer - Middle East Centre

by Soha Alterkait A few years ago, I came across an inspiring community initiative called Kuwait Forest. Like many people, my first reaction was simple: could Kuwait really become greener? For a momen...

blogs.lse.ac.uk

"I’m inspired by frontline women in the climate crisis and those facing repression for justice. I draw hope from community solidarity and the cross-pollination of ideas." - Farah Outeldait, AFSEE Fellow Learn more about Farah: afsee.atlanticfellows.lse.ac.uk/en-gb/fellow...

Farah Outeldait

Farah Outeldait is an Atlantic Fellow for Social and Economic Equity and a climate inequality expert with over a decade of experience working at the intersection of climate finance, social inclusion,…

afsee.atlanticfellows.lse.ac.uk

'A Saudi-led group has pledged to plant 35 billion trees across the #MiddleEast [...] But what happens when extreme heat makes such projects essentially redundant?' Haya Alhusainan's recent MEC blog cited in @semafor.com: www.semafor.com/article/07/2...

Extreme heat casts doubt on viability of MidEast tree planting project

If the water runs out due to extreme heat, it won’t be much good having billions more trees, a climate expert argued.

semafor.com

The LSE-Yale Seminar in Contemporary International History — a joint seminar between the LSE International History Department and the Department of History at Yale University — invites proposals for the 2026-2027 academic year. #LSE #Yale #history #seminar

Between 2021–26, @peacerep.bsky.social Iraq brought together researchers to produce world-class research on peacebuilding, conflict & democratisation in #Iraq. Explore the findings, featuring Programme Director @kamaranpalani.bsky.social, @alktaif.bsky.social & more. peacerep.org/country-find...

📚 New @lsereviewofbooks.bsky.social review Reconstruction as Violence in Assad's Syria, co-edited by Visiting Fellow @deensharp.bsky.social and Nasser Rabbat, offers an innovative, interdisciplinary examination of rebuilding Syria after the civil war.

Post-war Syria and the violence of reconstruction - LSE Review of Books

Reconstruction as Violence in Assad’s Syria edited by Nasser Rabbat and Deen Sharp problematises reconstruction processes in the state following the civil war.

blogs.lse.ac.uk

Every summer, extreme heat dominates life across #Kuwait, affecting public health, electricity demand, and more. As climate risks intensify, Haya Alhusainan asks – will today's adaptation measures remain effective?

When Climate Adaptation Reaches Its Limits: Lessons from Kuwait’s Extreme Heat - Middle East Centre

by Haya Alhusainan Every summer, extreme heat dominates life across Kuwait. It affects public health, increases electricity demand, reduces outdoor productivity, and places growing pressure on urban i...

blogs.lse.ac.uk

“Whatever Iran has gained from its fight with Israel and the United States, it has ceded ground in Iraq,” writes Kamaran Palani.

Iran Is Losing Iraq

Baghdad goes its own way.

foreignaffairs.com

Does the 2026 US-Iran war marks a long-term shift in global oil markets away from dependence on the Gulf and towards the United States? Read more in a post by Islam Alhalawany on @lsemiddleeast.bsky.social 👇

Stable Instability in the Middle East, and the Coming US-Gulf Contest Over Oil Market Share - Middle East Centre

by Islam Alhalawany Whether the ceasefire agreement holds or it goes back to ‘moderate shooting’, the US-Iran war has produced a sticky perception of fragility in the Gulf's security environment. A…

blogs.lse.ac.uk

A US-Iran peace deal will, at best, deliver 'stable instability' for the #GCC, with structural drivers of conflict unaddressed and war expected to resume anytime soon. This perception will reshape the oil market for decades. Islam Alhalwany for the blog

Stable Instability and the Coming US-Gulf Contest Over the Oil Market - Middle East Centre

by Islam Alhalawany Whether the ceasefire agreement holds or it goes back to ‘moderate shooting’, the US-Iran war has produced a sticky perception of fragility in the Gulf's security environment. A pe...

blogs.lse.ac.uk

The PKK announced disarmament last year, raising hopes for the peace process. However, Turkey's 'Peace Commission' shows the limits of parliamentary involvement in peace negotiations by a government uninterested in democratisation. @nisanalici.bsky.social & Güley Bor blogs.lse.ac.uk/mec/2026/07/...

How Turkey’s Parliamentary Peace Commission Failed its Democratic Promises - Middle East Centre

by Nisan Alıcı & Güley Bor Parliaments can aid peacebuilding and transitional justice processes not only through their legislative functions but also as democratic mechanisms where different views ove...

blogs.lse.ac.uk

Pleased to share my latest piece in Foreign Affairs. www.foreignaffairs.com/iran/iran-lo...

Why do education reforms in #Kuwait repeatedly struggle to be translated into effective practice? A new blog by Ibrahim Alhouti posits that the answer lies not in the reforms themselves but in the governance structures and decision-making processes.

Re-Governing Education in Kuwait: A New Era of Reform - Middle East Centre

by Ibrahim Alhouti Despite several decades of investment and repeated reform initiatives, Kuwait’s education system has struggled to achieve notable improvement in its quality. The number of reforms a...

blogs.lse.ac.uk

📢 Professor Fawaz Gerges joined BBC World News to discuss the latest escalation in the US-Iran conflict and the significance of these recent developments. 🎥Watch the full interview: redirect.vuelio.co.uk/BroadcastV2?... @lsemiddleeast.bsky.social

The photo essay Lukmat al'aysh is the first output from the Middle East Centre–Al Azhar University-Gaza research project on food insecurity in #Gaza. Drawing on the field journals of local Gaza researchers, it documents food availability in 2024–25. researchonline.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/13...

Dr Marwa Daoudy joined us for the 2026 Fred Halliday Memorial Lecture to discuss how colonialism continues to shape environmental vulnerabilities in the Arab world, with Dr @jasminekgani.bsky.social as discussant. ✍️ Read the report: bit.ly/4pbPBBt 📺 Watch: bit.ly/4f6ebPN #AvademicSky #PoliSky

The ecological continuation of empire in the Arab world – student event report - LSE Department of International Relations

Report by a student on a public event from the Department of International Relations at LSE.

bit.ly

Missed our event on Sovereignty in #Iran: Challenges to Eurocentrism from Ancient Iran to the Islamic Republic with @shabnamholliday.bsky.social, @edwardwastnidge.bsky.social & @drasmaabdi.bsky.social? 🎧 Listen back to the recording here: soundcloud.com/lsemiddleeas...

Dr Roham Alvandi interviewed by the New York Times. Read the article here: www.nytimes.com/live/2026/07... #Iran #NewYorkTimes #history #news #LSE

Understanding the history of #Algeria remains vital to decolonising knowledge and scholarship, and tackling injustice today. On #AlgerianIndependenceDay, read this blog by Algeria Conference organisers Latefa Guemar, @jessnorthey.bsky.social & Ikram Berkani.

Decolonising Algerian Scholarship, Territorial Integrity and the Post-Hirak ‘New Algeria’ - Middle East Centre

by Latefa Guemar, Jessica Northey & Ikram Berkani The 5 July marks Algerian Independence Day, with the country today celebrating 64 years of independence from French colonial rule, which ended in 1962...

blogs.lse.ac.uk

How can Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs) help advance #KuwaitVision2035 and support a more diversified economy? A new policy brief by Neil Lee and Husam Arman explores how SWFs have grown rapidly, with an increasing focus on national economic development. researchonline.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/13...

📢 #OnlineEvent | Join BRISMES, @merip.bsky.social & SeSaMO for the second event in our #Iran in Context series titled "Politics and Counter-Politics in Contemporary Iran" with Naghmeh Sohrabi, Mohammad Ali Kadivar & Paniz Musawi Natanzi. 🗓 2 July 2026 ⏰ 17:00 – 18:30 BST 🔗 Register: bit.ly/OP_Iran2

📄 New Paper | Sudan's Current War: A Longer View on Peacemaking and Prospects Richard Barltrop explores what lessons should be drawn from the longer history of peacemaking in #Sudan and from the experiences and outcomes of #peacemaking efforts in other recent wars. https://ow.ly/UhWE50Ze9JO

What do developments in digital communication reveal about the changing relationship between digital platform logics, cultural production and political authority? Nesrin Alrefaai writes about this transformation through the case of Iran for the Middle East Centre blog. https://ow.ly/w8IB50Zejkx

When Lego Goes to War: How Iran’s Meme Propaganda is Reshaping Digital Diplomacy - Middle East Centre

by Nesrin Alrefaai Recent developments in digital communication in the Middle East point to a broader transformation in the relationship between digital platform logics, cultural production, and political authority. Rather than relying solely on formal diplomatic statements, state-linked actors increasingly engage in cyber political communication, sometimes framed as social media wars, where humour, remix culture,

ow.ly

From Islamist movements to secular parties, al-dawla al-madaniyya (the civic or civil state) has been claimed by a wide range of political actors across the #ArabWorld. A new blog by @reem-turkmani.bsky.social & Tamara El Khoury unpacks this contested concept.

So, What Is a ‘Civic State’? Unpacking a Contested Concept in the Arab World - Middle East Centre

by Reem Turkmani and Tamara El Khoury Few concepts in contemporary Arab political life have been defined as differently, as al-dawla al-madaniyya – the civic or civil state. The concept has been claim...

blogs.lse.ac.uk

🇬🇧 🇹🇷 Today we invite you to take a look beyond EU-UK relations with Professor Yaprak Gürsoy, who shares her reflections on the impact of Brexit from the Turkish perspective. @ygursoy.bsky.social @lsects.bsky.social 👉 Vist our Brexit hub for more: www.lse.ac.uk/european-ins... youtu.be/Dk--pkR4YYs

Yaprak Gürsoy on evolving Turkish-UK relations and Turkish scapegoating in the Leave campaign

YouTube video by LSE European Institute

youtu.be

This Juneteenth, we revisit "Black-Palestinian Transnational Solidarity: Renewals, Returns, and Practice" by Noura Erakat and Marc Lamont Hill. This essay explores Black-Palestinian solidarity and its impact on struggles for justice and freedom. www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1...

Black-Palestinian Transnational Solidarity: Renewals, Returns, and Practice

This introductory essay outlines the context for this special issue of the Journal of Palestine Studies on Black-Palestinian transnational solidarity (BPTS). Through the analytic of “renewal,” the ...

tandfonline.com

ورقة بحثية جديدة بعنوان"خارطة طريق للطاقة الحيوية في الكويت" تُركز على الدروس المستفادة من الأبحاث الإقليمية واستخلاص القيمة من النفايات والجدوى ومسارات السياسات. بقلم Jean El Achkar للقراءة باللغة العربية: https://researchonline.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/138821/