Thrilled to see my co-authored chapter with @marsin.bsky.social out in Ba'thist Iraq Through Archives edited by @samuelhelfont.bsky.social & @lisablaydes.bsky.social. In our opening chapter, we argue uneven access has produced hierarchized knowledge production through of wartime expropriation

The Project on Middle East Political Science is pleased to announce POMEPS Studies 60: Weak States in a Turbulent Middle East. Download the full PDF here: pomeps.org/pomeps-studi...

POMEPS Studies 60: Weak States in a Turbulent Middle East - Project on Middle East Political Science

In the context of the current US and Israeli wars on Iran (and Lebanon) and during what appears to be the eclipse of US primacy, we brought together a group of scholars with expertise on the “weak” st...

pomeps.org

Conference funding opportunity! Deadline May 10. APSA is offering up to $4000 in funding per panel for travel to an international conference of select political science associations. Full info here, including links to eligible conferences including ECPR and CEPSA: apsanet.org/PROGRAMS/Int...

April 24th is remembrance day for the Ottoman Empire’s WWI genocide of Armenians and Assyrians—which, for decades, was routinely denied by academic historians. My new article in Review of Middle East Studies documents and explains one of the legacies of that denial www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

When I think about how many different kinds of social inquiry have been gutted over the last two or three generations in order to hire in and fund allegedly more scientific work that turns out to be non-replicable or even irreproducible... www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Investigating the reproducibility of the social and behavioural sciences - Nature

A study of reproducibility in a stratified random sample of 600 papers published from 2009 to 2018 in 62 journals spanning the social and behavioural sciences finds higher reproducibility among more&n...

nature.com

Check out "The Persistence of US Hierarchy in the Gulf" by Sean Yom, featured in POMEPS Studies 58: IR Theory and the Middle East at War pomeps.org/the-persiste...

The Persistence of US Hierarchy in the Gulf - Project on Middle East Political Science

Sean Yom, Temple University   How do we understand the persistence of US hegemony in the Arabian Gulf? Nearly two decades ago, President Barack Obama announced a “pivot to Asia,” in which US grand str...

pomeps.org

Not sure its yet sufficiently understood that there is a major and escalating U.S.-militia conflict in Iraq in parallel to the Iran war, and that by increasingly compromising the state it is posing significant risks of broad destabilization there.

The APSA Nationalism & Politics Section is seeking nominations for the 2026 Best Doctoral Dissertation Award relating to the study of nationalism and politics, broadly defined. I'm on the committee and happy to answer any questions-self nominations welcome! Deadline is March 31: lnkd.in/e8dNt2Wt

My article for @brookings.edu with @hamzehhadad.bsky.social on the value of Iraqi stability for the region, and the cost of allowing it to descend into the regional war: www.brookings.edu/articles/ira...

Iraq must not be a staging ground for war with Iran | Brookings

Iraq has long balanced between Washington and Tehran, but the coming weeks will test Iraq’s resolve and capability like never before.

brookings.edu

In this piece with Yasir Kouti, we argue Trump's policy toward Iraq's government formation re Noori al-Maliki's nomination creates diplomatic and strategic hazards & offer paths for recalibrating US posture toward Iraq while avoiding foreign meddling in electoral outcomes

War on the Rocks@warontherocks.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Today in War on the Rocks: Why Trump’s Criticism of Maliki Strengthens Him in Iraq All Too Quiet on the Western Neuroenhancement Front

Compelling piece from @bulaw.bsky.social colleagues on how AI is built to tear down civic institutions-the bedrock of any democracy and rule of law.

Matt Seybold@mattseybold.bsky.social · 6mo ago

“If you wanted to create a tool that would enable the destruction of institutions that prop up democratic life, you could not do better than AI. Authoritarian leaders & tech oligarchs are deploying AI systems to hollow out public institutions with an astonishing alacrity.”

You should vote, even if your vote won't change the outcome, because this is how we uphold the democratic principles that underlie our republican ideals. www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Excited to be co-leading the MENA Development group for early career scholars at APSA's annual meeting in Boston this year with @shalaby12.bsky.social & @aklawrence.bsky.social. APSA travel grant will cover accommodation & travel up $1000. See call below: urldefense.com/v3/__http://...

Checkout this fantastic collection of papers from @pomeps.bsky.social with contributions from scholars doing important and grounded work on Syria's transition and statebuilding after Assad's ouster

POMEPS@pomeps.bsky.social · 8mo ago

The Project on Middle East Political Science is pleased to announce POMEPS Studies 57: Syria After Assad. Download the full PDF here: pomeps.org/pomeps-studi...

NEXT WEEK: Join us online on 11/12, 11 AM, the day after parliamentary elections in #Iraq, for a conversation with Alissa Walter & Marsin Alshamary on how ordinary Iraqis negotiate with state officials, militias, & political parties to survive & assert their rights. Register now:

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Survival Politics: Baghdad’s Citizens from Saddam Hussein to the 2025 Elections | A Crown Seminar with Alissa Walter. After registering, you will receive a ...

As Iraqis head to the polls in November 2025, what do the elections reveal about the country’s struggles over power, governance, and survival? In Contested City: Citizen Advocacy and Survival in Moder...

brandeis.zoom.us

POMEPS is pleased to announce a Call for Papers: Islamic Politics in North Africa and the Sahel after the Arab Uprisings. The deadline to apply is Monday, Nov. 3rd. For more information on how to apply: pomeps.org/pomeps-islam...

Call for Papers: Islamic Politics in North Africa and the Sahel after the Arab Uprisings - Project on Middle East Political Science

The last two decades have seen dramatic and transformative evolution in the forms, organizations, ideas and practices of political movements of all descriptions across North Africa and the Sahel.  Pop...

pomeps.org

So happy to see this out! We caution against excessive optimism that the opposition will restore countries back to their democratic trajectories after electoral victory. Weakened institutions and the memory of repression makes it tempting to continue rather than buck the trend of autocratization.

Journal of Democracy@jodemocracy.bsky.social · 10mo ago

Conventional wisdom says that, once in power, opposition parties will return backsliding countries to the democratic path. In reality, not only is this not true, but it is not uncommon for the opposition to adopt the autocratic habits of the regime they replaced. muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a... 1/2

Glad to see this important volume come to fruition- kudos to @lisablaydes.bsky.social & @samuelhelfont.bsky.social for putting us all in conversation with each other. Thrilled to have co-authored a critical chapter with @marsin.bsky.social on archival access & hierarchies of knowledge production

Samuel Helfont@samuelhelfont.bsky.social · 10mo ago

Coming from @stanfordpress.bsky.social in the summer of 2026! @lisablaydes.bsky.social and I edited a book "Ba'thist Iraq through Archives" with a star studded list of contributors!

The @pomeps.bsky.social junior scholar book development workshop is an incredible opportunity to receive substantive feedback on first book projects relating broadly to Middle East politics. I'm on the committee and happy to answer any questions: smako@bu.edu

POMEPS@pomeps.bsky.social · 11mo ago

3 DAYS LEFT to apply! POMEPS is pleased to call for proposals for the POMEPS Junior Scholar Book Development Workshops to be held in a virtual format throughout the academic year 2025-2026. The deadline to apply is Sept. 22. More info: pomeps.org/pomeps-junio...

POMEPS Call for Papers: Syria after Assad Workshop. We seek papers on topics related to understanding Syria today that will be discussed at a virtual workshop on Sept. 19th. The deadline to apply is July 21st. For more info on how to apply: pomeps.org/call-for-pap...

Call for Papers: Syria after Assad Workshop - Project on Middle East Political Science

The stunning collapse of the Assad regime in December 2024 has thrown up crucial questions about the future of Syria and the Syrian people. For example, is Syria transitioning mainly from fourteen yea...

pomeps.org

More important things going on, but I have a new article out in @comppol.bsky.social on how ideology shapes rebels' wartime institutions, carrying over to postvictory statebuilding & governance approaches, w/original evidence from Nicaragua, Liberia, & Uganda www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cuny...

Pleased to have contributed to the APSA MENA Newsletter Thanks to the editors @dbgreenwald.bsky.social @sebnemgumuscu.bsky.social @samershehata.bsky.social for putting together such an amazing collection! My piece: zenodo.org/records/1533... The Issue: zenodo.org/records/1538...

Our article on legislative cooptation and opposition in the Kuwait National Assembly is finally out at @bjpols.bsky.social! Key findings: bsky.app/profile/dani... Article link: doi.org/10.1017/S000...

British Journal of Political Science@bjpols.bsky.social · last yr.

NEW - Legislative Cooptation in Authoritarian Regimes: Policy Cooperation in the Kuwait National Assembly - cup.org/4iVKa4R - @danieltavana.bsky.social & Erin York #OpenAccess

What is the Middle East? I’m thrilled to announce the publication- and free download - of my new, hopefully provocative Cambridge Element on the theory and practice of regions and area studies. Get it now and let me know what you think! abuaardvark.substack.com/p/what-is-th...

What is the Middle East?

I'm thrilled to announce publication of my hopefully provocative new Element!

abuaardvark.substack.com

How do autocrats stay in power? Our new research dives into the strategies of political control—repression, co-optation, and indoctrination—used across 229 autocracies from 1946 to 2010. What we found will change the way you think about authoritarian resilience. 🧵👇

#menasky It's award nomination time for the 2024-2025 year! Please send your nominations our way for Best Book, Best Article, Best Dissertation, & Best Paper on MENA politics! You can find all the details of eligibility & submission below. Deadline is February 1, so spread the word!

If you are a post doc or faculty member please apply or reshare!

Bridging The Gap@bridgingthegap.bsky.social · 2y ago

𝐅𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 2025 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐞! Know anyone who could use tools and networks to disseminate policy-relevant academic research? Now's the time! Applications close Sunday 1/26@11:59pm MT www.bridgingthegapproject.org/ipsi

New policy brief for the Crown Center, in which I detail the Houthis' devastating campaign this summer against Yemeni CSOs and INGOs. Tldr; it's both a cause and a consequence of regime consolidation and it's really bad for our understanding of Yemen if knowledge-producers are in prison or exile.

Consolidation through Crackdown: Understanding Houthi Rule in Yemen

brandeis.edu

Our book Making Sense of the Arab State is published today - open access to boot! abuaardvark.substack.com/p/seeing-lik...

Seeing Like a MENA State

Our new book is sadly relevant in memory of the great James Scott; plus this week's MENA Academy weekly roundup.

abuaardvark.substack.com