Waleed Hazbun

This week will be hosting a talk by Marc Lynch (George Washington University) about his recent book “America’s Middle East: The Ruination of A Region" Thursday, March 12, 2026 3:30pm to 5:00pm CDT in Ten Hoor Hall , 117 at the University of Alabama.

Really looking forward to this conference on Andor and the Politics of Star Wars at the U. of Alabama next month. Public screening of episodes, and presentations by really impressive scholars. And also me. Registration is at the link.

Thanks, @whazbun.bsky.social !

sites.ua.edu/whazbun/ando...

Rethinking US Policy Toward Iran: A Forum - MERIP The Trump administration’s aggressive stance toward Iran defines much of US policy toward the Middle East. Any effort to imagine new paths for US policy in the region will need to reformulate US-Iran ...

Paths not taken… a forum I organized during the first Trump administration www.merip.org/2020/06/reth...

costsofwar.watson.brown.edu

Air strikes on Beirut airport: From the archives In light of Israel's threats on Feb. 24 to target Beirut airport if Hezbollah intervenes in a potential Iran-U.S. war, we invite you to revisit this article, originally published on June 25,2024....

today.lorientlejour.com/article/1418...

“Andor and the Politics of Star Wars: An interdisciplinary conference,”April 23-24 2026, at the University of Alabama. sites.ua.edu/whazbun/ando...

Call for Pitches—Visual Art & Cultural Production in the Middle East and North Africa MERIP is seeking pitches for our Summer 2026 issue exploring visual art and cultural production in the Middle East and North Africa. We invite submissions that center artistic practices and cultural…

PITCH US: MERIP's editors are inviting open pitches for our Summer 2026 issue on Visual Art and Cultural Production in the Middle East and North Africa!

Read more and pitch at the link below.

But the biggest and most influential source of my thinking on this is Jonathan Schell's under recognized masterpiece: Unconquerable World: Power, Nonviolence, and the Will of the People.

Iran Toppled the Shah in 1979. Why This Time Isn’t Quite Like That "The conditions in Iran today are not comparable to those that precipitated the downfall of the Shah and the triumph of the revolution of 1979," writes Narges Bajoghli

Excellent analysis by Narges Bajoghli:
time.com/7345623/iran...

From Jerusalem to Cairo and Beirut w/ Jean Said Makdisi YouTube video by Makdisi Street

youtu.be/g_tIA3F2nJM

Outcast in the third wave

@eriktheguide.bsky.social

“Bauhaus” dark roast coffee from High Wire (Oakland, CA)

A Christmas message from the Mayor of Bethlehem in Palestine, the birthplace of Jesus Christ:

Anna Boghiguian – The Sunken Boat The Sunken Boat marks Anna Boghiguian’s (b. 1946) first solo exhibition in the Nordic region. The exhibition explores global maritime history, rising sea levels, and the climate crisis through immersi...

www.aros.dk/en/art/curre...

The MERIP Podcast Episode 12: Honoring Joe Stork, Live in DC Featuring Sarah Leah Whitson, Lisa Hajjar, Mouin Rabbani, Joel Beinin, Zachary Lockman, Rick Reinhard, Joan Mandell and Joost Hiltermann

ICYMI: We released highlights from our live event Honoring Joe Stork earlier this week on the podcast feed. Check it out, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

6. INTERVENTIONS: "Andor (Season 2), or the French Resistance in Space," a so-smart & also funny dialog between @tgpeterson.bsky.social & editor @meghankroberts.bsky.social about ANDOR!
journals.publishing.umich.edu/wsfh/article...

Letter to the Editor | Eighty student media alumni condemn shuttering of campus magazines, urge support for students The University of Alabama’s suspension of Alice Magazine and Nineteen Fifty-Six magazine has gravely disappointed decades of University of Alabama alumni who worked for the University’s student media ...

thecrimsonwhite.com/125444/opini...

U. of Alabama Suspends Black and Female Student Magazines, Citing D.E.I. Guidance

www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/u...

Death of sculptor Evangelos Moustakas | eKathimerini.com Sculptor Evangelos Moustakas, best known for his statue of Alexander the Great and the monument to the National Resistance on the waterfront in Thessaloniki, has died at the age of 95.

I miss our walks along the Thessaloniki waterfront.. this statue complex is such a prominent feature.

www.ekathimerini.com/culture/1288...

OU College of International Studies professor reportedly arrested by ICE U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement reportedly arrested an OU professor at Will Rogers International Airport Saturday.

www.oudaily.com/news/ou-prof...

Honoring Joe Stork, Live in DC November 22 @ 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm

REMINDER: We have a LIVE event in Washington DC on Saturday! Come join MERIP contributors Aslı Bâli, Joel Beinin, Lisa Hajjar, Zachary Lockman, Sarah Leah Whitson, Mouin Rabbani, Joan Mandell and Rick Reinhard, MC'd by Joost Hiltermann and w/ music from the Fast Flying Vestibule!

Books That Examine the Past and Present of the Middle East Take National Book Awards

Is that Omar El Akkad in a tux! I am so happy for him and more critically what this recognition means.. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/19/b...

US cancels Lebanon army chief visit amid frustration over Hezbollah: What to know Washington canceled a planned visit by Lebanon’s army commander Gen. Rodolphe Haykal, signaling growing US frustration over Lebanon’s delay in disarming Hezbollah.

NEW: US canceled visit of head of #Lebanon army, @al-monitor.bsky.social confirmed. Haykal was due to arrive today but tension with Congress, differences over Hezbollah botched the trip... www.al-monitor.com/originals/20...

Spoiling a fall morning with some spring class prep.

Half price ebook right now!

www.amazon.com/Americas-Mid...

It’s like US officials expect to get another Jordan but will likely end up with a mirror of Iraq.

Qatar Copes with Trump’s Middle East Vision Among Arab states, perhaps none faces a more complex challenge in managing relations with President Donald Trump than Qatar. Ironically, Doha’s deepening partnership with the Trump administration has ...

Some analysis on Qatar’s relationship with the Trump administration and the Gaza ceasefire plan arabcenterdc.org/resource/qat...