Pomeps Conversations

Erin Snider of Texas A&M University joins Marc Lynch on this week's podcast to discuss her new book, Marketing Democracy: The Political Economy of Democracy Aid In the Middle East. In the book, Snider examines the construction and practice of democracy aid in Washington DC and in Egypt and Morocco and the limited impact of international aid. (Starts at 0:42). Steven Brooke of the University of Wisconsin-Madison discuss his article, co-authored by Elizabeth Nugent of Yale University,  "Who votes after a coup? Theory and evidence from Egypt" published in Mediterranean Politics. (Starts at 29:15). Mai El-Sadany of The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy discusses the problem with Egyptian prisoners and human rights. (Starts at 43:17). Music for this season's podcast was created by Bashir Saade (playing Ney) and Farah Kaddour (on Buzuq). You can find more of Bashir's work on his YouTube Channel.

Ora Szekely of Clark University and Peter Krause of Boston College join Marc Lynch on this week's podcast to discuss their new book, Stories from the Field: A Guide to Navigating Fieldwork in Political Science. In the book, political scientists from a diverse range of biographical and academic backgrounds describe research in North and South America, Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. The contributors reflect not only on their own experiences but also on larger questions about research ethics, responsibility, and the effects of their personal and professional identities on their fieldwork. (Starts at 0:45). Ahmed Ezzeldin Mohamed of Columbia University discusses his latest article, "Political Budget Cycles in Autocracies: The Role of Religious Seasons and Political Collective Action" published in Politics and Religion by Cambridge University Press.  (Starts at 34:47). Hadil al-Mowafak of the Yemen Policy Center discusses the current ceasefire in Yemen. (Starts at 47:48). Music for this season's podca

Andrea Wright of the college of William and Mary joins Marc Lynch on this week's podcast to discuss her new book, Between Dreams and Ghosts: Indian Migration and Middle Eastern Oil. In the book, Wright analyzes how migration is deeply informed both by workers' dreams for the future and the ghosts of history, including the enduring legacies of colonial capitalism. (Starts at 0:42). Basileus Zeno of Amherst College discusses his latest article, "The making of sects: Boundary making and the sectarianisation of the Syrian uprising, 2011–2013" published in Nations and Nationalism. (Starts at 31:22). Renad Mansour of the Chatham House discusses the current issues in the Iraqi government formation process. (Starts at 50:40). Music for this season's podcast was created by Bashir Saade (playing Ney) and Farah Kaddour (on Buzuq). You can find more of Bashir's work on his YouTube Channel.

Hatim El-Hibri of George Mason University joins Marc Lynch on this week's podcast to discuss his new book, Visions of Beirut: The Urban Life of Media Infrastructure. In the book, El-Hibri analyzes how the creation and circulation of images have shaped the urban spaces and cultural imaginaries of Beirut. (Starts at 0:44). Kevin Koehler of Leiden University discusses his latest article, "Who fakes support for the military? Experimental evidence from Tunisia" (co-authored with Sharan Grewal and Holger Albrecht) published in Democratization. (Starts at 33:58). Kristian Coates Ulrichsen of the Baker Institute on the ongoing tensions between the United States, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. (Starts at 48:58). Music for this season's podcast was created by Bashir Saade (playing Ney) and Farah Kaddour (on Buzuq). You can find more of Bashir's work on his YouTube Channel.

Pouya Alimagham of Massachusetts Institute of Technology joins Marc Lynch on this week's podcast to discuss his new book, Contesting the Iranian Revolution: The Green Uprising. In the book, Alimagham analyzes the history of Iran and the Middle East to highlight how activists contested the Islamic Republic's legitimacy. (Starts at 0:35). Valeria Resta of the Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of North Africa and the Middle East discusses her latest article, "The ‘myth of moderation’ following the Arab Uprisings: polarization in Tunisia and Egypt’s founding elections," published in the British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies. (Starts at 33:30) Nate Grubman of Stanford University discusses the Tunisian president's transition to a dictatorship. (Starts at 50:54). Music for this season's podcast was created by Bashir Saade (playing Ney) and Farah Kaddour (on Buzuq). You can find more of Bashir's work on his YouTube Channel.

James Shires of Leiden University joins Marc Lynch on this week's podcast to discuss his new book, The Politics of Cybersecurity in the Middle East. In the book, Shires analyzes how the label of cybersecurity is repurposed by states, companies and other organizations to encompass a variety of concepts. Cinzia Bianco of the European Council on Foreign Relations discusses the responses of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, and the Gulf Cooperation Council to the Ukraine crisis. Howard Eissenstat of St. Lawrence University discusses Turkey and its response to the Ukraine crisis. Music for this season's podcast was created by Bashir Saade (playing Ney) and Farah Kaddour (on Buzuq). You can find more of Bashir's work on his YouTube Channel.

Jill Jarvis of Yale University joins Marc Lynch on this week's podcast to discuss her new book, Decolonizing Memory: Algeria and Politics of Testimony. In the book, Jarvis analyzes the magnitude of the legal violence exercised by the French to colonize and occupy Algeria. Jonah Schulhofer-Wohl of Leiden University and Kevin Koehler of Leiden University discuss their latest article, "Governing the Covid-19 Pandemic in the Middle East and North Africa: Containment Measures as a Public Good" published in Middle East Law and Governance. Sean Yom of Temple University and Wael Al-Khatib of the Arab Political Science Network discuss the prospects for democratic reform in Jordan. You can read their report from the Project on Middle East Democracy here. Music for this season's podcast was created by Bashir Saade (playing Ney) and Farah Kaddour (on Buzuq). You can find more of Bashir's work on his YouTube Channel.

Michael Hoffman of the University of Notre Dame joins Marc Lynch on this week's podcast to discuss his new book, Faith in Numbers: Religion, Sectarianism, and Democracy. In the book, Hoffman discusses how religious identities and sectarian interests play a major part in determining regime preferences. (Starts at 0:44). Devorah Manekin of Hebrew University discusses her latest article, "Effective for Whom? Ethnic Identity and Nonviolent Resistance" (co-authored by Tamar Mitts), published in Cambridge University Press. (Starts at 29:25). Gregory Gause of Texas A&M University discusses U.S. relations with the Gulf states and broader Gulf politics. (Starts at 44:17). Music for this season's podcast was created by Bashir Saade (playing Ney) and Farah Kaddour (on Buzuq). You can find more of Bashir's work on his YouTube Channel.

Jeff Colgan of Brown University joins Marc Lynch on this week's podcast to discuss his new book, Partial Hegemony: Oil Politics and International Order. In the book, Colgan offers lessons for leaders and analysts seeking to design new international governing arrangements to manage an array of pressing concerns. (Starts at 0:38). Safa Al-Saeedi of Northwestern University discusses her latest article, "The Arab spring: why did the uprisings miss the monarchies?," published in Contemporary Politics. (Starts at 29:13). Bassel Salloukh of the Doha Institute discusses Lebanon's ongoing political crisis. (Starts at 42:08). Music for this season's podcast was created by Bashir Saade (playing Ney) and Farah Kaddour (on Buzuq). You can find more of Bashir's work on his YouTube Channel.

John Nagle of Queens University Belfast and Tamirace Fakhoury of Aalborg University join Marc Lynch on this week's podcast to discuss their new book, "Resisting Sectarianism: Queer Activism in Postwar Lebanon." In the book, Nagle and Fakhoury examine feminist and LGBTQ social movements in the context of Lebanon's postwar sectarian system. Reva Dhingra of Harvard University discusses her latest article, "Coordination in practice or performance? The political economy of refugee aid coordination in Jordan," published in the Journal of Refugee Studies. Dana el-Kurd of the University of Richmond about recent Palestinian mobilization in East Jerusalem. Music for this season's podcast was created by Bashir Saade (playing Ney) and Farah Kaddour (on Buzuq). You can find more of Bashir's work on his YouTube Channel.

Eskandar Sadeghi of the University of London joins Marc Lynch on this week's podcast to discuss his new book, "Revolution and its Discontents: Political Thought and Reform in Iran." In the book, Sadeghi examines the rise and evolution of reformist political thought in Iran and analyses the complex network of publications in the 1990s. (Starts at 0:44). Adélie Chevée of the European University Institute discusses her latest article, "From Suriyya al-Asad to Souriatna," published in Nations and Nationalism. (Starts at 33:23). Mohamed Dhia-Hammami of Syracuse University discusses recent political developments in Tunisia. (Starts at 48:58). Music for this season's podcast was created by Bashir Saade (playing Ney) and Farah Kaddour (on Buzuq). You can find more of Bashir's work on his YouTube Channel.

Asef Bayat of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign joins Marc Lynch on this week's podcast to discuss his new book, Revolutionary Life: The Everyday of the Arab Spring. In the book, Bayat seamlessly blends field research, on-the-ground interviews, and social theory to show how the practice of everyday life in Egypt and Tunisia was fundamentally altered by revolutionary activity. (Starts at 0:39). Maro Youssef of University of Southern California discusses her latest article, "Unlikely Feminist Coalitions: Islamist and Secularist Women’s Organizing in Tunisia," published in Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State & Society. (Starts at 33:00). Thomas Juneau of the University of Ottawa discusses the Houthi movement and recent developments in the war in Yemen (Starts at 47:56). Music for this season's podcast was created by Bashir Saade (playing Ney) and Farah Kaddour (on Buzuq). You can find more of Bashir's work on his YouTube Channel.

Nadya Hajj from Wellesley College joins Marc Lynch on this week's podcast to discuss her new book, Networked Refugees: Palestinian Reciprocity and Remittances in the Digital Age. In the book, Hajj finds that Palestinian refugees utilize Information Communication Technology platforms to motivate reciprocity—a cooperative action marked by the mutual exchange of favors and services—and informally seek aid and connection with their transnational diaspora community. (Starts at 0:48). David Steinberg of Johns Hopkins SAIS discusses his latest article, "How Voters Respond to Currency Crises: Evidence From Turkey," published in Comparative Political Studies. (Starts at 29:03). Thomas Serres of the University of California, Santa Cruz  discusses the fortunes of Algeria's Hirak movement. (Starts at 44:58). Music for this season's podcast was created by Bashir Saade (playing Ney) and Farah Kaddour (on Buzuq). You can find more of Bashir's work on his YouTube Channel.

Abdelmajid Hannoum of the University of Kansas discusses his latest book, The Invention of the Maghreb, with Marc Lynch on this week's podcast. The book examines how colonialism made extensive use of translations of Greek, Roman, and Arabic texts and harnessed high technologies of power to invent the region. (Starts at 0:41). Hannes Baumann of the University of Liverpool speaks about his new article entitled, "Avatars of Eurocentrism in international political economy textbooks: The case of the Middle East and North Africa" published in the Political Studies Association. (Starts at 36:07). Ammar Shamailah of the Doha Institute talks about recent trends in the Syrian regime and stability in Syria. (Starts at 50:00). Music for this season's podcast was created by Bashir Saade (playing Ney) and Farah Kaddour (on Buzuq). You can find more of Bashir's work on his YouTube Channel.

Khalid Medani of McGill University discusses his latest book, Black Markets and Militants: Informal Networks in the Middle East and Africa, with Marc Lynch on this week's podcast. The book examines the political and socio-economic factors which give rise to youth recruitment into militant organizations. (Starts at 0:56). Kristen Kao of the University of Gothenburg and Mara Revkin of Georgetown University speak about their new article entitled, "To Punish or to Pardon? Reintegrating Rebel Collaborators After Conflict in Iraq," published in X. (Starts at 32:55). Jonathan Fulton of Zayed University talks about the factors that explain China's relations with the Gulf monarchies. (Starts at 55:33). Music for this season's podcast was created by Bashir Saade (playing Ney) and Farah Kaddour (on Buzuq). You can find more of Bashir's work on his YouTube Channel.

Shamiran Mako of Boston University and Valentine Moghadam of Northeastern University discuss their latest book, After the Arab Uprisings: Progress and Stagnation in the Middle East and North Africa, with Marc Lynch on this week's podcast. The book examines the key elements in explaining the divergent outcomes of the Arab Spring uprisings. (Starts at 0:51). Salma Moussa of Yale University and William Marble of Princeton University speak about their new article entitled, "Can Exposure to Celebrities Reduce Prejudice? The Effect of Mohamed Salah on Islamophobic Behaviors and Attitudes," published at Yale University. (Starts at 32:21). Mai Hassan of the University of Michigan talks about Sudan's civil resistance. (Starts at 48:32). Music for this season's podcast was created by Bashir Saade (playing Ney) and Farah Kaddour (on Buzuq). You can find more of Bashir's work on his YouTube Channel.

Nils Hagerdal of Tufts University discusses his latest book, Friend or Foe: Militia Intelligence and Ethnic Violence in the Lebanese Civil War, with Marc Lynch on this week's podcast. The book examines the Lebanese civil war to offer a new theory that highlights the interplay of ethnicity and intelligence gathering. (Starts at 0:42). Emily Scott of McGill University speaks about her new article entitled, "Compromising Aid to Protect International Staff: The Politics of Humanitarian Threat Perception after the Arab Uprisings," published in the Journal of Global Security Studies. (Starts at 32:30). Esfandyar Batmanghelidj of the European Council on Foreign Relations talks about the Iranian economy under sanctions and the possible return of the JCPOA. (Starts at 50:09). Music for this season's podcast was created by Bashir Saade (playing Ney) and Farah Kaddour (on Buzuq). You can find more of Bashir's work on his YouTube Channel.

Nathan Brown of The George Washington University discusses his latest book (co-authored with Shimaa Hatab and Amr Adly), Lumbering State, Restless Society: Egypt in the Modern Era, with Marc Lynch on this week's podcast. The book highlights ways in which Egypt resembles other societies around the world, drawing from and contributing to broader debates in political science. (Starts at 0:41). Daniel Neep of Brandeis University speaks about his new article entitled, "‘What have the Ottomans ever done for us?’ Why history matters for politics in the Arab Middle East," published in International Affairs. (Starts at 26:24). Wolfram Lacher of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs talks about Libya's upcoming elections. (Starts at 44:28). Music for this season's podcast was created by Bashir Saade (playing Ney) and Farah Kaddour (on Buzuq). You can find more of Bashir's work on his YouTube Channel.

Western Privilege, Subverting Peace, and After al-Bayda (S. 11, Ep. 9) by Marc Lynch

Dana Moss of University of Notre Dame discusses her latest book, The Arab Spring Abroad: Diaspora Activism against Authoritarian Regimes, with Marc Lynch on this week's podcast. The book presents a new framework for understanding the transnational dynamics of contention and the social forces that either enable or suppress transnational activism, examining Libyan, Syrian, and Yemeni mobilization from the US and Great Britain before and during the revolutions. (Starts at 0:42). Wendy Pearlman of Northwestern University speaks about her new article entitled, "Mobilizing From Scratch: Large-Scale Collective Action Without Preexisting Organization in the Syrian Uprising," published in Comparative Political Studies. (Starts at 30:23). Salah Ben Hammou of University of Central Florida talks about the crisis unfolding in Sudan following the military coup. (Starts at 47:17). Music for this season's podcast was created by Bashir Saade (playing Ney) and Farah Kaddour (on Buzuq). You can find more of Bashir's work on hi