#19 – May 7, 2013. The George Washington University’s Marc Lynch, director of the Project on Middle East Political Science, speaks with Stacey Philbrick Yadav, assistant professor of political science at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, specializing in comparative politics of the Middle East. Philbrick Yadav’s research focuses on the role of Islamist organizations in the transformation of public spheres, concentrating on research in Lebanon, Yemen, Egypt, and Israel. Lynch and Philbrick Yadav discuss Lebanese and Yemeni political Islam and Philbrick Yadav’s new book Islamists and the State.

FPRI’s Program on the Middle East is soliciting submissions for its article series: The Middle East Media Monitor.

Middle East Media Monitor is a series within FPRI’s notable E-Note publication, published monthly, reviewing a current topic in the Middle East media from the perspective of the foreign language press coverage in countries such as Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Turkey, etc. These articles should be about 1,500 words in length should focus on providing FPRI’s readership with an inside view on how some of the most prominent countries in the Middle East are covering issues of importance to the American foreign policy community. The aim of Middle East Media Monitor is to complement other scholarly analyses being published by FPRI by shedding light on how those same events are being portrayed from within.

Prospective authors are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Middle East Media Monitor by examining some of its recent articles. Authors are asked to utilize primary source references and to provide brief, thoughtful analyses about contemporary Middle East topics as reported almost exclusively in the Arabic, Farsi, Turkish, and Hebrew. Authors should aim provide an unbiased account of how the foreign media is covering a specific topic. These accounts can be critical but should remain devoid of personal opinions. Authors of this series have primarily been graduate students and young up-and-coming researchers focused on the Middle East. There is no payment for these articles at this time.

For more information, please contact Tally Helfont, Managing Director, Program on the Middle East.

The American Political Science Association (APSA) is accepting applications for participation in the 2013 APSA MENA workshop hosted by the American University in Cairo (AUC), Egypt.  Applications are accepted till May 3, 2013.

The 2013 MENA Workshop, entitled “Varieties of Democracy” will be held from September 8 to 21 at AUC. Led by a joint team of US- and MENA-based scholars, this event is a unique professional opportunity for early-to-mid career faculty, as well as senior PhD students with a focus on social science research. Workshop participants will engage in seminar discussions, share methodological challenges, and present and peer-review manuscripts in progress.

This is the link to the APSA’s MENA Workshop website, where you can find more information about the program, eligibility requirements, and application details. In addition, you can find the online Application. The application deadline is May 3, 2013 at 5 pm (EST).  

Questions can be sent to menaworkshops@apsanet.org

#18 – March 21, 2013. The George Washington University’s Marc Lynch, director of the Project on Middle East Political Science, speaks with Christopher Davidson, reader in Middle East Politics in the School of Government and International Affairs at Durham University. Davidson was formerly visiting associate professor at Kyoto University, and assistant professor at Zayed University in the United Arab Emirates. He is the author of several books on the politics and international affairs of the Gulf states, including Abu Dhabi: Oil and Beyond, Dubai: The Vulnerability of Success, and The Persian Gulf and Pacific Asia: From Indifference to Interdependence. Lynch and Davidson discuss Gulf politics and Davidson’s recent publication, After the Sheikhs: The Coming Collapse of the Gulf Monarchies.

POMEPS Briefing 19 – March 21, 2013

Yemen began its long-awaited National Dialogue Conference this week in Sanaa. The NDC hoped to find some zone of consensus for moving forward in its transition from the long rule of Ali Abdullah Saleh. It has been beset by many problems of representation, withdrawals and boycotts, deeply entrenched divisions, and the perception of irrelevance to the real problems of Yemenis. For a while it looked like it might never actually convene.

The stakes are high, as April Alley argues in an October essay, in a country facing a slide back into political collapse and mass violence. As Danya Greenfield argues, the urgency of the situation leaves few options: “despite opposition to the dialogue, it is clear that the status quo is unsustainable. The oft-repeated mantra among many Yemenis is that the question is one of dialogue or civil war.” But just because something is needed does not make it possible. “Yemen’s National Dialogue” collects outstanding recent Middle East Channel analysis of the National Dialogue, its challenges, and its prospects. Read more…

Three leading political scientists discuss elections in Tunisia, Morocco, and Egypt.

Panelists:
Ellen Lust – Yale University
Lindsay Benstead – Portland State University
Matthew Buehler – University of Texas, Austin

Moderated by:
Marc Lynch – George Washington University

The Egypt Policy Challenge

 POMEPS Briefing 18 – March 4, 2013

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit to Cairo this weekend laid bare some of the deep limitations of U.S. policy toward Egypt. Kerry struggled to find a bridge between supporting a staggering Egypt and pushing it in a more democratic direction. The hotly polarized political environment in Egypt made such a balancing act excruciatingly difficult, as some prominent leaders of the opposition refused to meet with him publicly (although Mohamed ElBaradei found time for a phone call and Amr Moussa sat down with him off-camera) and protestors angrily denounced U.S. policy.

Kerry announced $250 million in immediate economic assistance, including a new $60 million Egyptian-American Enterprise Fund. He said many of the right things about U.S. priorities, pushing President Mohamed Morsi to compromise and the opposition to participate in the elections. His statement on the trip made clear that “more hard work and compromise will be required to restore unity, political stability and economic health to Egypt. The upcoming parliamentary elections are a particularly critical step in Egypt’s democratic transition. We spoke in depth about the need to ensure they are free, fair and transparent. We also discussed the need for reform in the police sector, protection for non-governmental organizations, and the importance of advancing the rights and freedoms of all Egyptians under the law — men and women, and people of all faiths.” Read more…

The Project on Middle East Political Science is pleased to call for proposals for a Junior Scholars Book Development Workshop to be held at Yale University on September 27-28, 2013. Applicants may be at any career stage prior to tenure, but must have a complete book manuscript ready for circulation and discussion by August 1, 2013. Junior scholars at the conference will have their complete dissertation or book manuscripts discussed in depth by at least two invited senior colleagues with an eye toward preparing the work for publication. Research can focus on any aspect of the politics of the broader Middle East.

To apply please send by 5:00 pm April 15, 2013 to me_casey@gwu.edu in one .PDF document:

• CV
• chapter-length writing sample (preferably the introductory chapter of the dissertation/book manuscript)
• list of 3 to 5 senior scholars from whom you most would like feedback (including at least 2 who are not primarily Middle East specialists)
• contact information for at least two academic references (including a dissertation chair)

Please contact Mary Casey at me_casey@gwu.edu or 202.994.7689 with questions.

SOAS, University of London, is pleased to announce the availability of several scholarships in its Centre for Iranian Studies (CIS).

The Centre, established in 2010, draws upon the range of academic research and teaching across the disciplines of SOAS, including Languages and Literature, the Study of Religions, History, Economics, Politics, International Relations, Music, Art and Media and Film Studies. It aims to build close relations with like minded institutions and to showcase and foster the best of contemporary Iranian talent in art and culture.

MA in Iranian Studies

The members of CIS are launching an interdisciplinary MA in Iranian Studies, which will be offered from the academic year 2013/2014 onwards.

Thanks to the generosity of the Fereydoun Djam Charitable Trust, a number of Kamran Djam scholarships are available for BA, MA and MPhil/PhD studies. The Centre for Iranian Studies Chair Arshin Adib-Moghaddam welcomed the “unique and generous” opportunity that the scholarships provide. The Kamran Djam scholarships are a part of a decisive push for Iranian Studies at SOAS facilitated by the Centre for Iranian Studies at the London Middle East Institute (LMEI).

For further details, please contact:

Scholarships Officer
E: scholarships@soas.ac.uk
T: +44 (0)20 7074 5091/ 5094
W: www.soas.ac.uk/scholarships

#17 – February 25, 2013. The George Washington University’s Marc Lynch, director of the Project on Middle East Political Science, speaks with Lindsay Benstead, assistant professor of political science at Portland State University’s School of Government. Her working book project, Legislative Connections: Why Diverse Patterns of Parliamentary Clientelism Stabilize Authoritarian Governance in Arab North Africa, examines the relationship between regime type and the structure of patron-client relationships. Benstead also examines gender-related dimensions of electoral politics, public opinion, and survey methodology in the Middle East. Lynch and Benstead discuss elections in Tunisia and Algeria, and a recent public opinion survey she collaborated on in Tunisia.