APSA MENA Politics Section

Two days left to cast your votes for our next @apsamena.bsky.social Vice Chair and At-Large Member! Deadline is July 31. Ballots were sent via a Section email. And mark your calendars for our business meeting: Friday Sept 4 from 6:30-7:30 in Room 110 of the Convention Center. Reception to follow!

Final day (June 12) to submit your (self-)nominations for @apsamena.bsky.social Section officer elections! We are electing our next Vice Chair and Member-at-Large. apsamena.org/2026/05/29/u... And congrats again to all our Section award winners - we hope to see you to celebrate in Boston!

Many congrats Daniel!

Announcing awards for best articles on MENA politics published in 2025: Best Article, Special Recognition: Jannis Julien Grimm and Lilian Mauthofer "Multi-Perspectivity and Ethical Representation in the Context of Gaza and October 7: Addressing the Semantic Void" Many congrats Jannis and Lilian!

Announcing awards for best articles on MENA politics published in 2025: Best Article, Special Recognition: Daniel L. Tavana "Endogenous Opposition: Identity and Ideology in Kuwaiti Electoral Politics" Many congrats @danieltavana.bsky.social

Announcing awards for best articles on MENA politics published in 2025: Best Article, Special Recognition: Lisel Hintz "Cooking Shows as Gender Edutainment in Authoritarian Regimes: Recipe for (New) Turkey" Many congrats @liselhintz.bsky.social!

Announcing awards for best articles on MENA politics published in 2025: Best Article: Allison S. Hartnett and Mohamed Saleh "Precolonial Elites and Colonial Redistribution of Political Power." Many congrats @ashartnett.bsky.social and Mohamed!

Announcing awards for best MENA papers presented at the 2025 APSA conference: Best Paper, Honorable Mention: Andrew O'Donohue "Law versus Democracy: Judicial Selection Institutions, Court Capture, and Democratic Backsliding” Many congrats Andrew!

Announcing awards for best papers presented at the 2025 APSA conference: Best Paper, Honorable Mention: Narmin Yousef-Butt and Raed Aldulaimi "Selective Reconstruction: Local Elected Politicians, Collaborators, and Public Goods in Post-Conflict Iraq” Many congrats @narminbutt.bsky.social + Raed!

Announcing awards for best MENA papers presented at the 2025 APSA conference: Best Paper: Aslı Cansunar, Arzu Kbrıs, and Efe Tokdemir "Ethnic Cues and Conflict-Triggered Harassment: Evidence from Soccer Fields" Many congrats @aslicansunar.bsky.social, Arzu, and @efetokdemir.bsky.social!

Announcing 2026 APSA MENA Book Awards! Best Senior Scholar Book: Utku Balaban Industrial Islamism: How Authoritarian Movements Mobilize Workers (University of California Press) Huge congrats @utkubalaban.bsky.social !

Announcing 2026 APSA MENA Dissertation Awards! Best Dissertation Award: Ronay Bakan "Counterinsurgent Urbanism: Weaponizing Land and Heritage in the Kurdish Region of Turkey" Best Dissertation, Honorable Mention Award: Narmin Yousef-Butt "Rebuilding After Conflict: Legacies of Collaboration."

New @pomeps.bsky.social Studies collection out! Examines both structural challenges for "weak" states in the Middle East and the agency they display in confronting them: "Weak States in a Turbulent Middle East" pomeps.org/pomeps-studi...

One week left to submit (self-)nominations for APSA MENA Section Officer positions! We will elect a Vice Chair and a Member-at-Large. If you'd like to be involved in shaping our Section's activities, or know someone who should, nominate by Friday June 12. apsamena.org/2026/05/29/u...

Call for Nominations for APSA MENA Section Officers! Deadline June 12. Seeking nominations - including self-nominations! - for the positions of Vice Chair and Member at Large. For details and submission instructions see: apsamena.org/2026/05/29/u....

I'm catching up on last week, which includes my most recent article for @apsamena.bsky.social on AI in the Gulf and its effort to offer a "Third Option" between the US and China. It was mostly written before the Iran war, so some of the ambitions may face tempering. zenodo.org/records/2019...

Check out our Spring 2026 newsletter's roundtable on AI and Middle East political science. The roundtable is led by @cbarns.bsky.social in conversation with six scholars across professional levels. @abuaardvark.bsky.social called the exchange "pathbreaking" in his blog. zenodo.org/records/2019...

Our Spring 2026 Newsletter is out from editors @dbgreenwald.bsky.social @sebnemgumuscu.bsky.social @samershehata.bsky.social! Featuring deep dives into the role of AI in MENA politics, and in MENA research. Plus career reflections from Nathan Brown. Check it out! zenodo.org/records/2019...

Excellent resource for MENA scholars! New set of articles on political movements in North Africa and the Sahel from @pomeps.bsky.social. Come for @abuaardvark.bsky.social's intro piece. Stay for deep expert insights on topics ranging from Amazigh to Gen Z mobilization. pomeps.org/political-mo...

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...

Fantastic opportunity for MENA scholars of historical political economy! Deadline May 30. @ashartnett.bsky.social is hosting a pre-conference for MENA-focused papers at the annual HPE conference. Toward a methods-diverse MENA HPE! Indicate interest on the form: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

March 1 deadline! Apply for our APSA MENA Research Development Group to workshop a paper toward journal submission, create mentorship networks, and build a cohort. PhD students and other early career scholars of MENA politics (including Turkey!) are welcome to apply. apsa.wufoo.com/forms/zsyzjz...

Just under 2 weeks to go for Research Development Group applications! Deadline is March 1. Early career scholars get detailed comments from senior scholars to help turn papers into journal submissions. Great feedback + mentorship opportunity! We meet Sept 2. Info: web.apsanet.org/mena/wp-cont...

Applications are now open for the 2026 APSA MENA Research Development Group! Who: Early career scholars of MENA in polisci/similar field When: Sept 2 Where: APSA conference in Boston Why: Feedback + mentorship from senior scholars, engage with a great cohort Apply: web.apsanet.org/mena/wp-cont...

Final day to submit (self-)nominations for APSA MENA awards. Nominations welcome for Best Book, Best Article, Best APSA Paper, Best Dissertation. apsamena.org/awards/apsa-...

Just a few days to get APSA MENA awards nominations in by February 1. Self-nominations welcome for Best Book, Best Article, Best APSA Paper. Students, ask advisers to nominate you for Best Dissertation. Advisers, nominate your students. Let's celebrate your work! apsamena.org/awards/apsa-...

🚨🚨 Junior scholars working on Middle East politics (broadly defined): Have your advisers / mentors nominate your dissertation for the 2026 @apsamena.bsky.social best dissertation award! Senior scholars: please nominate your students! Deadline is Sunday, Feb 1

Just under two weeks to go! Submit nominations for APSA MENA awards for Best Book, Best Article (awards open to Best Fieldwork + Best Dataset), Best Dissertation, and Best APSA Paper by February 1. Self-nominations are welcome - let's celebrate your work! Details: apsamena.org/awards/apsa-...

Also check out Rana Khoury's new book on the multiple dimensions of Syria's anti-Assad movement. @rbkhoury.bsky.social is a former newsletter editorial board member and scholar of wartime activism, displacement, and humanitarianism in Syria and beyond. www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501...

One year after toppling of Bashar Assad's regime, we've got a variety of insights on prospects for Syria's future. Check out the 7-piece symposium on Syria co-edited by @rbkhoury.bsky.social and Sefa Seçen in our latest APSA MENA Politics Newsletter. apsamena.org/mena-politic...

APSA MENA award nominations are now open for Best Book, Best Article (with awards open to Best Fieldwork and Best Dataset), Best Dissertation, and Best APSA Paper. Deadline to nominate great work is Feb 1. Including YOUR OWN great work. Details: apsamena.org/awards/apsa-...

As the current EC, we thank outgoing members @curtisryan.bsky.social, Zahra Babar, and @lmourad.bsky.social for their leadership, community-building, and continuous efforts on behalf of MENA political science scholars. We have big shoes to fill, and look forward to working with you!

With al-Sharaa's White House visit making headlines today, check out analysis of Syria in our latest @apsamena.bsky.social newsletter. @rbkhoury.bsky.social and Sefa Seçen curated a 7-piece symposium on Syria's prospects and challenges. Access the full newsletter zenodo.org/records/1745...

Section members - Reminder about our elections! Only a few days left to get your vote in. You should have received an email (hint: search for 'Survey Research' in your inbox), or you can find the ballot on @apsa.bsky.social Connect. Get your votes in for your new elected representatives! #menasky

Want to get more actively involved in the APSA MENA Section? Our nominating committee will be assembling candidates for our upcoming section elections. If you're a member of the section (and have a Phd), you can nominate yourself or a colleague to be considered!

Very pleased to share the Spring 2025 issue of the @apsamena.bsky.social newsletter, co-edited with @samershehata.bsky.social and @sebnemgumuscu.bsky.social: zenodo.org/records/1538...

Congratulations to the new editorial team for a wonderfully rich first issue!

Check out @maydarwich.bsky.social's essay alongside others in our latest newsletter, covering whether and what shape the "new regional order" is taking, including a feature essay by Louise Fawcett and a very rich set of essays in the symposium.

The deadline for the upcoming @apsa.bsky.social MENA Methods workshop is coming up! If you are interested in/work on issues of decolonization & extractivism in the region, check out the call below and apply.