Mezze: Assorted Stories from the Middle East

A taste of the debates shaping the region in 270 words or less.

The monthly Mezze series puts a spotlight on under-discussed trends and debates in the region. It is part of the Middle East Program’s newsletter, Middle East Notes and Comment. To receive Middle East Notes and Comment and Mezze in your mailbox, subscribe to the newsletter below.

Sample past editions of Mezze HERE.

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Chat GPMufti

Newsletter by Martin Pimentel — October 24, 2023

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Chat GPMufti

AI is playing an increasing role among Muslim institutions in the MENA region. This trend, however, has left many uneasy. In this mezze, Marty Pimentel discusses the future role of AI in religious institutions throughout the region. 

Newsletter by Martin Pimentel — October 24, 2023

Babel: Translating the Middle East

A Mezze: Fishing for Food Security

In August 2021, in the desert region of southern Algeria, a group of Sahrawi refugees were bustling inside a building studded with rectangular pools and filled with tons of tilapia—literally.

Podcast Episode by Leah Hickert and Martin Pimentel — October 10, 2023

CSIS Babel

Fishing for Food Security

In Tindouf, the sun beats down on sandy expanses that are home to little more than a network of refugee camps. But in August 2021, a group of Sahrawi refugees were bustling inside a white-walled building studded with rectangular pools filled with tons of tilapia—literally.

Newsletter by Martin Pimentel — September 19, 2023

Babel: Translating the Middle East

A Mezze: Tunisia's Hunger Games

Amid widespread shortages of basic products in Tunisia, grocery store owners have become like black marketeers.

Podcast Episode by Leah Hickert — September 12, 2023

CSIS Babel

Tunisia’s Hunger Games

In June 2023, a woman waited for the last customer to leave a grocery store in La Marsa, in northeastern Tunisia. She mumbled to the shopkeeper, “Do you have it?” The shopkeeper took her to a back room and handed her a small packet wrapped in a dark bag. Once she got home, she opened the bag and showed it to her husband. She had managed to secure a bag of coffee. Just a month earlier, she had to go through the same process to get butter, and prior to that, to obtain rice.

Blog Post — July 24, 2023

Tunisia’s Hunger Games

In June 2023, a woman waited for the last customer to leave a grocery store in La Marsa, in northeastern Tunisia. She mumbled to the shopkeeper, “Do you have it?” The shopkeeper took her to a back room and handed her a small packet wrapped in a dark bag. Once she got home, she opened the bag and showed it to her husband. She had managed to secure a bag of coffee. Just a month earlier, she had to go through the same process to get butter, and prior to that, to obtain rice

Newsletter — July 24, 2023

Babel: Translating the Middle East

A Mezze: Saudis Take to the Streets

Through new urban planning projects, Saudi Arabia is encouraging its citizens to join a quiet revolution of walking. While many Saudi cities have improved their mobility index, the government still faces many challenges. A new Mezze from the CSIS Middle East Program.

Podcast Episode by Lubna Yousef and Layan Shaaban — July 18, 2023

CSIS Babel
Babel: Translating the Middle East

A Mezze: The Kurdistan Region of Iraq

As power outages become more frequent in Iraq, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq is turning to renewable energy and working to attract private investors to access the full potential of the sun.

Podcast Episode by Lubna Yousef and Will Todman — July 4, 2023

CSIS Babel
Babel: Translating the Middle East

Analysis: LGBTQ+ Advocacy in the Middle East Backfires

In a new episode of Babel, we talk to Will Todman about how even well-intentioned Western LGBTQ+ advocacy in the Middle East can have negative consequences for local LGBTQ+ communities.

Podcast Episode by Lubna Yousef and Will Todman — June 20, 2023

CSIS Babel

Saudis Take to The Streets

The Saudi government is encouraging its citizens to take to the streets to join a quiet revolution. It wants them to walk. Saudi Arabia ranks amongst the lowest countries in the world in step count. The average Saudi in Riyadh takes fewer than 3,000 steps a day, and the government is working to double that number by 2030.

Newsletter by Lubna Yousef and Layan Shaaban — June 14, 2023