Social and Political Change
Analyzing social and political trends throughout the region
For more than a decade, calls for social and political change have ricocheted throughout the region. Governments have responded, and their citizens have responded as well. The consequences of the resultant alliances and struggles affect events in individual countries, inspire regional observers, and help shape how governments engage regionally and globally. The Middle East Program tracks social and political trends on a national and regional level to better understand where the region is heading over the next few decades and where it came from.
Featured Analysis
Chat GPMufti
Newsletter by Martin Pimentel — October 24, 2023
Bader Al-Saif: Kuwait's Perceptions, People, and Progress
Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman, Will Todman, and Leah Hickert — February 6, 2024
Ties that Bind: Family, Tribe, Nation, and the Rise of Arab Individualism
The Arab world is experiencing a revolution. States have relied on pyramids of authority that reach down through society, often through tribes into families. Yet those ties are fraying, and individualism is rising.
Report by Jon B. Alterman — December 2, 2019
Everyday Choices: A Conversation with Dr. Ellen Lust
Analysis: Environmental Action in Tunisia
Podcast Episode by Leah Hickert and Will Todman
Citizens in Training: Conscription and Nation-building in the United Arab Emirates
Report by Jon B. Alterman and Margo Balboni
Danny Hajjar: Today's Arab Music
Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman, Natasha Hall, and Leah Hickert
All Social and Political Change Content
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Israel’s Not-Quite-Founder’s Syndrome
Commentary by Jon B. Alterman — March 11, 2024
A Different Two-State Solution
Commentary by Jon B. Alterman — January 10, 2024
Scaling Out: Lebanon’s Civil Society Joins Forces to Tackle the Waste Crisis
Commentary by Martin Pimentel — September 15, 2023
Lebanon’s New Government
Critical Questions by Will Todman — September 10, 2021
A Mezze: Secondhand in Demand
Podcast Episode — December 22, 2020
The Normalization of UAE-Israel Relations
Critical Questions by Jon B. Alterman — August 14, 2020
Azadeh Moaveni: Why Women Join the Islamic State
Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman, Will Todman, and Natasha Hall — August 11, 2020
A Mezze: Bad Love
Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman and Will Todman — July 7, 2020
A Mezze: Speaking the Same Language
Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman and Will Todman — May 26, 2020
The New Housewives of Egypt
Newsletter — March 16, 2020