Crown Center for Middle East Studies

Watch the second part of Nader Habibi's Al Jazeera Channel - قناة الجزيرة interview on Iranian presidential elections at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_2P3WuR3Dk

Brandeis University

Read the latest publication from the Crown Center's Nader Habibi, "The Effect of International Sanctions on the Size of the Middle Class in Iran," at https://www.cesifo.org/en/publications/2024/working-paper/effect-international-sanctions-size-middle-class-iran.

The Crown Center's Nader Habibi was recently interviewed by Al Jazeera Channel - قناة الجزيرة on the economy of Iran — watch now at https://mediaview.aljazeera.com/video/JNN6TK7Epi

Brandeis University

NADER HABIBI

Check out the latest op-ed on Turkish-Arab economic relations, by the Crown Center's Nader Habibi, at https://uikpanorama.com/blog/2024/06/27/nh-coop-conflict/

Brandeis University

Crown Center events bring together the worlds foremost researchers and experts on the Middle East, and our YouTube channel features recordings of all past events. Tune in and follow us there (@ CrownCenterMiddleEastStudies), or visit https://www.youtube.com/ to head to our channel and watch now!

Brandeis University

Head to https://www.brandeis.edu/crown/email-signup.html now to receive updates, news, and first access to all Crown Center events and continually up-to-date publications on the Middle East.

Brandeis University

New Crown Conversation — Read "Iran’s Eastward Turn to Russia and China," with Nicole Grajewski, Nader Habibi, and Gary Samore now, at https://www.brandeis.edu/crown/publications/crown-conversations/cc-22.html

ABOUT:
Since 1979, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s foreign policy has been guided by the slogan “neither East nor West.” But lately, Iran has prioritized relations with the East, particularly China and Russia, more than with the West. What is driving these growing ties? Does it represent a new alliance of authoritarian regimes? In this Crown Conversation, we speak to Nicole Grajewski, Nader Habibi, and Gary Samore about the significance of Iran’s eastward turn and its impact on the war in Ukraine and the Iran-Israel conflict. They address misconceptions about the countries' shared goals, economic and military cooperation in the face of western sanctions, and impact on the regional balance of power, including Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

• Nicole Grajewski is a fellow in the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and an associate researcher with the Project on Managing the Atom at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
• Nader Habibi is the Henry J. Leir Professor of the Economics of the Middle East at the Crown Center
• Gary Samore is the Crown Family Director of the Crown Center for Middle East Studies and Professor of the Practice of Politics at Brandeis

[This Crown Conversation was conducted prior to the news of the deaths of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, and other officials in a helicopter crash in northwestern Iran on Sunday, May 19, 2024.]

Brandeis University Carnegie Endowment

Check out the latest The Conversation US op-ed from former Crown Center for Middle East Studies fellow Eric Lob on President Ebrahim Raisi's death. For the full story, visit https://theconversation.com/iran-crash-president-raisis-death-leaves-tehran-mourning-loss-of-regime-loyalist-230385

Brandeis University

Join Crown Center director Gary Samore, with Carol Saivetz, for "Russia and Ukraine: The War of Attrition," via Zoom on Wednesday, May 15 from 12:00PM-1:15PM. Register at https://brandeisuniversity.my.site.com/s/event-detail?language=en_US&eventId=a4xPQ0000002DXR

Brandeis University

Are you familiar with the Crown Center's publications? Visit our site to access the full catalog of Middle East Briefs and Crown Conversations, and while there, sign up for our mailing list to receive first access to high quality research and new content upon release. Head to https://www.brandeis.edu/crown/publications/index.html for more.

Brandeis University

Read "Beyond Erdoğan: Lessons from Turkey's 2024 Local Elections," our latest Crown Conversation with Evren Balta and Zeynep Kadirbeyoğlu, now! Check out the full conversation at https://www.brandeis.edu/crown/publications/crown-conversations/cc-21.html

About:
On March 31, 2024, Turkey’s oldest political party, the Republican People’s Party (also known as CHP) surprised many analysts by winning local elections in most major cities and provinces, handing President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) their worst electoral defeat in over two decades. We speak with Evren Balta and Zeynep Kadirbeyoğlu about the reasons behind these unexpected results and their implications for Turkey’s political landscape. This Crown Conversation takes us beyond pro- and anti-Erdoğan rhetoric to examine changing voting patterns in Turkey, the significance of local politics in an increasingly authoritarian state, and the challenges that the government and opposition face going forward.

• Evren Balta is professor of International Relations and the chair of the International Relations Department at Özyeğin University in Istanbul, Turkey.
• Zeynep Kadirbeyoğlu is a faculty leave fellow at the Crown Center.

Brandeis University

The Crown Center mourns the passing of Charles "Corky" Goodman on December 16, 2023 at the age of 90. As Vice President of Henry Crown & Company and brother-in-law to Lester Crown, Corky had been a friend to and supporter of the Crown Center for Middle East Studies since its establishment in 2005.

In 2012, as part of a generous gift to Brandeis University, the Crown family created an endowed chair in Middle East History in Corky's name, which is currently held by the center's director for research and associate professor in History, Naghmeh Sohrabi.

The Crown Center sends its deepest condolences to the Goodman and Crown families. May his memory be a blessing.

Brandeis University

Check out the latest op-ed by Crown Center for Middle East Studies' Nader Habibi: https://intpolicydigest.org/iran-s-fiscal-budget-adapting-to-prolonged-economic-sanctions/

Brandeis University

Check out the latest Stimson op-ed from the Crown Center for Middle East Studies' Nader Habibi. Head to https://www.stimson.org/2024/turkey-gcc-trade-talks-mark-another-step-toward-rapprochement-with-arab-world/ to read now.

Brandeis University

"Arabs in the Jewish State: Israel's Minorities and the War in Gaza," our latest Middle East Brief by Daniel Amir, is available to read now at https://tinyurl.com/367ceb35.

How is the Israel-Hamas War reshaping Israel’s democratic foundations and attitudes toward national identity? In this Middle East Brief, Daniel Amir offers a novel approach to this question by examining the way the conflict has affected Israel’s Arab minorities, who make up one-fifth of the country's population. Amir traces the legal status of minorities within Israel and compares the recent treatment and political mobilization of Druze, Bedouin, and other Arab Israeli groups. Such a minority perspective, Amir argues, complicates our image of the war and demonstrates how the internal debates around Israeli civic identity and belonging, temporarily paused after October 7, continue apace as the country battles its external enemies.

Brandeis University

Brandeis students, check out the Crown Center fall course offerings led by Crown faculty and affiliates! Early registration is open, head to lhttps://www.brandeis.edu/crown/courses.html to learn more and register now!

Brandeis University

New Middle East Brief, "Arabs in the Jewish State: Israel's Minorities and the War in Gaza," by Daniel Amir. Read it now at https://tinyurl.com/367ceb35.

How is the Israel-Hamas War reshaping Israel's democratic foundations and attitudes toward national identity? Daniel Amir offers a novel approach to this question by examining the way the conflict has affected Israel's Arab minorities.

Brandeis University

Do you receive Crown Center emails? Sign up at https://www.brandeis.edu/crown/email-signup.html to receive first access to our Middle East Briefs, Crown Conversations, invitations to our Crown Seminars, and more!

Brandeis University

Do you know about the Crown Center YouTube channel? Find us at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC25hQ8yRiRifSb8d_YHCo-Q, and stream our Crown Seminars, Crown Center event recordings, and Counter/Argument podcast episodes now!

Brandeis University

Did you miss our latest Crown Seminar? Watch the recording of "The Politics of Disavowal: What Syria Can Tell Us About American Authoritarianism," with Lisa Wedeen, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zA-TYD1UvpM&feature=youtu.be

Brandeis University

Do you know about our Crown Conversations? Check out our latest, "Beyond Robots: Artificial Intelligence in the Middle East," with Nagla Rizk and Omer Shah, at https://www.brandeis.edu/crown/publications/crown-conversations/cc-20.html, or scan QR code now to read!

Brandeis University

Crown Center faculty, staff, fellows, and doctoral students gathered recently at our two-day retreat, where the latest Center-based research was shared, workshopped, and discussed. Learn more about the Crown Center for Middle East Studies and who we are at: https://www.brandeis.edu/crown/ !

Brandeis University

Check out The New Yorker piece with Crown Center for Middle East Studies' Khalil Shikaki: "What It Takes to Give Palestinians a Voice" — https://tinyurl.com/53ackcm4

Arab Barometer Brandeis University

There's still time to register for "The Politics of Disavowal: What Syria Can Tell Us About American Authoritarianism." Visit https://www.brandeis.edu/crown/events/2024/apr-3.html for access to our April 3 Crown Seminar with Lisa Wedeen, and join us at 11am EST this Wednesday!

Brandeis University

There's still time to register for "The Politics of Disavowal: What Syria Can Tell Us about American Authoritarianism." Visit https://tinyurl.com/mv4czear to get your link for this April 3 Crown Seminar with Lisa Wedeen!

Brandeis University

Recording now available and streaming online for "How Sanctions Work: Iran and the Impact of Economic Warfare." If you missed this Crown Seminar with Narges Bajoghli and Vali Nasr, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orp7F5tH_qU to watch now!

Brandeis University

Check out our latest Crown Conversation, "Beyond Robots: Artificial Intelligence in the Middle East," with .rizk and Omer Shah. Read it now at: https://www.brandeis.edu/crown/publications/crown-conversations/cc-20.html

About this Crown Conversation:
Since last year’s release of ChatGPT brought Artificial Intelligence (AI) to public attention, its disruptive and transformative powers have been widely analyzed by experts and the media. These debates, however, have rarely been concerned with the implications of AI for the Middle East, a region of rapidly expanding AI use and development. In this Crown Conversation, we ask Rizk and Shah to shed light on how AI technologies are being used in Egypt and Saudi Arabia—in areas as varied as agriculture and pilgrimage—and reflect on the possibilities and challenges of AI in the region.

• Nagla Rizk is professor of economics and founding director of the Access to Knowledge for Development Center (A2K4D) at the American University in Cairo’s School of Business. Her research area is the economics of knowledge, technologies, and development, with a focus on the governance of data and Artificial Intelligence, gender, and inclusive growth in Egypt and MENA.
• Omer Shah is the Chau Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow at Pomona College in the Department of Anthropology. His current book project, Made in Mecca: Expertise, Technology, and Hospitality in the Post-Oil Holy City, examines recent efforts by the Saudi state to intensify and optimize Mecca’s pilgrimage through new sciences and technologies of crowd management, logistics, and hospitality.

Brandeis University

Do you know about our Middle East Briefs? Learn about all Crown Center for Middle East Studies publications, and access our full library at brandeis.edu/crown/publications!

Brandeis University

Did you miss "Fallout From the Israel-Hamas War"? Head to our YouTube channel now to watch the replay of our Crown Seminar with Ambassador Daniel C. Kurtzer — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvTWnXsHmZE&t=10s

Brandeis University