Ammar Shamaileh

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: MENA METHODS WORKSHOP Engaged Research in the Middle East and North Africa January 5-8, 2026 – Doha, Qatar The American Political Science Association (APSA) is pleased to announce a Call for Applications from early-career scholars who would like to participate in a four-day in-person workshop that examines the theme of participatory and engaged research in the MENA region. Organized in partnership with the Doha Institute (DI), the program will be held from January 5-8, 2026 at DI in Doha, Qatar. The organizers will cover participation costs, including travel, lodging, and materials for up to 20 qualified applicants. Following their full participation in the program, fellows will receive a one-year membership to APSA. The deadline for applications is Sunday, September 14, 2025. The workshop is part of a multi-year effort to support political science research among early-career scholars in the MENA region and to strengthen research networks linking Arab scholars with their colleagues overseas. More information on APSA’s MENA programming can be found online at http://web.apsanet.org/mena/. Eligible Participants: Applications are open to advanced doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows, and early-career scholars (those who received their PhDs within the past 5 years), as well as early-career PhD- holding practitioners who are citizens of countries in the MENA region. The program is tailored for scholars in political science and other social science disciplines—including peace and conflict studies, international studies, development studies, and adjacent fields undertaking research that seeks to consciously employ participatory and engaged research methods in the MENA region, particularly those working on projects that use in-country fieldwork, rely on original data collection, and explore methodological, ethical, and practical challenges of social science research in applied settings. Professional fluency in English is required.

This workshop has two central goals. First, we seek to de-center the academy as the only environment in which political scientists conduct scientific research and where knowledge is produced, drawing on the organizers’ collective experiences with applied scholarship and connections to others who do participatory and engaged research. In doing so, the workshop seeks to make visible some of the many ways in which political scientists can approach engaged work. Second, the workshop aims to provide participants with the methodological tools and professional vocabulary necessary to make applied research legible and relevant in academic spaces. The workshop organizers seek applications for projects that focus primarily on the following sub-themes: • Approaches to participatory research, with discussion of different modes of participatory research, the questions they can (and can’t) answer, and how to ground them in academic debates. • Real-world examples of successful participatory and/or engaged research projects. • The promises and pitfalls of survey research in the MENA. • The challenges of integrating diverse data sources (key-informant interviews, focus groups, survey data, participant observation). • Reflections on research collaborations, with discussion of philosophical, ethical, and pragmatic considerations beyond formal ethics review. • Reflection on positionality on and off the page and how it relates to political science research.

Call for applications! APSA-MENA Workshop on Engaged Scholarship in the Middle East and North Africa, hosted at the Doha Institute Jan 5-8 2026 & convened by @ammars.bsky.social, @philbrickyadav.bsky.social, Lara Khattab, & myself. See below.

Link to application: apsa.wufoo.com/forms/z14bkm...

Excited to be co-organizing an APSA MENA Methods Workshop on "Participatory and Engaged Research in the MENA" with @apsamena.bsky.social colleagues @separkinson.bsky.social, @ammars.bsky.social and Lara Khattab at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies. ECRs & practitioners, apply by 9/14.

The Anatomy of Lebanon’s Postwar Integral State: The Political Economy of Cartels and Consent This essay stretches Antonio Gramsci’s core concept of the integral state to explain an enigma in contemporary Lebanon: why the massive collapse after the October 2019 protests failed to generate c...

Why did the "massive collapse after the October 2019 protests [fail] to generate commensurate political, ideological, and organizational responses?"

Check out this wonderful new piece by @bassel26.bsky.social

#Polisky

MELG’s new issue is out! It’s a SI on “Populism in the Arab World” coedited with MELG Editorial Board member @ammars.bsky.social

Israel kills at least 79 people in Gaza, many at US-backed aid site: Medics There has been no immediate comment by the Israeli military or the GHF on Saturday’s Palestinian deaths.

Through it all, the genocidal machine marches on.

www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/6/...

Who are the ’ISIS-linked’ Gaza militia backed by Israel? A new force challenging Hamas has arisen in southern Gaza composed of a local Bedouin tribe, The New Arab looks into its links with Israel and ISIS.

www.newarab.com/news/who-are...

For those of you wondering how things are going over at X:

This is my first op-ed and I struggled to condense all my thoughts on this matter in a short piece, but I would welcome the opportunity to debate and discuss this further in the future.

In defence of federalism in Syria: Should it still be taboo? Syria's new political roadmap must at least consider federalism as a viable option to accommodate all of Syria's diverse communities, says Ammar Shamaileh.

My op-ed in support of considering a federalist system in Syria is now out in the @thenewarab.bsky.social. To be clear, this is not support for any plan that is currently being circulated. My main point is that a symmetric federalist approach should be explored.

www.newarab.com/opinion/defe...

This is a pretty petty point, but I wonder if Hafez will be allowed to change his dissertation's dedication:

“To the martyrs of the Syrian Arab Army, without whose selfless sacrifices none of us would exist.”

This made me laugh out loud.

This is the most petty and self-centered letter I could ever imagine somebody writing in this situation. Even in this most, Assad can't think of anything other than himself; not Syria, not Palestine, and not even his supporters. It's all about him and his image.

YouTube video by Syria TV تلفزيون سوريا أم أحمد جارة عائلة الأسد في القرداحة تشكو فقرها وضيق حالها

youtube.com/shorts/Z4D_w...

Everything coming out of Syria right now indicates that it won't be, particularly given that it looks like HTS wants to allow for some bureaucratic continuity. Of course, the next few months will be challenging and there's still the possibility that Syria could head down a very dark path.

Deep suspicion is needed at this time and beneficial. I view them with suspicion as well, as I view pretty much all political actors and groups. That said, all signs so far point to an attempt to maintain stability through inclusion. But, it must remain in their interest to be inclusive.

HTS announcing the PM as in charge of public institutions until the transition is complete is a remarkable and shrewd move.

So far, I've been very wrong. I'm just hoping I stay wrong.

I have spent decades envisioning different scenarios where Assad fell. I never pictured a scenario where it would happen like this. I am also completely shocked at how well HTS has managed the political and social side of things. They've been quite brilliant so far.

coming day

The fact SAA's morale was low was common knowledge. Morale among Syrians in Assad controlled areas has generally been low in recent years. I don't have insider knowledge wrt HTS, but those I've spoken to who do indicated they were optimistic, but that their success exceeded their expectations.

Ultimately, and unfortunately, it is foreign actors that will play the predominant role in negotiations. This, hopefully, can be leveraged to incidentally negotiate a settlement that is beneficial for Syrians; but, it is the protection of foreign interests that will be the focus.

Let's hope Russia and Iran enter discussions tomorrow planning on a post-Assad Syria. How much longer can they continue propping up the corpse of this regime? Do they really want to risk complete defeat? Of course, I doubt there will be any serious discussions of the interests of Syrians.

Shot in the Malki neighborhood of Damascus today.

I believe that my anti-Assad credentials are solid enough that I can express my opinion without it being misunderstood: The recent developments in Syria are horrible for Syrians and I can't believe how many people are cheerleading for HTS.

France on Putin | France on Netanyahu

These are Palestinian firefighters, likely from either Burj al-Barajna or Shatila refugee camps.

FWIW, Palestinian civil protection units do a lot of mutual aid outside the camps, made more significant by the fact that they are *stateless*. They've responded to wildfires in Lebanon, for example.

We noticed there wasn't a starter pack on authoritarian politics yet – Now there is!

go.bsky.app/UFHn7sS

Spread and ask to join!

Thanks for this. Can I be added?

The goals the Israeli gov't is articulating for South Lebanon echo the stated aims of the 1982 invasion very closely (different groups firing missiles from South Lebanon, same idea of clearing a border area to secure the Galilee).

So anyways, Israel then occupied South Lebanon for 18 years.

The English article published by MELG probably won't be (unless the author's institution pays for it), but if it ends up being one of the articles Siyasat Arabiya decides to translate, the Arabic version will be open access.

Siyasat Arabiya and Middle East Law & Governance: Special Issue on Quantitative Methods in the Political Science of the Arab Region Call for Papers Siyasat Arabiya and Middle East Law & Governance (MELG) are pleased to announce this call for papers for dual special issues on quantitative methods in the political science of...

I'll take this as an opportunity to pitch the special issue I'm editing. Maybe this will motivate you.

www.dohainstitute.org/en/News/Page...