POMEPS Middle East Political Science Podcast

Marc Lynch
  • 4.6 (17)
  • EDUCATION
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Discussing news and innovations in the Middle East.

  1. Twilight of the Saints (S. 15, Ep. 5)

    FEB 10

    Twilight of the Saints (S. 15, Ep. 5)

    On this week's episode of the podcast, Stéphane Lacroix of Sciences Po joins Marc Lynch to discuss his new book, Twilight of the Saints: The History and Politics of Salafism in Contemporary Egypt.  The book examines the history of Salafism in Egypt from its 1920s emergence in Cairo’s scholarly circles through the present day, shedding new light on the movement’s shifting relationship to politics. Drawing on extensive fieldwork and interviews, Lacroix illustrates how Salafism redefined what it means to be Muslim for Egyptians.

    50 min
  2. Jordan: Politics in An Accidental Crucible (S. 15, Ep. 4)

    FEB 3

    Jordan: Politics in An Accidental Crucible (S. 15, Ep. 4)

    On this week's episode of the podcast, Sean Yom of Temple University joins Marc Lynch to discuss his new book, Jordan: Politics in an Accidental Crucible. In the book, Yom provides a concise yet authoritative synthesis of the Hashemite Kingdom's development from its founding over a century ago to the present. He explores Jordan's government, society, economy, and foreign policy in a systematic manner, offering an immersive tour of this vital Arab country. Uniquely, he combines theoretical work from political science, sociology, and other scholarly fields with firsthand knowledge of Jordan garnered over decades of study. His insights show how Jordan's political experiences form a microcosm for understanding the entire Middle East. This year, in addition to the book conversations, POMEPS Director and podcast host Marc Lynch will be providing more context on the book itself or topics related to the book. Each week you'll hear about published academic research and other interesting material on the topic that Marc wants to share. You'll be able to find all of the citations and links at the end of the weekly podcast post. Music for this season’s podcast was created by Feras Arrabi. You can find more of his work on his website Music and Sound at www.ferasarrabi.com. POMEPS, directed by Marc Lynch, is based at the Institute for Middle East Studies at the George Washington University and is supported by Carnegie Corporation of New York.

    42 min
  3. Return of Tyranny (S. 15, Ep. 3)

    JAN 27

    Return of Tyranny (S. 15, Ep. 3)

    On this week's episode of the podcast, Killian Clarke of Georgetown University  joins Marc Lynch to discuss his new book, Return of Tyranny: Why Counterrevolutions Emerge and Succeed. Clarke explains both why counterrevolutions emerge and when they are likely to succeed. He forwards a movement-centric argument that emphasizes the strategies revolutionary leaders embrace both during their opposition campaigns and after they seize power. Movements that wage violent resistance and espouse radical ideologies establish regimes that are very difficult to overthrow. By contrast, democratic revolutions like Egypt's are more vulnerable, though Clarke also identifies a path by which they too can avoid counterrevolution. By preserving their elite coalitions and broad popular support, these movements can return to mass mobilization to thwart counterrevolutionary threats. In an era of resurgent authoritarianism worldwide, Return of Tyranny sheds light on one particularly violent form of reactionary politics. You can listen to this week’s podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or SoundCloud: Music for this season’s podcast was created by Feras Arrabi. You can find more of his work on his website Music and Sound at www.ferasarrabi.com. POMEPS, directed by Marc Lynch, is based at the Institute for Middle East Studies at the George Washington University and is supported by Carnegie Corporation of New York.

    39 min
  4. Mirages of Reform (S. 15, Ep. 2)

    JAN 20

    Mirages of Reform (S. 15, Ep. 2)

    On this week's episode of the podcast, Steven Monroe of the National University of Singapore joins Marc Lynch to discuss his new book, Mirages of Reform: The Politics of Elite Protectionism in the Arab World.  Monroe uses the case of Jordan to discuss the broader failures of economic reform across the Middle East. He develops a theoretical framework focused on the ability of connected elites to shield themselves from the effects of reforms enacted on paper. The liner notes for this episode focus on the political economy side of the ledger. We already highlighted a wide range of books about Jordan in our recent episode on Sean Yom's Jordan: Politics in an Accidental Crucible.  Anyone interested in Monroe's topic should also read Yom's book, as well as Curtis Ryan's Jordan and the Arab Uprisings, Jillian Schwedler's Protesting Jordan, and Scott Williamson's The King Can Do No Wrong. On Jordanian/Palestinian identity politics, my book State Interests and Public Sphere: The International Politics of Jordan's Identity. On the failures of economic reform, Peter Moore's Doing Business in the Middle East is in many ways a direct ancestor of Mirages of Reform, and still highly relevant today.  The same is true for Melani Cammett's Globalization and Business Politics in the Middle East, Clement Henry and Robert Springborg's Globalization and the Politics of Development in the Middle East, and the authoritative textbook authored by Cammett and Ishac Diwan (taking over from Alan Roberts and John Waterbury for the fourth edition), A Political Economy of the Middle East. On this week's episode of the podcast, Steven Monroe of the National University of Singapore joins Marc Lynch to discuss his new book, Mirages of Reform: The Politics of Elite Protectionism in the Arab World.  Monroe uses the case of Jordan to discuss the broader failures of economic reform across the Middle East. He develops a theoretical framework focused on the ability of connected elites to shield themselves from the effects of reforms enacted on paper. POMEPS Director Marc Lynch recommends that anyone interested in Monroe's topic and political economy should read Sean Yom's book Jordan: Politics in an Accidental Crucible, as well as Curtis Ryan's Jordan and the Arab Uprisings, Jillian Schwedler's Protesting Jordan, and Scott Williamson's The King Can Do No Wrong. On Jordanian/Palestinian identity politics, Marc Lynch's book State Interests and Public Sphere: The International Politics of Jordan's Identity. On the failures of economic reform, Peter Moore's Doing Business in the Middle East is in many ways a direct ancestor of Mirages of Reform, and still highly relevant today.  The same is true for Melani Cammett's Globalization and Business Politics in the Middle East, Clement Henry and Robert Springborg's Globalization and the Politics of Development in the Middle East, and the authoritative textbook authored by Cammett and Ishac Diwan (taking over from Alan Roberts and John Waterbury for the fourth edition), A Political Economy of the Middle East. Amr Adly's Cleft Capitalism traces similar dynamics in Egypt, while Steffen Hertog's Locked Out of Development: Insiders and Outsiders in Arab Capitalism, Robert Kubinek's Making Democracy Safe for Business, and Ferdinand Eibl's Social Dictatorships expand the scope to multiple countries.

    37 min
  5. Civilizing Contention: International Aid in Syria's War (S. 15, Ep. 1)

    JAN 13

    Civilizing Contention: International Aid in Syria's War (S. 15, Ep. 1)

    Welcome to Season 15 of the POMEPS Middle East Political Science Podcast! On this week's episode of the podcast, Rana Khoury of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign joins Marc Lynch to discuss her new book, Civilizing Contention: International Aid in Syria's War. Khoury asserts that to understand civilian and refugee activism in war, we must regard the international actors and organizations that enter the scene to help. When these organizations respond to crises, they work with local actors. In so doing, they facilitate the activists' participation in something like a civil society even in the depths of war. Yet as aid imposes its structures and routines, it also leaves activists unprotected from the violence of war and its aftermaths. This year, in addition to the book conversations, POMEPS Director and podcast host Marc Lynch will be providing more context either on the book itself or the topic of the book. Each week you'll hear about related published academic research on the topic or any other interesting material Marc comes across and wants to share. You'll be able to find all of the citations and links at the end of the weekly podcast post. Music for this season’s podcast was created by Feras Arrabi. You can find more of his work on his website Music and Sound at www.ferasarrabi.com. POMEPS, directed by Marc Lynch, is based at the Institute for Middle East Studies at the George Washington University and is supported by Carnegie Corporation of New York.

    47 min
  6. The Revolution within (S. 14, Ep. 13)

    04/25/2025

    The Revolution within (S. 14, Ep. 13)

    On this week's episode of the podcast, Yasmin Moll of the University of Michigan joins Marc Lynch to discuss her new book, The Revolution Within: Islamic Media and the Struggle for a New Egypt. This book challenges conventional accounts of the 2011 revolution and its aftermath as a struggle between secular and religious forces, reconsidering what makes a practice virtuous, a public Islamic, a way of life Godly. Yasmin Moll shows how Islamic media and the social life of theology mattered to contestations over the shape of a New Egypt. Music for this season’s podcast was created by Feras Arrabi. You can find more of his work on his website Music and Sound at www.ferasarrabi.com.   POMEPS, directed by Marc Lynch, is based at the Institute for Middle East Studies at the George Washington University and is supported by Carnegie Corporation of New York.

    46 min
  7. Road to October 7 (S. 14, Ep. 12)

    04/11/2025

    Road to October 7 (S. 14, Ep. 12)

    On this week's episode of the podcast, Erik Skare of the University of Oslo joins Marc Lynch to discuss his new book, Road to October 7: A Brief History of Palestinian Islamism. In this book, Erik Skare argues that Palestinian Islamism is far more complex and dynamic than generally assumed. The phenomenon has continuously developed through disputes between moderates and hardliners. Music for this season’s podcast was created by Feras Arrabi. You can find more of his work on his website Music and Sound at www.ferasarrabi.com.   POMEPS, directed by Marc Lynch, is based at the Institute for Middle East Studies at the George Washington University and is supported by Carnegie Corporation of New York.

    49 min
  8. Decentralization, Local Governance, and Inequality (S. 14, Ep. 10)

    03/19/2025

    Decentralization, Local Governance, and Inequality (S. 14, Ep. 10)

    On this week's episode of the podcast, Kristen Kao and Ellen Lust of the University of Gothenburg join Marc Lynch to discuss their new book, Decentralization, Local Governance, and Inequality in the Middle East and North Africa. This book directs our attention toward the ways in which decentralization is “lived locally” by citizens of the MENA region, underscoring the simultaneous influences of individual-level factors (e.g. gender, education) and local context (e.g. development levels, electoral institutions) on governance processes and outcomes.  Mentioned in the podcast: Carnegie-funded Report on Decentralisation  Decentralization in the MENA: Representation, Gender, and Civic Engagement Decentralization and Recentralization: Governance Dynamics in the MENA Region Everyday Choices framework Supplemental Materials   Music for this season’s podcast was created by Feras Arrabi. You can find more of his work on his website Music and Sound at www.ferasarrabi.com.

    48 min
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Discussing news and innovations in the Middle East.

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