Published 13 December 2024 CMES Researcher Pinar Dinc has written an article published in the Conversation on the future of the self-governing region in Syria’s north-east, after the fall of the Assad regime. AbstractAfter more than a decade of brutal civil war, it took Islamist militants just 11 days to sweep through Syria and topple the regime of Bashar al-Assad. The offensive, which has been dr

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/syrias-self-governing-democratic-north-east-comes-under-attack-country-flux - 2025-07-07

Published 9 January 2025 CMES Researcher Adam Almqvist has written a review of Mayssoun Sukarieh’s book "A Global Idea: Youth, City Networks, and the Struggle for the Arab World" (published in 2023). The book review is published in International Journal of Urban and Regional Research. Review summaryWhy do the same dominant ideas appear in radically different parts of the world? What are the materi

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/book-review-global-idea-youth-city-networks-and-struggle-arab-world - 2025-07-07

Published 13 January 2025 The Centre for Advanced Middle Eastern Studies (CMES) will offer three Arabic language courses during Spring of 2025. Applications are now open for the CMES language courses in Arabic. The following courses are offered during the Spring Semester of 2025:  A1, Modern Standard Arabic for Beginners, Part 2 (Only for students who took A1 Part 1 last term) A2, Modern Standard

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/apply-now-study-arabic-cmes-spring-2025 - 2025-07-07

Published 14 January 2025 Read the January CMES Newsletter about upcoming events, recent research activities, and new publications. The CMES Newsletter offers a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of Middle Eastern research. It is distributed regularly to a diverse audience of scholars, both within Lund University and beyond. Each issue features:Message From the DirectorLatest Research NewsUpcom

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/read-latest-cmes-newsletter-48 - 2025-07-07

Published 15 January 2025 CMES Researcher Yafa Shanneik has been awarded a prestigious ERC Consolidator Grant for her project "RELI-GENE: Governing Health, Family, and Religion". The study examines how religious and state health policies influence marriage and reproductive practices, particularly in close-knit religious communities in Europe and the Middle East. In many of these communities, marri

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/yafa-shanneik-awarded-erc-consolidator-grant - 2025-07-07

Published 17 January 2025 CMES researcher Hossein Hashemi has co-authored an article in the Environmental Research Letters. AbstractDust storms have been an increasing concern in the Middle East. Severe drought events and human activities, particularly water and land management, have led to emerging dust sources in the last few decades. This study combines spatio-temporal maps of land susceptibili

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/unraveling-link-between-agricultural-patterns-and-dust-storm-occurrence-mesopotamia - 2025-07-07

Published 20 January 2025 CMES Researcher Pinar Dinc has written an article published in the Conversation on the uncertain future of the Kurds in rebel-led Syria. AbstractMore than a month has passed since Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, the leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militant group, became the de facto leader of Syria. Since then, he has dropped his nom de guerre in favour of his real name,

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/why-kurds-face-uncertain-future-ahmed-al-sharas-rebel-led-syria - 2025-07-07

Published 22 January 2025 CMES researcher Hossein Hashemi has co-authored an article in the Journal of Hydrology. AbstractGroundwater drought, as a form of hydrological drought, embodies the distinctive characteristics of the aquifer and human-induced disruptions within the hydrological system. The intricate nature of groundwater flow systems, coupled with challenges in acquiring field observation

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/novel-implementation-pre-processing-approaches-and-hybrid-kernel-based-model-short-and-long-term - 2025-07-07

Published 23 January 2025 Orwa Ajjoub (Malmö University) visited CMES for a research seminar on the recent developments in Syria. The first CMES Research Seminar of the spring semester 2025 attracted a large audience at Finngatan 16. The seminar featured Orwa Ajjoub, Ph.D. candidate in Global Politics at Malmö University, as the guest speaker. Ajjoub’s research explores intra-jihadi violence and t

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/syrian-conflict-over-challenges-and-opportunities-new-administration - 2025-07-07

Published 24 January 2025 CMES Researcher Amir Naghibi has written an article published in Global Ecology and Conservation. "Macroecological Predictors to Determine Future Refuges of Luciobarbus Species in the Tigris–Euphrates Basin: Rethinking Conservation Strategies and Management"AbstractFreshwater ecosystems, being highly susceptible to the impacts of climate change, experience a greater influ

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/macroecological-predictors-determine-future-refuges-luciobarbus-species-tigris-euphrates-basin - 2025-07-07

By webeditor [at] cme [dot] lu [dot] se (CMES Webeditor) - published 28 January 2025 CMES Director Karin Aggestam has written an article in The Conversation on the fragile ceasefire in Gaza and diplomatic challenges ahead. AbstractDonald Trump’s recent statement describing Gaza as a “demolition site” – and his suggestion to “evacuate” Palestinians in Gaza to Egypt and Jordan to “clean out that who

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/trumps-recent-statement-gaza-transactional-diplomacy-and-quest-sustainable-ceasefire - 2025-07-07

Published 31 January 2025 CMES Researcher Svante Lundgren has written an article for The Conversation on the tense relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. AbstractAzerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev, has launched a fierce verbal attack on Armenia, which he has called a fascist state. “Fascism must be destroyed,” he said in an interview on local TV networks on January 7. “Either the Armenian lea

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/armenia-and-azerbaijan-are-loggerheads-again-heres-why-tensions-are-rising - 2025-07-07

Published 3 February 2025 CMES Researcher Amir Naghibi has co-authored an article in Ecological Informatics. "Enhancing Pan Evaporation Predictions: Accuracy and Uncertainty in Hybrid Machine Learning Models"Ecological Informatics, Volume 85, 2025.IntroductionEvaporation, as an important process in the hydrological cycle, plays a pivotal role in management of water resource and agricultural activi

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/enhancing-pan-evaporation-predictions-accuracy-and-uncertainty-hybrid-machine-learning-models - 2025-07-07

Published 6 February 2025 CMES researchers continue to make an impact on The Conversation, contributing to Lund University’s record-breaking article count in 2024. Last year, Lund University experienced a record year in terms of articles published on The Conversation - an international news site that provides researchers with the opportunity to reach a broad audience. With 55 articles from 50 Lund

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/cmes-reaches-global-readers-conversation - 2025-07-07

Published 7 February 2025 Satellite images show destruction of trees (top) and greenhouses (bottom) in north Gaza. Yin et al (2025) CMES Researcher Lina Eklund has co-authored an article published in The Conversation about agricultural destruction in Gaza. IntroductionThe ceasefire agreed between Israel and Hamas makes provisions for the passage of food and humanitarian aid into Gaza. This support

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/gaza-we-analysed-year-satellite-images-map-scale-agricultural-destruction - 2025-07-07

Published 10 February 2025 Hebatalla Taha (Lund University) held a CMES Research Seminar on the Israeli Bank Leumi and its operations in Palestine. Leumi is an Israeli bank, established in 1902 as the Anglo-Palestine Company, closely connected to the Zionist movement. After the founding of the State of Israel in 1948, Bank Leumi served as the central bank and issued the country's first banknotes.

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/israels-bank-leumi-palestine - 2025-07-07

Published 11 February 2025 Gain insights into the latest developments and key dynamics in the Middle East. Welcome to the CMES Research Seminars. Every semester, CMES hosts a variety of public events, focusing on the Middle East region. The CMES Research Seminar invites Lund University researchers as well as national and international leading scholars to present ongoing research and analyses on a

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/join-our-cmes-research-seminars-spring - 2025-07-07

Published 13 February 2025 CMES researcher Altea Pericoli has published an article in Global Policy about Islamic instruments for refugee financing. Pericoli, A. (2025). Islamic instruments for refugee financing: the IsDB and UNHCR collaborative approach. Global Policy, Special Issue, “Expanding Financial Environment for Refugees and Immigrants: Islamic Finance in Action”. Volume 16, S1: 46-56. Re

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/islamic-instruments-refugee-financing-isdb-and-unhcr-collaborative-approach - 2025-07-07

Published 19 February 2025 CMES researcher Filippo Verre has published a new book exploring nationalism and identity in the Late Ottoman Era. Echoes of Empire: Nationalism and Identity in the Late Ottoman Era (1898-1918)This book by Filippo Verre delves into the complex and transformative period of the late Ottoman Empire, exploring the rise of nationalistic movements that reshaped its multi-ethni

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/echoes-empire-nationalism-and-identity-late-ottoman-era-1898-1918 - 2025-07-07

Published 21 February 2025 Aron Lund from the Swedish Defence Research Agency visited CMES for a public lecture on the future of Syria. On February 20, Aron Lund, a Middle East analyst at the Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI), delivered a well-attended public lecture at the Eden Auditorium, hosted by CMES. His talk focused on recent political developments in Syria.Aron Lund traced Syria's cour

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/cmes-public-lecture-aron-lund-syria-after-assads - 2025-07-07