Join us the day after Iraq’s parliamentary elections for a Crown Seminar with Alissa Walter, author of “Contested City: Citizen Advocacy and Survival in Modern Baghdad,” and Prof. Marsin Alshamary.
In this Crown Conversation, Crown fellows Nader Andrawos and Daniel Neep examine Syria’s uncertain transition and consider what it will take to govern a pluralist society, rebuild trust, and pursue justice after more than a decade of war.
In June 2025, the United States and Iran entered their most direct confrontation in decades. Join us for a conversation about how Washington and Tehran understand—and misunderstand—each other, and where relations might go next.
Shai Feldman argues that recent protests in Israel, possibly the largest in the country’s history, were the culmination of more than two years of growing polarization, driven by crises that are likely to intensify in the months ahead.
The Crown Center for Middle East Studies is committed to conducting balanced and dispassionate research of the modern Middle East that meets the highest academic standards. The Center seeks to help make decision- and opinion-makers better informed about the region. The scope of the center's research includes the 22 members of the Arab League as well as Turkey, Iran and Israel. The Crown Center's approach is multidisciplinary in its study of the politics, economics, history, security, sociology and anthropology of the region's states and societies.
On September 24, 2025, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa became the first Syrian leader since 1967 to address the UN General Assembly—a moment that capped his rapid ascent and signaled Syria’s return from decades of isolation. But is the country witnessing real change or a return to authoritarianism? In this Crown Conversation, Crown fellows Nader Andrawos and Daniel Neep examine Syria’s uncertain transition and consider what it will take to govern a pluralist society, rebuild trust, and pursue justice after more than a decade of war. Looking beyond al-Sharaa himself, they explore how enduring inequalities of power, geography, and identity continue to shape Syria’s postwar politics, and the role that Syria’s resilient civil society can play in overcoming them.
The Crown Center is dedicated to sharing balanced and dispassionate research on the Middle East. Please see the Crown Center analyses which delve into the roots and evolution of the conflict between Hamas and Israel.
Image credit: Craig Bailey/Perspective Photo
Counter/Argument: A Middle East Podcast is produced by the Crown Center for Middle East Studies at Brandeis University. Through conversations with scholars and practitioners encompassing a variety of disciplines and perspectives, each episode will debunk key misconceptions about the contemporary Middle East. "Counter/Argument" is committed to a balanced and dispassionate approach to the region and to making scholarship more widely accessible. Available wherever you get your podcasts.
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Image credit: Chae Lee