Middle East Research and Information Project

2 weeks ago | merip.org | Marya Hannun

At dawn on December 9, 2024, hundreds of Syrian refugees gathered at Turkey’s Cilvegözü and Öncüpınar border crossings into northern Syria to return home following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government. Wrapped in blankets and clutching their children and possessions, they waited in anticipation, some having camped overnight by the barriers. Turkish government and pro-government media quickly hailed these scenes as a humanitarian milestone after a 13-year war.

1 month ago | merip.org | Marya Hannun

Forthcoming in MER issue 314. In January, I returned to Damascus after 14 years in exile. The last time I had stood in the city’s streets, towering statues of Hafez al-Asad and Bashar al-Asad loomed over the squares. Following the collapse of Bashar Al-Asad’s rule in December of 2024, those statues now lay in fragments—some torn down, others left to decay. Turning a corner, I caught sight of a new Ministry of Defense recruitment banner hanging in the Umayyad Square.

Jan 29, 2025 | merip.org | Marya Hannun

On September 17, 2024, pagers exploded across Lebanon, indiscriminately killing at least 32 people and blinding or otherwise maiming thousands. The next day, walkie-talkies exploded, again killing and maiming indiscriminately. In the days that followed, Israeli warplanes continued to bombard Lebanese towns, villages, apartment buildings and infrastructure.

Jan 29, 2025 | merip.org | Marya Hannun

Since its formation, the Axis of Resistance has embodied a defiant stance against imperialism and Zionism. The phrase itself first circulated in the English-language media, in the early 2000s—a response to then-President George W. Bush’s ominous talk of the “axis of evil.” By 2010, at the latest, the coalition had adopted the phrase as its self-designation. The Axis has served a strategic purpose for Iran, functioning as a tool of deterrence in the wake of the 2003 Iraq invasion.

Jan 15, 2025 | merip.org | Marya Hannun

In Jordan’s Za’atari refugee camp, to pay for food at one of the World Food Programme (WFP)’s distribution centers, Syrian refugees must lean into an iris scanner that registers their biometrics. The scanner then logs their transaction onto the program’s blockchain network: Building Blocks. Za’atari is the site of the world’s first comprehensive biometrics system for refugees.