James Ryan
@jdryan08.bsky.social
Executive Director, Middle East Research and Information Project (www.merip.org | @merip.bsky.social). Adjuncting at Rowan University. Historian interested in Turkey, Prodigal Son of Philadelphia. Usual caveats.
Never mind the jobs you had, tell me five classes you took in college:
1) Greek Thought and Literature
2) Prairies
3) The Fatimids
4) Archery
5) Cold War Turkey
1) Greek Thought and Literature
2) Prairies
3) The Fatimids
4) Archery
5) Cold War Turkey
Never mind the jobs you had, tell me five classes you took in college:
1) Zen Buddhism
2) Russian Literature
3) New Testament
4) French North Africa
5) Mythology
1) Zen Buddhism
2) Russian Literature
3) New Testament
4) French North Africa
5) Mythology
Never mind the jobs you had, tell me five classes you took in college:
1) Epistemology
2) Euripides
3) History of Rock Music
4) Dead Sea Scrolls & Apocrypha
5) Twentieth Century US Political History with @rauchway.bsky.social
1) Epistemology
2) Euripides
3) History of Rock Music
4) Dead Sea Scrolls & Apocrypha
5) Twentieth Century US Political History with @rauchway.bsky.social
January 31, 2026 at 3:33 AM
Never mind the jobs you had, tell me five classes you took in college:
1) Greek Thought and Literature
2) Prairies
3) The Fatimids
4) Archery
5) Cold War Turkey
1) Greek Thought and Literature
2) Prairies
3) The Fatimids
4) Archery
5) Cold War Turkey
Reposted by James Ryan
If you like our work, please consider making a monthly or one-time donation today! All of our work is free for the world to read, we rely on donations to help us keep going!
Donate
SUPPORT MERIP'S CRITICAL WORK BY DONATING For 50 years, MERIP has published critical analysis of Middle Eastern politics, history, and social justice not available in other publications. Our articles…
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January 30, 2026 at 5:00 PM
If you like our work, please consider making a monthly or one-time donation today! All of our work is free for the world to read, we rely on donations to help us keep going!
Reposted by James Ryan
And check out the MERIP Roundtable from earlier this week with Asma Abdi, Kaveh Ehsani and Maziyar Ghiabi on the regional and geopolitical aspects of the protests!
buff.ly/bwcmw4O
buff.ly/bwcmw4O
January 30, 2026 at 3:30 PM
And check out the MERIP Roundtable from earlier this week with Asma Abdi, Kaveh Ehsani and Maziyar Ghiabi on the regional and geopolitical aspects of the protests!
buff.ly/bwcmw4O
buff.ly/bwcmw4O
Reposted by James Ryan
ICYMI: We've had some in-depth coverage of the crisis in Iran this week.
Yesterday we published Ida Nikou's overview of the sanctions economy as a drive of the protests.
buff.ly/DyNLcvM
Yesterday we published Ida Nikou's overview of the sanctions economy as a drive of the protests.
buff.ly/DyNLcvM
Governing Crisis – Sanctions, Austerity and Social Unrest in Iran
Recent protests triggered by currency collapse and price shocks expose how sanctions have reconfigured state power, enabling austerity and insider accumulation rather than relief.
www.merip.org
January 30, 2026 at 3:30 PM
ICYMI: We've had some in-depth coverage of the crisis in Iran this week.
Yesterday we published Ida Nikou's overview of the sanctions economy as a drive of the protests.
buff.ly/DyNLcvM
Yesterday we published Ida Nikou's overview of the sanctions economy as a drive of the protests.
buff.ly/DyNLcvM
Reposted by James Ryan
Miriam* fled enslavement in Mauritania in a heroic middle of the night escape - she found out she was pregnant with her enslaver’s 5th child here. Denied schooling she is illiterate. Today she lives in fear of being targeted by ICE. I’m raising money for her. Venmo is @Heba-gowayed.
January 30, 2026 at 1:14 PM
Miriam* fled enslavement in Mauritania in a heroic middle of the night escape - she found out she was pregnant with her enslaver’s 5th child here. Denied schooling she is illiterate. Today she lives in fear of being targeted by ICE. I’m raising money for her. Venmo is @Heba-gowayed.
Reposted by James Ryan
Genuinely the funniest possible panel line-up of all time and it's for a real estate conference in Riyadh
January 26, 2026 at 4:26 AM
Genuinely the funniest possible panel line-up of all time and it's for a real estate conference in Riyadh
Reposted by James Ryan
This story about David Brooks is one of the most brutal takedowns I’ve ever read.
By the late Tony Judt
By the late Tony Judt
February 23, 2025 at 12:30 PM
This story about David Brooks is one of the most brutal takedowns I’ve ever read.
By the late Tony Judt
By the late Tony Judt
Reposted by James Ryan
SUPPORT MERIP: Help us keep bringing the world critical coverage of the Middle East without paywalls by making a donation today!
buff.ly/Wrm3aPi
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Donate
SUPPORT MERIP'S CRITICAL WORK BY DONATING For 50 years, MERIP has published critical analysis of Middle Eastern politics, history, and social justice not available in other publications. Our articles…
www.merip.org
January 29, 2026 at 9:00 PM
SUPPORT MERIP: Help us keep bringing the world critical coverage of the Middle East without paywalls by making a donation today!
buff.ly/Wrm3aPi
buff.ly/Wrm3aPi
Reposted by James Ryan
For more analysis of the recent protests in Iran, check out the latest edition of the MERIP Roundtable Podcast with Asma Abdi, Kaveh Ehsani and Maziyar Ghiabi.
The MERIP Podcast Episode 14: The MERIP Roundtable, On Iran's Protests
In this installment of the MERIP Roundtable podcast, we discuss the latest wave of protests in Iran. The protests began on December 28, 2025, as merchants and bazaar workers reacted negatively to new…
buff.ly
January 29, 2026 at 7:01 PM
For more analysis of the recent protests in Iran, check out the latest edition of the MERIP Roundtable Podcast with Asma Abdi, Kaveh Ehsani and Maziyar Ghiabi.
I’m legitimately surprised.
Sen. John Fetterman on Thursday voted against advancing a highly-contested government funding package that includes allocations for the Department of Homeland Security, despite noting his objections to shutting down the government earlier this week.
John Fetterman joins other Democrats in voting against advancing DHS funding as potential shutdown looms
www.inquirer.com
January 29, 2026 at 6:51 PM
I’m legitimately surprised.
This piece does a fantastic job of demonstrating how elite corruption in Iran, neoliberal austerity policies, and sanctions all work together to grind down ordinary Iranians.
NEW: Governing Crisis--Sanctions, Austerity and Social Unrest in Iran
Sociologist Ida Nikou analyzes how the relationship between the sanctions regime and austerity politics in Iran has fueled the recent protest wave.
Sociologist Ida Nikou analyzes how the relationship between the sanctions regime and austerity politics in Iran has fueled the recent protest wave.
Governing Crisis – Sanctions, Austerity and Social Unrest in Iran
Recent protests triggered by currency collapse and price shocks expose how sanctions have reconfigured state power, enabling austerity and insider accumulation rather than relief.
buff.ly
January 29, 2026 at 6:02 PM
This piece does a fantastic job of demonstrating how elite corruption in Iran, neoliberal austerity policies, and sanctions all work together to grind down ordinary Iranians.
Major bummer, cancer can eat shit. Dan McQuade was a true Philadelphian.
Rest in peace to one of the great bloggers and the de facto mayor of Philadelphia. It was my honor and pleasure to work with him. defector.com/dan-mcquade-...
Dan McQuade, 1983–2026 | Defector
Dan McQuade, our friend and colleague, died this week at the age of 43. He is survived by his wife and young son. At the end of 2024, Dan was diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer. The news of his diag...
defector.com
January 29, 2026 at 1:52 AM
Major bummer, cancer can eat shit. Dan McQuade was a true Philadelphian.
Reposted by James Ryan
I’m going to be speaking at Princeton 2/11 and Yale (with Rob Malley) on 2/13, with my official NYC stop with the incomparable @jillianschwedler.bsky.social in the middle. If you’re in any of those places please please come out for the conversation!
January 28, 2026 at 9:41 PM
I’m going to be speaking at Princeton 2/11 and Yale (with Rob Malley) on 2/13, with my official NYC stop with the incomparable @jillianschwedler.bsky.social in the middle. If you’re in any of those places please please come out for the conversation!
Reposted by James Ryan
This Bruce anti-ICE anthem is gonna leave a mark:
Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Minneapolis (Official Audio)
YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen
youtu.be
January 28, 2026 at 8:10 PM
This Bruce anti-ICE anthem is gonna leave a mark:
This is really a stupid debate, as the essential problem is the the GOP is really good at starting wars and the Democrats are really bad at ending them.
January 28, 2026 at 8:03 PM
This is really a stupid debate, as the essential problem is the the GOP is really good at starting wars and the Democrats are really bad at ending them.
Reposted by James Ryan
This or just dumping people *in the woods* AND sending folks out w/o their phone or I.D.
Volunteers w/ Safe Haven wait at the gate & do sweeps of the woods, with warm clothes, a burner, and a ride home, "so no one is left alone at the gate."
I donated; pls join me if you can: gofund.me/7d506a3d0
Volunteers w/ Safe Haven wait at the gate & do sweeps of the woods, with warm clothes, a burner, and a ride home, "so no one is left alone at the gate."
I donated; pls join me if you can: gofund.me/7d506a3d0
I spent the evening outside the Whipple federal building in Minneapolis, where the feds have been releasing people they detained — often for no discernible reason — into the freezing cold... wearing whatever little clothing they had on at the time they were taken.
January 27, 2026 at 6:27 PM
This or just dumping people *in the woods* AND sending folks out w/o their phone or I.D.
Volunteers w/ Safe Haven wait at the gate & do sweeps of the woods, with warm clothes, a burner, and a ride home, "so no one is left alone at the gate."
I donated; pls join me if you can: gofund.me/7d506a3d0
Volunteers w/ Safe Haven wait at the gate & do sweeps of the woods, with warm clothes, a burner, and a ride home, "so no one is left alone at the gate."
I donated; pls join me if you can: gofund.me/7d506a3d0
Reposted by James Ryan
Philip Glass withdrawing from the Kennedy Center is a great opportunity to mention one of my favorite one-acts.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AEQ...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AEQ...
Philip Glass Buys A Loaf Of Bread
YouTube video by Joshua Zamrycki
www.youtube.com
January 27, 2026 at 6:10 PM
Philip Glass withdrawing from the Kennedy Center is a great opportunity to mention one of my favorite one-acts.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AEQ...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AEQ...
I love how Larry Ellison hired a hip-young lesbian to get CBS News in touch with the youth and her big idea is… a podcast with a boomer historian from Stanford.
January 27, 2026 at 5:21 PM
I love how Larry Ellison hired a hip-young lesbian to get CBS News in touch with the youth and her big idea is… a podcast with a boomer historian from Stanford.
Kicking the new year off with this extended discussion of Iran’s protest wave.
NEW PODCAST: Another installment of the MERIP Roundtable featuring a discussion of Iran's recent wave of protests, the regional political dilemma's Iran faces and thorny diaspora politics. Executive Director, James Ryan, is joined by Asma Abdi, Kaveh Ehsani and Maziyar Ghiabi.
The MERIP Podcast Episode 14: The MERIP Roundtable, On Iran's Protests
In this installment of the MERIP Roundtable podcast, we discuss the latest wave of protests in Iran. The protests began on December 28, 2025, as merchants and bazaar workers reacted negatively to new…
buff.ly
January 27, 2026 at 4:15 PM
Kicking the new year off with this extended discussion of Iran’s protest wave.
Reposted by James Ryan
To avoid the possibility Holocaust remembrance might lead to empathy for migrants, Trump's antisemitism envoy claims Anne Frank "was in Amsterdam legally."
In reality, Margot Frank received a summons to go to a labor camp on July 5, 1942. After ignoring this call, they were in Amsterdam illegally.
In reality, Margot Frank received a summons to go to a labor camp on July 5, 1942. After ignoring this call, they were in Amsterdam illegally.
January 27, 2026 at 3:28 PM
To avoid the possibility Holocaust remembrance might lead to empathy for migrants, Trump's antisemitism envoy claims Anne Frank "was in Amsterdam legally."
In reality, Margot Frank received a summons to go to a labor camp on July 5, 1942. After ignoring this call, they were in Amsterdam illegally.
In reality, Margot Frank received a summons to go to a labor camp on July 5, 1942. After ignoring this call, they were in Amsterdam illegally.
Reposted by James Ryan
‘The rebels shared Assad’s view that Kurdish demands for federal autonomy were really illegitimate separatism. Now that they control the government, they are in a position to act on that view.’
@tomstevenson.bsky.social on Syria, from the blog.
www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2026/ja...
@tomstevenson.bsky.social on Syria, from the blog.
www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2026/ja...
Tom Stevenson | The End of Rojava
The Syrian government’s effort to take full control of the north-east clearly has the approval of the United States....
www.lrb.co.uk
January 27, 2026 at 12:50 PM
‘The rebels shared Assad’s view that Kurdish demands for federal autonomy were really illegitimate separatism. Now that they control the government, they are in a position to act on that view.’
@tomstevenson.bsky.social on Syria, from the blog.
www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2026/ja...
@tomstevenson.bsky.social on Syria, from the blog.
www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2026/ja...
As much as these doofuses yap about “western civilization” and “military history” you’d think they’d have learned something about sending ill-trained irregulars into a far northern capital in the dead of winter.
January 27, 2026 at 2:26 AM
As much as these doofuses yap about “western civilization” and “military history” you’d think they’d have learned something about sending ill-trained irregulars into a far northern capital in the dead of winter.
Reposted by James Ryan
Hell yes. First and maybe best thing I did after moving back was become a 7-day a week dead tree subscriber. Costs the same as YouTubeTV and worth every penny.
some (rare) good news for the journalism industry: The Philadelphia Inquirer is profitable
www.inquirer.com/opinion/comm...
www.inquirer.com/opinion/comm...
Elizabeth Hughes: There is a path for Pittsburgh to save its newspaper
As publisher of The Inquirer, I believe that our own experience over the past decade offers a template for success.
www.inquirer.com
January 26, 2026 at 10:29 PM
Hell yes. First and maybe best thing I did after moving back was become a 7-day a week dead tree subscriber. Costs the same as YouTubeTV and worth every penny.
I think they also sense, if implicitly, that the material basis for their misogynistic worldview is paper thin (especially relative to prior historical reactionary movements), and that perhaps instigating a civil conflict will shore that up.
I am just gonna say it, these guys are completely emasculated by the knowledge that they have been out-organized by a group that is significantly made up of women, and all the bullshit call of duty nonsense is cope for their wounded egos bsky.app/profile/jeet...
MAGA military geniuses are talking about Minnesota protestors like they are the Iraqi insurgency, the Taliban, and the Viet Cong all rolled into one.
January 26, 2026 at 7:11 PM
I think they also sense, if implicitly, that the material basis for their misogynistic worldview is paper thin (especially relative to prior historical reactionary movements), and that perhaps instigating a civil conflict will shore that up.