Published 5 March 2024 CMES researcher has co-authored an article published in the Journal of Strategic Studies. The article, "How dawn turned into dusk: Scoping and closing possible nuclear futures after the Cold War", was co-authored by Benoît Pelopidas (Sciences Po), Hebatalla Taha (CMES), and Tom Vaughan (Aberystwyth University).AbstractHow was the scope of nuclear weapons policy change immedi

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/nuclear-proliferation-iraq - 2025-07-17

Published 1 March 2024 CMES Deputy Director Ronny Berndtsson has co-authored an article in the journal Applied Soft Computing. The article, "Temporal cluster-based local deep learning or signal processing-temporal convolutional transformer for daily runoff prediction?", is written by Vahid Moosavi (Tarbiat Modares University), Sahar Mostafaei (Tarbiat Modares University) and Ronny Berndtsson (CMES

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/deep-learning-and-runoff-prediction-iran - 2025-07-17

Published 5 March 2024 Read the new CMES Newsletter about upcoming events and recent research activities and publications. The CMES Newsletter provides an up-to-date overview of Middle Eastern research, activities and events at Lund University and beyond. The Newsletter includes a message from the Director, latest research news, upcoming events and recent publications by CMES scholars.Read the new

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/read-latest-cmes-newsletter-42 - 2025-07-17

Published 15 March 2024 CMES supports three-year research projects with high scientific potential through the Strategic Research Area (SRA) Middle East in the Contemporary World (MECW). CMES funds one new project annually and encourages collaboration between scholars from different disciplines at Lund University to conduct interdisciplinary research on the Middle East.Project proposals should be f

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/now-open-cmes-call-project-proposals-0 - 2025-07-17

Published 22 March 2024 CMES is organising the Third Annual Swedish Middle East and North Africa Network (SWEMENA) Conference, Lund University, 22-23 August 2024. This interdisciplinary annual conference reflects SWEMENA’s main objective to bring together different communities of researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers across Sweden with an interest in the Middle East and North Africa region

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/swemena-annual-conference-2024 - 2025-07-17

Published 2 April 2024 Apply by 30 April 2024 Writing Retreats (Autumn 2024)CMES supports writing retreats on Middle East research with the aim to finalise an article, book chapter, edited volume or a book for publication in peer-reviewed outlets. CMES offers office space and modern research facilities in a stimulating work environment on historic premises. Administrative, practical and technical

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/now-open-cmes-call-writing-retreats-0 - 2025-07-17

Published 2 April 2024 Read the new CMES Newsletter about upcoming events and recent research activities and publications. The CMES Newsletter provides an up-to-date overview of Middle Eastern research, activities and events at Lund University and beyond. The Newsletter includes a message from the Director, latest research news, upcoming events and recent publications by CMES scholars.Read the New

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/read-latest-cmes-newsletter-43 - 2025-07-17

Published 5 April 2024 CMES visiting scholar Dalia Dassa Kaye has written an article in Foreign Affairs. IntroductionOn April 1, Israel launched its latest attack on Iran in the two countries’ ongoing shadow war, with an airstrike that flattened a section of Iran’s embassy complex in Damascus and reportedly killed at least 12 people. Among the dead was Mohammad Reza Zahedi, who headed Iran’s milit

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/israels-campaign-against-iranian-targets-could-backfire - 2025-07-17

Published 10 April 2024 On 8-9 April, CMES organized a policy-research dialogue entitled "Exploring Europe’s Changing Perceptions and Policies Towards Iran" with international experts and policymakers. The workshop explored a broad set of themes, such as Iran's nuclear program and the nuclear agreement, the Mahsa Amini protests and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. These issues were discussed in relat

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/cmes-policy-research-dialogue-exploring-europes-changing-perceptions-and-policies-towards-iran - 2025-07-17

By lina [dot] eklund [at] nateko [dot] lu [dot] se (Lina Eklund and Hakim Abdi) - published 12 April 2024 Satellite images of Gaza, Occupied Palestinian Territory, and Israel, from 1984 and 2020 (Captured by Landsat/Copernicus) This Regional Outlook focuses on the role of satellite imagery in shaping our understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the physical damage it has caused the la

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/cmes-regional-outlook-monitoring-israels-destruction-gaza-space - 2025-07-17

Published 16 April 2024 On 11-12 April, CMES hosted a workshop entitled "On the Edge - Post-Conflict Political Generations of Women and Youth Activists in the ‘Second Wave’ of the Arab Spring" with international scholars. The workshop explored the mass popular mobilizations calling for radical regime change in Algeria, Sudan, Lebanon, and Iraq in 2019, which were billed the ‘Second Wave’ of the Ar

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/cmes-workshop-women-and-youth-activists-second-wave-arab-spring - 2025-07-17

Published 17 April 2024 On Friday 12 April, CMES researcher Filippo Verre participated in the radio program "Il Mondo alla Radio" (Eng. translation: "The World on the Radio") on Vatican Radio. Vatican Radio is part of the channel Vatican News, which is the official radio channel of the Vatican State. In the interview, Filippo spoke about the role of water policy in the Middle East as a tool to fos

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/water-policy-middle-east - 2025-07-17

Published 19 April 2024 Apply by 31 May 2024. CMES Workshop Proposals (Academic Year 2024-2025)The Centre for Advanced Middle Eastern Studies (CMES) supports and coordinates workshops and higher public research seminars with high scientific potential through the Strategic Research Area (SRA): Middle East in the Contemporary World (MECW). CMES funds 1-2 new workshop per year and encourages interdis

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/open-cmes-calls-workshops-and-travel - 2025-07-17

Published 23 April 2024 CMES Director met with Morocco’s Ambassador Karim Medrek. On 23 April Morocco’s Ambassador to Sweden Karim Medrek visited Lund University. CMES Director Karin Aggestam briefed the Ambassador about the Strategic Research Area the Middle East in the Contemporary World and discussed opportunities for research and student exchanges.

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/moroccos-ambassador-visits-lund-university - 2025-07-17

Published 23 April 2024 The Raoul Wallenberg Institute at Lund University has contributed to the independent review report of UNRWA. The report has evaluated to what extent UNRWA adheres to the humanitarian principle of neutrality. The report recognizes the complexity of UNRWA’s mandate within a highly political context.  It makes a series of recommendations that the Agency commits to act upon, na

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/independent-review-report-unrwa-released - 2025-07-17

Published 29 April 2024 CMES visiting scholar Dalia Dassa Kaye has co-authored an article published in Foreign Affairs. The article, "Is an Anti-Iran Alliance Emerging in the Middle East? The Limits of Cooperation Between Israel and the Arab States", was co-written by Dalia Dassa Kaye and Sanam Vakil (Chatham House's MENA Programme). It was published in Foreign Affairs on 26 April 2024.Introductio

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/limits-cooperation-between-israel-and-arab-states - 2025-07-17

Published 3 May 2024 Read the new CMES Newsletter about upcoming events and recent research activities and publications. The CMES Newsletter provides an up-to-date overview of Middle Eastern research, activities and events at Lund University and beyond. The Newsletter includes a message from the Director, latest research news, upcoming events and recent publications by CMES scholars.Read the Newsl

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/read-latest-cmes-newsletter-44 - 2025-07-17

By ulrika [dot] oredsson [at] kommunikation [dot] lu [dot] se (Ulrika Oredsson (English translation by Linda Eitrem Holmgren)) - published 6 May 2024 Damage in Gaza Strip Oct. 2023 (Photo: Wafa/Wikimedia Commons) The war in Gaza is testing alliances and shaking up politics, both globally and regionally. What does this mean for the West's relationship with the Middle East? How are inter-regional dy

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/geopolitics-and-diplomacy-wake-gaza-war - 2025-07-17

Published 7 May 2024 Photo: Salim Alsabbagh Join us on 30 May for an evening with Samir Abu Eid at the Department of Political Science! Welcome to an evening with Samir Abu Eid, Honorary Doctor in Social Science at Lund University and Foreign Correspondent in the Middle East for Swedish Public Service Television (SVT).The event is chaired by Karin Aggestam, CMES DIrector and Professor of Political

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/cmes-public-seminar-samir-abu-eid-inside-israeli-palestinian-conflict - 2025-07-17

Published 15 May 2024 Watch an interview with CMES Director Karin Aggestam In this episode of the "Distinguished Diplomatic Interviews" series, the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy hosts Dr Karin Aggestam, Professor of Political Science. She is the Director of the Centre for Advanced Middle Eastern Studies and Scientific Coordinator of the Strategic Research Area (SRA) Middle East in the Contempor

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/protracted-conflict-negotiation-and-water-cooperation-middle-east - 2025-07-17