LSE Middle East Centre

10/09/2026

'A model that predicts a spike six minutes ahead and one that predicts it six hours ahead may be judged against the same outcome, but their practical value differs: six minutes might suffice for someone deciding whether to run, while schools, hospitals and public authorities need far more lead time. Yet forecasting further ahead generally means predicting through greater uncertainty, so there is no single answer to ‘Can AI predict Kuwait’s air quality?’ – only how far ahead, under which conditions, with what uncertainty, and whether that is enough time to act.'

AI tools can help predict weather conditions, but to minimise anomalies and errors in countries like , we need environmental intelligence: models that can handle when the environment doesn't behave normally. Ghita Berrada and Huda Alrashidi for the blog

AI tools can help to predict weather conditions, but to minimise anomalies and errors in countries like Kuwait, we need environmental intelligence: models specialised for different conditions, monitoring that reliably collects what they need, attention to rare but consequential events, and forecasts...

15/07/2026

Snippets from the , held at LSE from Wednesday 29 April to Friday 1 May.

You can listen back to the plenary session, Developing Kurdish Studies as a Scholarly Field, featuring Marlene Schäfers, Welat Zeydanlıoğlu and Veli Yadirgi, via the link in our bio. Click Past Event Recordings.

15/07/2026

The PKK announced disarmament last year, raising hopes for the peace process. However, Turkey's 'Peace Commission' shows the limits of parliamentary involvement in peace negotiations by a government uninterested in democratisation. Nisan Alici & Guley Bor for the blog

by Nisan Alıcı & Güley Bor Parliaments can aid peacebuilding and transitional justice processes not only through their legislative functions but also as democratic mechanisms where different views over conflicted periods are represented, contributing to dialogue and social consensus on peaceful c...

07/07/2026

Snippets from the British Academy , held at LSE on Thursday 28 and Friday 29 May.

If you missed the keynote lecture, Algeria: Historical Struggles and Imagined Utopias, you can listen back via the link in our bio by clicking Past Event Recordings. You can also catch up on In Conversation with Abderrahmane Hadj Nacer and Francis Ghiles, exploring Algeria's historical challenges and reforms from the 1980s to the present day.

Finally, read the conference organisers' latest blog, Decolonising Algerian Scholarship, Territorial Integrity and the Post-Hirak 'New Algeria', published to mark on 5 July.

25/06/2026

From Islamist movements to secular parties, al-dawla al-madaniyya (the civic or civil state) has been claimed by a wide range of political actors across the .

A new MEC blog by Reem Turkmani & Tamara El Khoury unpacks this contested concept.

by Reem Turkmani and Tamara El Khoury Few concepts in contemporary Arab political life have been defined as differently, as al-dawla al-madaniyya – the civic or civil state. The concept has been claimed by Islamist movements, secular parties, transitional governments, constitution-drafting bodies,...

23/06/2026

For the people of Sudan, an immediate priority has been to protect lives and minimise suffering. Beyond this, a fundamental question is peace: how can the war be lastingly ended and an enduring peace be established?

A recent paper by Visiting Senior Fellow Richard Barltrop, 'Sudan's Current War: A Longer View on Peacemaking and Prospects', explores what lessons should be drawn from the longer history of peacemaking in and from the experience and outcomes of efforts in other wars in recent times.

Read here: https://researchonline.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/137926/

22/06/2026

ورقة بحثية جديدة بعنوان"خارطة طريق للطاقة الحيوية في الكويت" تُركز على الدروس المستفادة من الأبحاث الإقليمية واستخلاص القيمة من النفايات والجدوى ومسارات السياسات. بقلم Jean El Achkar للقراءة باللغة العربية

https://researchonline.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/138821/

19/06/2026

What do recent developments in digital communication in the Middle East reveal about the changing relationship between digital platform logics, cultural production and political authority?

State-linked actors are no longer solely relying on formal diplomatic statements to shape geopolitical narratives. Instead, they’re leaning into cyber political communication, often described as social media wars. For the LSE Middle East Centre blog, Nesrin Al examines this transformation through a striking case: Iran‑linked networks producing AI‑generated, Lego‑style meme propaganda designed for maximum virality.

Read here:

by Nesrin Alrefaai Recent developments in digital communication in the Middle East point to a broader transformation in the relationship between digital platform logics, cultural production, and political authority. Rather than relying solely on formal diplomatic statements, state-linked actors incr...

18/06/2026

It's time for to diversify its energy mix, reduce dependence on landfills, and meet its climate targets.

A new paper by Jean El Achkar makes the case for anaerobic digestion (AD) as a strategic enabler of Kuwait’s low-carbon transition.

https://researchonline.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/129838/

16/06/2026

Last month, we hosted our event, ‘Sudan’s Current War: A Longer View on Peacemaking and Prospects’, marking the launch of a new paper by Visiting Senior Fellow Richard Barltrop on the ongoing war in Sudan.

Richard was joined by discussant Abdel Salam Sidahmed, Chairperson of the Sudanese HR Monitor (SHRM), in person, and Raga Makawi, a researcher on Sudan’s civic politics and social movements at LSE, online. The event was chaired by Laura Mann (LSE International Development).

🎧 Listen to the event recording: https://ow.ly/3RgE50ZciFE
📄 Read the paper: https://ow.ly/ioIY50ZciFC