CMES Director Karin Aggestam and Visiting Professor Dalia Dassa Kaye have authored an article about diplomatic efforts in the war between Israel and Hamas, published in Sydsvenska Dagbladet The article "Någon militär lösning på den israelisk-palestinska konflikten finns inte" (English translation: "There is no military solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict") was published in Sydsvenskan's A

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/there-no-military-solution-israeli-palestinian-conflict - 2025-09-13

CMES researcher Lina Eklund has been interviewed by Swedish public service television about satellite images of Gaza. The interview (in Swedish) with Lina Eklund aired on "Rapport" on Sunday 10 December 2023.  Source: SVT Rapport In the interview (6:25-8:05) Lina talks about an international project in which researchers are following what is happening in Gaza through satellite images. The research

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/war-gaza-through-satellite-images - 2025-09-13

CMES Visiting Professor Dalia Dassa Kaye has written article about Biden's agenda in the Middle East and the Israel-Hamas war published in World Politics Review. The article, "The Israel-Hamas War Has Torpedoed Biden’s Middle East Agenda", was published in World Politics Review on 15 December 2023.With the war in Gaza having intensified following the end of the recent U.S.-supported pause in fight

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/president-biden-and-israel-hamas-war - 2025-09-13

CMES Deputy Director has co-authored an article on agricultural water in Iran published in Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. CMES Deputy Director Ronny Berndtsson has co-authored the article "Large discrepancy between future demand and supply of agricultural water in northwestern Iran; evidence from WEAP-MODFLOW-machine learning under the CMIP6 scenario" together with Mostafa Rahimi Jamnan

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/agricultural-water-iran-0 - 2025-09-13

Source: Mehri et al. 2023 in Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies CMES Deputy Director has co-authored an article on rainfall runoff in Iran published in the Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies. CMES Deputy Director Ronny Berndtsson has co-authored the article "Block-scale use of bioretention cells to restore the urban water balance: A case study in Tehran metropolis" together with Milad Mehr

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/rainfall-runoff-iran - 2025-09-13

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 latest issue of the CMES N

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/read-latest-cmes-newsletter-40 - 2025-09-13

Damage in Gaza Strip Oct. 2023 (Photo: Wafa/Wikimedia Commons) Cecilia Uddén will give a talk on her work as foreign correspondent in the Middle East. Cecilia Uddén is a foreign correspondent based in Cairo, Egypt and works for Radio Sweden. The event will be chaired by Karin Aggestam, Director of CMES and Professor in Political Science.When: 17 January, 13:15-14:30Where: Eden's auditorium, Depart

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/behind-headlines-reporting-israel-hamas-war - 2025-09-13

Samir Abu Eid (photo: Salim Alsabbagh) CMES congratulates Samir Abu Eid, Middle East correspondent for Swedish Television, for being awarded an Honorary Doctorate at the Faculty of Social Sciences! Samir Abu Eid is a journalist and foreign correspondent. He has been associated with Swedish Television (SVT) and TV4 since the early 2000s and has appeared in the program "Korrespondenterna" and the co

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/journalist-samir-abu-eid-awarded-honorary-doctorate-lund-university - 2025-09-13

CMES Researcher Nina Gren has written an article on Palestinian resilience, local communities and ways of mourning. The article "Hemsökelser från Gaza" (English translation: "Hauntings from Gaza") was published in Antroperspektiv, an online journal run by the Swedish Association of Anthropologists, on December 22, 2023. Below are some excerpts translated into English.Read the article in SwedishI h

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/hauntings-gaza - 2025-09-13

CMES Affiliated Researcher Sarah Anne Rennick has authored an article on support to democracy among marginalized youth in Tunisia in Mediterranean Politics. Given incumbent-led autocratization in Tunisia, the article investigates support to democracy among youth in historically marginalized regions and the likelihood they will prefer the authoritarian alternative. Putting forth a framework for mic

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/democracy-and-marginalized-youth-tunisia - 2025-09-13

CMES researchers Lina Eklund and Pinar Dinc have co-authored a paper on farmland abandonment in northeast Syria together with Berit Mohr (GeoInsight Ltd New Zealand) published in Environmental Research Letters. AbstractFarmland abandonment is often associated with biophysical, political, or socio-economic changes, like droughts, economic reforms, rural-urban migration, or armed conflicts. Syria ha

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/farmland-abandonment-northeast-syria - 2025-09-13

Anna Karin Eneström and Karin Aggestam CMES Director Karin Aggestam participated in a panel at the Swedish "Folk och Försvar" conference on 7-9 January 2024. The panel (in Swedish), "Behövs nya fredsskapande verktyg?" (English translation: "Are New Peacebuilding Tools Needed?"), took place in Sälen, Sweden on 9 January 2024. It was part of a larger discussion on how to build peace in a conflict-ri

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/rethinking-peace-diplomacy-middle-east - 2025-09-13

David Kaye (Photo: Linda Eitrem Holmgren) On 29 January, Professor David Kaye (Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Public International Law) held a rapid response seminar on the ICJ case between South Africa and Israel. On 29 December 2023, South Africa filed a claim in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) alleging that Israel is committing genocide in its military campaign in Gaza, seeking provi

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/south-africa-v-israel-international-court-justice - 2025-09-13

CMES researcher Hossein Hashemi has co-authored a paper on uncoordinated water resources development in Iran. The article, "When rain does not run, a fingerprint of uncoordinated water resources development", was published in the Journal of Hydrology. It was co-authored by Ali Torabi Haghighi (University of Oulu), Alireza Sharifi (University of Oulu), Hamid Darabi (University of Helsinki), Mehdi M

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/uncoordinated-water-resources-development-iran - 2025-09-13

CMES Visiting Professor Dalia Dassa Kaye has co-authored an article on the path to a post-American regional order in the Middle East, published in Foreign Affairs. The article "Only the Middle East Can Fix the Middle East: The Path to a Post-American Regional Order" was written by Dalia Dassa Kaye and Sanam Vakil. It was published in Foreign Affairs on 1 February 2024.IntroductionIn the early week

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/only-middle-east-can-fix-middle-east - 2025-09-13

President Macron and CMES Director Karin Aggestam CMES Director Karin Aggestam attended the Farewell Reception. On Wednesday 31 January, French President Emmanuel Macron visited Lund. After visiting the European Spallation Source (ESS) together with the Swedish King, he participated in "Studentafton", where he spoke to and answered questions from 200 Lund University students, mostly about the war

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/french-president-emmanuel-macron-visits-lund-university - 2025-09-13

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 latest issue of the CMES N

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/read-latest-cmes-newsletter-41 - 2025-09-13

Charlotta Sparre speaking to staff and students at CMES. Photo: Linda Eitrem Holmgren On 6 February, Director Charlotta Sparre visited CMES and spoke about the work at the Swedish Dialogue Institute for the Middle East and North Africa in Amman, Jordan. Charlotta Sparre is the Director of the Swedish Dialogue Institute for the Middle East and North Africa. She has previously served as Ambassador o

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/director-swedish-dialogue-institute-charlotta-sparre-visits-cmes - 2025-09-13

Lund University's Raoul Wallenberg Institute will be part of the group of institutions doing a review of UNWRA) The UN Secretary-General, in consultation with United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNWRA) Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, has appointed an independent Review Group to assess whether the Agency is doing everything within its power to en

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/raoul-wallenberg-institute-lund-university-assigned-review-unwra - 2025-09-13

CMES Researcher Svante Lundgren has written an article in The Conversation. The article, "Jerusalem: Jewish settler movement makes bid for large slice of Armenian quarter", was published in The Conversation on 8 February 2024.IntroductionThe Armenian quarter in Jerusalem’s Old City is facing its biggest crisis in a long time. A Jewish businessman with connections to the radical settler movement is

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/jewish-settlers-make-bid-armenian-quarter-jerusalem - 2025-09-13