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New article from CMES HighlightsBubbler system enhances sustainable water and salinity management in the Jemna oasis.HYDRUS-1D simulated irrigation scenarios under present and future climate conditions.Optimal irrigation scheduling increases yields and reduces salinity during fruit stages.Climate change may cut yields by 45 %, highlighting the need for sustainable practices.Read full article hereA

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/strategies-present-and-future-bubbler-irrigation-system-management-saharan-date-palm-oasis-under - 2026-06-13

Associate Professor Pinar Dinc (Department of Political Science), together with colleagues from several faculties at Lund University and external partners, has received seed funding from the Strategic Research Areas of Lund University for the project Extreme-Loss: Agricultural Workers’ Livelihoods under Climate Change-Related Extreme Weather Events and Biodiversity Loss. The project brings togethe

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/extreme-loss-new-project-receives-seed-funding-explore-farming-futures-changing-climate - 2026-06-13

Writing retreat spring & autumn 2026 Apply by 20 november 2025 The Centre for Advanced Middle Eastern Studies (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. 4 writing retreats will be granted during 2026. CMES offers office space and modern research facilities in a stimula

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/now-open-cmes-call-writing-retreats-1 - 2026-06-13

Read the director’s message, explore the latest research news, discover upcoming events, and browse our recent publications. The Centre for Advanced Middle Eastern Studies has commenced the autumn semester with a strong program of academic and outreach activities. The semester began with the launch of the new MECW project on satellite-based water monitoring in contexts of conflict and governance s

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/read-latest-cmes-newsletter-1 - 2026-06-13

CMES researcher Maria Småberg has recently published an article in The Conversation together with Johan Schar associate Senior fellow at SIPRI. In the hills of the southern West Bank, a Swedish cooking pot has become a symbol of trust, resilience and forgotten solidarity. Half a century after it was first distributed as emergency aid, the cooking pots still gleam in the kitchens of Beit Awwa – rem

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/cooking-pot-became-symbol-swedens-commitment-helping-palestine - 2026-06-13

On October 31, 2025, at 10.00 a.m, at Lecture Hall V:A, building V, Klas Anshelms väg 14, Lund, Behshid Khodaei will defend her PhD thesis titled, From Deformation to Hydrology: A Comparative Evaluation of InSAR and Modelling Techniques for Assessing Water Availability in Varied Hydrological Systems at the Faculty of Engineering.Water is becoming an increasingly scarce resource as climate change,

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/phd-thesis-deformation-hydrology-comparative-evaluation-insar-and-modelling-techniques-assessing - 2026-06-13

At a recent seminar at Lund University, CMES researcher Yahia Mahmoud traced the complex history and ongoing struggles of Western Sahara, a territory still shaped by colonial borders and resource exploitation. Moving from post-war decolonisation to modern extractivism, the talk highlighted how natural resources continue to define both politics and human rights in the region. After Spain’s withdraw

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/western-sahara-between-extraction-and-self-determination - 2026-06-13

On December 1, 2025, at 10.15 a.m, at EC2:101, Lund, CMES PhD student Rami Zalfou will defend the PhD thesis titled: Borders and Pathways. Essays on Syrian Economic Development and Migrant Integration. The faculty opponent is Associate Professor Mohamed Saleh, London School of Economics.AbstractOver the past century, Syria and the broader Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region have undergone p

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/phd-viva-borders-and-pathways-essays-syrian-economic-development-and-migrant-integration - 2026-06-13

This CMES Regional Outlook (2025:3) by Karin Aggestam examines the ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and Hamas. The recent ceasefire, described as the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s “peace plan” announced on 29 September 2025, represents an important yet fragile step towards ending the ongoing war in Gaza. While the agreement has facilitated the release of Israeli hostages and

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/cmes-regional-outlook-ceasefire-gaza-and-trumps-20-point-plan - 2026-06-13

CMES researcher Joel Abdelmoez will defend PhD thesis. On December 19, 2025, at 10.15 a.m, at Eden, Lund, Joel Abdelmoez  will defend the PhD thesis titled, Time, Difference, and the Transnational. Feminist Activism and Solidarities in Egypt and Tunisia.Opponent: Prof. Laleh Khalili, University of ExeterAbstract:This dissertation explores possibilities and challenges to the formation of transnatio

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/phd-viva-time-difference-and-transnational-feminist-activism-and-solidarities-egypt-and-tunisia - 2026-06-13

Read the director’s message, explore the latest research news, discover upcoming events, and browse our recent publications. Read full newsletter here!Now well into the autumn semester, several milestone activities have taken place, with additional events forthcoming. The first cohort of PhD students, recruited as part of the transition to CMES/MECW 2.0 in 2021, is now reaching the conclusion of t

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/read-latest-cmes-newsletter-55 - 2026-06-13

Read the ECO-Syria Workshop Report. The ECO-Syria research team at the Centre for Advanced Middle Eastern Studies (CMES), Lund University, held its second and final workshop on 15–16 September 2025.Titled “ECO-Syria: Exploring Conflict–Environment Interactions for Sustainable Development and Conservation,” the event was part of the ECO-Syria research project funded by the Strategic Research Area M

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/eco-syria-workshop-report - 2026-06-13

New article from CMES. Article written by: Alireza Motevalli, Hamid Reza Moradi, Hossein Hashemi, Saman Javadi, Ronny Berndtsson in the Journal of Contaminant Hydrology.Read the full article here: Link to external website. Highlights•    Coastal aquifer salinity risk assessed using a probabilistic approaches.•    26% of aquifer area identified as high-risk (salinity extensity).•    Risk intensity

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/managing-coastal-aquifer-salinity-risks-strategies-balance-recharge-and-crop-adaptation - 2026-06-13

This article presents a scoping and conceptual literature review on environmental politics in North and East Syria/Rojava. Publication written by Pinar Dinc, Maria Andrea Nardi, Mo Hamza.External link to publication.ABSTRACTThis article presents a scoping and conceptual literature review on environmental politics in North and East Syria/Rojava. The review aims to synthesize existing academic resea

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/environmental-politics-north-and-east-syriarojava-scoping-and-conceptual-literature-review - 2026-06-13

How citizen engagement and satellite data are helping researchers understand wildfires in the Middle East. Q&A with Lina Eklund, Researcher at CMES.Q: What is a Mapathon?A Mapathon is an event where participants gather to map a specific topic. Sometimes it’s used to chart disaster-hit areas, such as floods or earthquakes. In other cases, it helps generate data for research projects. Q: How did the

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/mapping-fires - 2026-06-13

CMES researcher Adam Almqvist, has recently published an article in The Journal of Comparative Politics. Read the full article here. External link.AbstractAutocracies have increasingly begun to clothe themselves in the guise of hybrid, semi-official institutions that exhibit a degree of autonomy from the state, such as Government-Organized NGOs (GONGOs), “zombie” election observers, regime-run thi

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/gongos-zombies-and-astroturfers-rethinking-hybrid-institutions-autocracies-through-case-jordanian - 2026-06-13

Yesterday afternoon, CMES researcher PhD candidate Joel W. Abdelmoez marked a major milestone in his academic journey by performing the traditional ritual known as "spikning"—the nailing of a dissertation. The ceremony takes place on the ground floor of Eden, and colleagues and friends gathered to witness the event. Following the ceremony, guests enjoy refreshments in the Political Science departm

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/joel-abdelmoez-nails-his-phd-dissertation-feminist-activism-and-solidarities-egypt-and-tunisia - 2026-06-13

On November 20, the Centre for Advanced Middle Eastern Studies (CMES) at Lund University hosted a highly topical seminar titled “It’s Time to Think About the Future of Palestine-Israel.” The event brought together over 50 participants and featured two distinguished speakers: Professor Haim Yacobi and Dr Rami Nasrallah, from University College London. “We are living in very challenging times, but t

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/cmes-seminar-explores-shared-homeland-paradigm-palestine-israel - 2026-06-13

CMES is proud to announce that CMES researcher, Rami Zalfou, PhD Candidate in Economic History, has successfully defended his doctoral dissertation at Lund University. The defense took place on December 1, 2025.Rami’s dissertation, titled:Borders and Pathways. Essays on Syrian Economic Development and Migrant Integration, explores economic development patterns, conflict, and demographic changes in

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/rami-zalfou-successfully-defends-his-phd-thesis-syrian-economic-development-and-migrant-integration - 2026-06-13

The ECO-Syria research team at the Centre for Advanced Middle Eastern Studies (CMES), Lund University, held its second and final workshop on 15–16 September 2025.Titled “ECO-Syria: Exploring Conflict–Environment Interactions for Sustainable Development and Conservation,” the event was part of the ECO-Syria research project funded by the Strategic Research Area Middle East in the Contemporary World

https://www.cmes.lu.se/article/eco-syria-workshop-report-now-available-arabic-and-kurdish - 2026-06-13