Biff Parker-Magyar
@biffpm.bsky.social
postdoc @ Harvard Weatherhead 24-25 & asst prof @ Yale 25-. Networks, contentious politics, MENA. Peripatetic product of the garden state.
https://biffpm.github.io/
https://biffpm.github.io/
Pinned
The Quiet Demise of Jordan’s Political Space | Journal of Democracy
In the shadow of Gaza’s destruction, the Jordanian regime has quietly repressed one of the main sources of the country’s political activism.
www.journalofdemocracy.org
I wrote a piece for @jodemocracy.bsky.social on a little-noticed court decision last week to effectively permanently outlaw Jordan’s teacher’s union
www.journalofdemocracy.org/online-exclu...
www.journalofdemocracy.org/online-exclu...
Reposted by Biff Parker-Magyar
An immigration court dropped its case against Turkish graduate student Rumeysa Ozturk, a little less than a year after federal agents arrested her on a street near Tufts University
Immigration Court Drops Case Against Tufts Student Rumeysa Ozturk
The Turkish national had been arrested by plainclothes federal officers outside her apartment.
on.wsj.com
February 9, 2026 at 11:53 PM
An immigration court dropped its case against Turkish graduate student Rumeysa Ozturk, a little less than a year after federal agents arrested her on a street near Tufts University
Reposted by Biff Parker-Magyar
October 2025 Arab Barometer Palestinian opinion survey finds “widespread frustration with existing leadership. Fatah’s support has eroded sharply, Hamas has largely maintained its base, and political alienation has become the dominant stance.”
www.arabbarometer.org/media-news/p...
www.arabbarometer.org/media-news/p...
Press Release: Two Years of War on Gaza Reshape Palestinian Priorities, Politics, and Social Norms – Arab Barometer
www.arabbarometer.org
January 28, 2026 at 6:53 PM
October 2025 Arab Barometer Palestinian opinion survey finds “widespread frustration with existing leadership. Fatah’s support has eroded sharply, Hamas has largely maintained its base, and political alienation has become the dominant stance.”
www.arabbarometer.org/media-news/p...
www.arabbarometer.org/media-news/p...
Reposted by Biff Parker-Magyar
February 1 deadline for @apsamena.bsky.social award nominations.
Advisers/committee members/mentors, please nominate students with strong dissertations.
Self-nominations welcome in all other categories.
apsamena.org/awards/apsa-...
Advisers/committee members/mentors, please nominate students with strong dissertations.
Self-nominations welcome in all other categories.
apsamena.org/awards/apsa-...
January 28, 2026 at 3:37 PM
February 1 deadline for @apsamena.bsky.social award nominations.
Advisers/committee members/mentors, please nominate students with strong dissertations.
Self-nominations welcome in all other categories.
apsamena.org/awards/apsa-...
Advisers/committee members/mentors, please nominate students with strong dissertations.
Self-nominations welcome in all other categories.
apsamena.org/awards/apsa-...
Reposted by Biff Parker-Magyar
brass solidarity band performing “stand by me” in the streets of whittier next to alex pretti’s memorial. the crowd started chanting “the people united will never be defeated” so they incorporated it into the song. i love minneapolis
January 27, 2026 at 12:22 AM
brass solidarity band performing “stand by me” in the streets of whittier next to alex pretti’s memorial. the crowd started chanting “the people united will never be defeated” so they incorporated it into the song. i love minneapolis
Reposted by Biff Parker-Magyar
tfw when the imperialism is boomeranging
January 25, 2026 at 1:42 PM
tfw when the imperialism is boomeranging
Reposted by Biff Parker-Magyar
Kind of surreal to be discussing my new book on my favorite podcast for learning about new books.
Marc as always knows so much about the topic; it's a real privilege (if intimidating) to be in conversation with him.
Marc as always knows so much about the topic; it's a real privilege (if intimidating) to be in conversation with him.
Welcome to Season 15 of the POMEPS Podcast! On this week's episode, Rana Khoury joins POMEPS Director Marc Lynch to discuss her new book, Civilizing Contention: International Aid in Syria's War. Also, Marc shares additional academic research on Syria. pomeps.org/civilizing-c...
Civilizing Contention: International Aid in Syria's War (S. 15, Ep. 1) - Project on Middle East Political Science
Welcome to Season 15 of the POMEPS Middle East Political Science Podcast! On this week’s episode of the podcast, Rana Khoury of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign joins Marc Lynch to discu...
pomeps.org
January 13, 2026 at 2:32 PM
Kind of surreal to be discussing my new book on my favorite podcast for learning about new books.
Marc as always knows so much about the topic; it's a real privilege (if intimidating) to be in conversation with him.
Marc as always knows so much about the topic; it's a real privilege (if intimidating) to be in conversation with him.
Reposted by Biff Parker-Magyar
Our just-published investigation into Assad's surveillance state which revealed how the former regime urged friends, spouses, and neighbors to inform on each other, leaving a legacy of broken trust that will take years to unravel. www.wsj.com/world/middle...
Families, Neighbors Informed on Each Other in Assad’s Syria, With Deadly Consequences
Intelligence files found in a Damascus prison complex reveal cases that led to brutal detentions; a wife records a husband.
www.wsj.com
December 29, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Our just-published investigation into Assad's surveillance state which revealed how the former regime urged friends, spouses, and neighbors to inform on each other, leaving a legacy of broken trust that will take years to unravel. www.wsj.com/world/middle...
Reposted by Biff Parker-Magyar
🚨We analyzed 138 million geocoded property tax records to quantify how municipal boundaries spatially overlap onto economic segregation in every US metro area—creating disparities in localities’ ability to fund public goods. And we made an interactive map of our results! [1/16]
November 24, 2025 at 4:31 PM
🚨We analyzed 138 million geocoded property tax records to quantify how municipal boundaries spatially overlap onto economic segregation in every US metro area—creating disparities in localities’ ability to fund public goods. And we made an interactive map of our results! [1/16]
Reposted by Biff Parker-Magyar
Call for Applications: Early-career scholars in the Arab #MENA region are invited to attend the 2026 Institute for Qualitative and Multi-Method Research (IQMR), held at @maxwellsu.bsky.social. Deadline: Dec 14th. Apply now!
Call for Applications: 2026 Institute for Qualitative and Multi-Method Research (IQMR) | Deadline: December 14, 2025 -
Call for Applications: Apply Now for the 2026 Institute for Qualitative and Multi-Method Research (IQMR) Deadline: December 14, 2025 Maxwell School, Syracuse University, NY, USA June 14–26, 2026 The…
buff.ly
December 3, 2025 at 11:05 PM
Call for Applications: Early-career scholars in the Arab #MENA region are invited to attend the 2026 Institute for Qualitative and Multi-Method Research (IQMR), held at @maxwellsu.bsky.social. Deadline: Dec 14th. Apply now!
truly the depths of wikipedia
December 1, 2025 at 4:34 PM
truly the depths of wikipedia
earlier this year I learned that Benjamin Netanyahu was enrolled in MIT's Political Science PhD
news.mit.edu/1996/netanya...
bsky.app/profile/dand...
news.mit.edu/1996/netanya...
bsky.app/profile/dand...
December 1, 2025 at 3:47 PM
earlier this year I learned that Benjamin Netanyahu was enrolled in MIT's Political Science PhD
news.mit.edu/1996/netanya...
bsky.app/profile/dand...
news.mit.edu/1996/netanya...
bsky.app/profile/dand...
third recent text from friends in ~Jordan asking if Zohran Mamdani is *really* about to win
1. as a political scientist we absolutely love to discuss early voting
2. first time in a while my voice messages back haven't needed to explain some distressing feature of U.S. politics
3. fingers crossed
1. as a political scientist we absolutely love to discuss early voting
2. first time in a while my voice messages back haven't needed to explain some distressing feature of U.S. politics
3. fingers crossed
November 3, 2025 at 7:42 PM
third recent text from friends in ~Jordan asking if Zohran Mamdani is *really* about to win
1. as a political scientist we absolutely love to discuss early voting
2. first time in a while my voice messages back haven't needed to explain some distressing feature of U.S. politics
3. fingers crossed
1. as a political scientist we absolutely love to discuss early voting
2. first time in a while my voice messages back haven't needed to explain some distressing feature of U.S. politics
3. fingers crossed
Reposted by Biff Parker-Magyar
TWO MORE DAYS to apply for the POMEPS Travel – Research – Engagement (TRE) grants for 2026. Awards of up to $3,000 will be offered to support research travel to the broader Middle East. Deadline to apply: Oct. 15th. More info: pomeps.org/call-for-pro...
Call for Proposals: 2026 Travel Research Engagement Grants - Project on Middle East Political Science
The Project on Middle East Political Science announces a call for proposals for POMEPS Travel – Research – Engagement (TRE) grants for 2026. Awards of up to $3,000 will be offered to support research ...
pomeps.org
October 13, 2025 at 1:33 PM
TWO MORE DAYS to apply for the POMEPS Travel – Research – Engagement (TRE) grants for 2026. Awards of up to $3,000 will be offered to support research travel to the broader Middle East. Deadline to apply: Oct. 15th. More info: pomeps.org/call-for-pro...
Reposted by Biff Parker-Magyar
New article from @biffpm.bsky.social on a little-noticed court decision to outlaw Jordan’s teacher’s union. Her analysis? The muted response underscores how Jordan’s political landscape has shifted as attention/activism center on Gaza. https://loom.ly/D97MUsU
August 21, 2025 at 4:26 PM
New article from @biffpm.bsky.social on a little-noticed court decision to outlaw Jordan’s teacher’s union. Her analysis? The muted response underscores how Jordan’s political landscape has shifted as attention/activism center on Gaza. https://loom.ly/D97MUsU
Reposted by Biff Parker-Magyar
POMEPS is pleased to call for proposals for the POMEPS Junior Scholar Book Development Workshops to be held in a virtual format throughout the academic year 2025-2026. The deadline to apply is Sept. 15. More info:
pomeps.org/pomeps-junio...
pomeps.org/pomeps-junio...
Call for Proposals: POMEPS Junior Scholar Book Development Workshops 2025-2026 - Project on Middle East Political Science
The Project on Middle East Political Science is pleased to call for proposals for the POMEPS Junior Scholar Book Development Workshops to be held in a virtual format throughout the academic year 2025-...
pomeps.org
August 15, 2025 at 7:18 PM
POMEPS is pleased to call for proposals for the POMEPS Junior Scholar Book Development Workshops to be held in a virtual format throughout the academic year 2025-2026. The deadline to apply is Sept. 15. More info:
pomeps.org/pomeps-junio...
pomeps.org/pomeps-junio...
Reposted by Biff Parker-Magyar
Oh so it does have phd level intelligence
Google Gemini doesn’t appear to be doing too well:
‘"I am a disgrace to this planet. I am a disgrace to this universe. I am a disgrace to all universes . . . I am a disgrace to all possible and impossible universes and all that is not a universe," the bot continued.’
‘"I am a disgrace to this planet. I am a disgrace to this universe. I am a disgrace to all universes . . . I am a disgrace to all possible and impossible universes and all that is not a universe," the bot continued.’
Google says it's working on a fix for Gemini's self-loathing 'I am a failure' comments
Google Gemini users said the bot is sharing self-loathing messages while attempting to solve tasks, including "I am a disgrace to this universe."
www.businessinsider.com
August 8, 2025 at 8:42 AM
Oh so it does have phd level intelligence
That shift is obvious to all: I reached out to a knowledgeable friend about the piece, and he hadn't even heard of the court case: "I've been on Palestine frequency since 2023"
But it also shows up in the data, for instance ACLED's tabulations of protests in Jordan --
But it also shows up in the data, for instance ACLED's tabulations of protests in Jordan --
August 5, 2025 at 2:03 PM
That shift is obvious to all: I reached out to a knowledgeable friend about the piece, and he hadn't even heard of the court case: "I've been on Palestine frequency since 2023"
But it also shows up in the data, for instance ACLED's tabulations of protests in Jordan --
But it also shows up in the data, for instance ACLED's tabulations of protests in Jordan --
The muted response to the decision also underscores how Jordan’s political landscape has shifted as attention and activism center on Gaza and recent, horrifying images of starvation, rendering secondary many of the animating controversies of the post–Arab Spring years
August 5, 2025 at 2:03 PM
The muted response to the decision also underscores how Jordan’s political landscape has shifted as attention and activism center on Gaza and recent, horrifying images of starvation, rendering secondary many of the animating controversies of the post–Arab Spring years
The court decision declared unconstitutional an Arab Spring-era law conceding organizing rights for teachers, and comes nearly 5 years after a crackdown on the group that came to be seen as primary evidence of Jordan's shrinking political space
August 5, 2025 at 2:03 PM
The court decision declared unconstitutional an Arab Spring-era law conceding organizing rights for teachers, and comes nearly 5 years after a crackdown on the group that came to be seen as primary evidence of Jordan's shrinking political space
I wrote a piece for @jodemocracy.bsky.social on a little-noticed court decision last week to effectively permanently outlaw Jordan’s teacher’s union
www.journalofdemocracy.org/online-exclu...
www.journalofdemocracy.org/online-exclu...
The Quiet Demise of Jordan’s Political Space | Journal of Democracy
In the shadow of Gaza’s destruction, the Jordanian regime has quietly repressed one of the main sources of the country’s political activism.
www.journalofdemocracy.org
August 5, 2025 at 2:03 PM
I wrote a piece for @jodemocracy.bsky.social on a little-noticed court decision last week to effectively permanently outlaw Jordan’s teacher’s union
www.journalofdemocracy.org/online-exclu...
www.journalofdemocracy.org/online-exclu...
Reposted by Biff Parker-Magyar
Reposted by Biff Parker-Magyar
"'This was an amazing success tonight,' Trump told Reuters in a telephone interview. 'They should make peace immediately or they'll get hit again.'"
That does not sound like a leader who wants this to be "one and done." www.reuters.com/world/middle...
That does not sound like a leader who wants this to be "one and done." www.reuters.com/world/middle...
Iran, Israel launch new attacks after Tehran rules out nuclear talks
Iran and Israel exchanged fresh attacks early on Saturday, a day after Tehran said it would not negotiate over its nuclear programme while under threat and Europe tried to keep peace talks alive.
www.reuters.com
June 22, 2025 at 1:50 AM
"'This was an amazing success tonight,' Trump told Reuters in a telephone interview. 'They should make peace immediately or they'll get hit again.'"
That does not sound like a leader who wants this to be "one and done." www.reuters.com/world/middle...
That does not sound like a leader who wants this to be "one and done." www.reuters.com/world/middle...
Reposted by Biff Parker-Magyar
NEW: Why are women overrepresented in STEM fields in the Arab world, despite broader gender inequality? Fida Adely, Jennifer Olmsted and Sana Odeh surveyed members of Arab Women in Computing to find out, and the results defy simplistic economic explanations.
READ NOW
READ NOW
Unpacking the Gender 'Paradox’ Behind Arab Women in Tech - MERIP
ompared to women in the United States and most European countries, Arab women are highly represented in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and related computing fields. In fact, six of […]
buff.ly
June 18, 2025 at 4:02 PM
NEW: Why are women overrepresented in STEM fields in the Arab world, despite broader gender inequality? Fida Adely, Jennifer Olmsted and Sana Odeh surveyed members of Arab Women in Computing to find out, and the results defy simplistic economic explanations.
READ NOW
READ NOW