Laleh Khalili
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lalehkhalili.bsky.social
Laleh Khalili
@lalehkhalili.bsky.social
Politics, poetry, ports, pottymouth. She/her.

Typos and dropped words in every post, because sharing is caring.

Find me at l.khalili@exeter.ac.uk
I have organised an amazing roster of *virtual* presentations for the Centre for Gulf Studies at Exeter. Check out these incredible superstars, and register for the events (Tuesdays 17-18.30 London time) here: www.exeter.ac.uk/research/cen...
October 22, 2025 at 8:57 AM
Much ink has been spilt on Elon Musk as an individual personality rather than as a product of political economy. On 28 October listen to Quinn Slobodian propose a theory of Muskism analogous to Fordism. For details and to register go to www.exeter.ac.uk/events/detai...
October 22, 2025 at 8:54 AM
In July 88 a US missile cruiser breached Iranian territorial waters & was fired on by Iranian gunboats.The Vincennes’ incompetent/belligerent crew identified a civilian Iranian plane as an F14 & fired on it, killing 290 people inc. 66 kids.Toby Craig Jones will speak on this in our seminar nxt week.
October 16, 2025 at 10:58 AM
I have organised an amazing roster of *virtual* presentations for the Centre for Gulf Studies at Exeter. Check out these incredible superstars, and register for the events (Tuesdays 17-18.30 London time) here: www.exeter.ac.uk/research/cen...
October 1, 2025 at 2:02 PM
On Friday, 2 May 14:00 (London time), I will hold an information session about the new MA I start convening in September 2025. Registration link: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pgt-webina...
April 28, 2025 at 11:18 PM
March 29, 2025 at 11:55 AM
Super excited about the new MA we are launching next academic year (in September 2025) at Exeter. I have been reviewing loads of MAs elsewhere and designed a programme that helps both those who are looking for critical intellectual engagement, AND paths to career development.
March 26, 2025 at 3:16 PM
How on earth was Abba (the band) trading in oil? (from FT)
January 16, 2024 at 5:40 PM
Haaretz image of “Sde Teman” prison camp. I'd say Israel's GTMO, except that Israel itself had Ansar I (1980s Lebanon), Ansar II (1980s and 1990s Gaza), & Ansar III (Negev 1980s and 1990s, where The Atlantic editor-in-chief was a guard). Welcome to Ansar IV.
January 5, 2024 at 6:28 PM
The military-university-startup circuit of Praetorian Israel:

Haaretz: "Shark Tanks: With Gaza as Testing Ground, Israeli Defense Startups Flourish"

www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...
January 5, 2024 at 3:41 PM
I am researching diplomatic cables from 1967 and this is Walt Rostow (sec'y of state) writing on 5 June about US support for Israel. Seems familiar.
January 3, 2024 at 11:11 AM
Crows are my favourite birds. May the crow standing sentinel outside my rainy window be an omen of a better year to come.
January 1, 2024 at 4:07 PM
This extraordinary story from 2014 is about Gazans escaping to an underground city to get away from the bombing: www.haaretz.com/opinion/2014...
December 30, 2023 at 4:31 PM
Not all heroes wear capes
December 27, 2023 at 12:25 AM
Merry Christmas
December 25, 2023 at 2:15 PM
Yup.
December 21, 2023 at 4:12 PM
These images remind me of the massacres Israel committed in Gaza in 1956 (commemorated in Joe Sacco's Footnote in Gaza):
www.bidoun.org/articles/foo...
December 7, 2023 at 11:17 PM
Here is the bit that really struck me:
December 5, 2023 at 11:36 AM
Without comment
December 1, 2023 at 7:59 PM
Lol
November 30, 2023 at 6:33 PM
Yeah the dignity of the office
November 30, 2023 at 8:10 AM
Hitches has been resurrected to see Kissinger off.
November 30, 2023 at 8:09 AM
Some right-wing journalist from France wrote me to ask me to comment on Palestinian "martyrs" and how that term has spread. So I wrote back:
November 29, 2023 at 5:07 PM
John Keane's sublime letter of resignation from a German fellowship (on X) includes a quote from Karl Jasper's "The Question of German Guilt" that I had to go find:

"The greater this sensitivity to blame, the greater, as a rule, is the inconsiderate readiness to blame others."
November 29, 2023 at 10:31 AM
Come on! You can't tell me those bulletproof breastplates are not photoshopped (like everything Israeli security forces releases).
November 28, 2023 at 8:12 PM