Tufts Middle East Research Group

Tufts Middle East Research Group Tufts Middle East Research Group (MERG) is a student run, non-polemical think tank run through the Institute for Global Leadership at Tufts.

Tufts Middle East Research Group (MERG) is a student run, non-polemical think tank run through the Institute for Global Leadership (IGL) at Tufts. Founded in 2005 after the IGL's successful research trip to Iran in 2004, which was the first American student delegation to visit the country in 25 years, MERG now seeks to facilitate and expand undergraduate dialogue and scholarship on Middle Eastern

affairs at Tufts. MERG is an organization that is open to all members of the Tufts Community and we cordially invite all those who are interested, regardless of age, background, academic interests, or familiarity with the Middle East. The club was more recently known as Tufts New Initiative for Middle East Peace (NIMEP) until students changed the name to reflect more diverse research studies in 2019. MERG’s activities in promoting Middle Eastern discussion and academic understanding on campus largely fall within three areas: through weekly dialogues moderated by student leaders and open to all members of the Tufts Community on emerging political, economic and social developments in the Middle East, through organizing speakers, panels, and other simulations or exercises to bring in outside perspectives on the Middle East and expand our dialogue as wide as possible, and through an annual, student-run research trip to a pre-determined country in the Middle East, where students engage in two weeks of intensive field research as preparation for writing articles to be published in the group's annual research journal, MERG Insights. Previous trips have seen MERG travel to Turkey, Tunisia, Iraqi Kurdistan, Israel, the West Bank, Syria, Kuwait, the UAE, and elsewhere. While applications for the trip are open to those who have attended dialogues, all other events are entirely open to the Tufts Community and we strongly encourage anyone interested to come. If you would like to be added to our e-list to receive updates about discussion meetings, events, and more, please send an email to [email protected] with the subject line "E-list Sign up".

Join MERG for a discussion on the current event in the middle east. This Wednesday, at 8PM!
03/04/2026

Join MERG for a discussion on the current event in the middle east. This Wednesday, at 8PM!

Join MERG this Wednesday for a conversation on Post-Assad Syria! As Syria enters a new chapter, what political, social a...
02/23/2026

Join MERG this Wednesday for a conversation on Post-Assad Syria! As Syria enters a new chapter, what political, social and regional realities lie ahead?

Here is our upcoming meeting schedule for the rest of the Spring semester! As usual, our meetings are Wednesdays at 8pm....
02/15/2026

Here is our upcoming meeting schedule for the rest of the Spring semester! As usual, our meetings are Wednesdays at 8pm. Be sure to check the Instagram or newsletter for announcements, as some of these meeting subjects are subject to change.
Also be sure to check the second slide to see more events planned for the Spring semester outside of our normal meeting times. We are looking forward to hosting more fun panels and bonding + study sessions!

Love is still in the air, MERG style! 💌Join us for a late Valentine’s celebration with a cozy movie screening and potluc...
02/12/2026

Love is still in the air, MERG style! 💌
Join us for a late Valentine’s celebration with a cozy movie screening and potluck! We’ll be watching Gaza Mon Amour, a romance film blending humor, tenderness, and mystery. MERG will be bringing some food and baked treats, and we’d love for you to contribute a dish if you can. Bring your friends, your appetite, and come enjoy a fun evening with us!

Join MERG for this week’s discussion on Soft Power in the Middle East! Wednesday, February 11th at 8 pm📍Cabot 703
02/10/2026

Join MERG for this week’s discussion on Soft Power in the Middle East!
Wednesday, February 11th at 8 pm
📍Cabot 703

Join MERG for this week’s discussion on Easter traditions throughout the Middle East! Wednesday, February 4th at 8 pm 📍B...
02/01/2026

Join MERG for this week’s discussion on Easter traditions throughout the Middle East!
Wednesday, February 4th at 8 pm
📍Barnum 208

Join MERG for our next meeting on Hajawalah, a popular street-drifting subculture in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. We will b...
01/27/2026

Join MERG for our next meeting on Hajawalah, a popular street-drifting subculture in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. We will be meeting on Wednesday, January 28th at 8pm. See you there!
📍Cabot 703

Join us for the first MERG meeting of the semester to discuss the current events in Iran and what this means for Iran’s ...
01/19/2026

Join us for the first MERG meeting of the semester to discuss the current events in Iran and what this means for Iran’s future and the region as a whole.
Wednesday, January 21 at 8pm
📍Barnum 208

Join us for the first MERG meeting of the semester to discuss the current events in Iran and what this means for Iran’s ...
01/19/2026

Join us for the first MERG meeting of the semester to discuss the current events in Iran and what this means for Iran’s future and the region as a whole.
Wednesday, January 21 at 8pm
📍Cabot 703

Our community engagement and research initiative is still open for sign-ups through the end of the semester! This projec...
12/03/2025

Our community engagement and research initiative is still open for sign-ups through the end of the semester! This project is a meaningful, hands-on way to connect with local Arab and Middle Eastern communities in Greater Boston while bridging academic learning with lived experiences and storytelling. Participants will be eligible to earn 2 academic credits!
Each participant will develop an individual or paired project that includes both a research or creative component (e.g., interviews, photography, field observations, or multimedia work) and a written component, such as an opinion piece, reflection essay, or short article synthesizing their findings. Projects will presented towards the end of the Spring semester and will be up in a public exhibition in Barnum Hall in Fall 2026.

Sign up with the QR code or with the link in our bio!

Join MERG today, 11/19 at 8pm in Cabot 703 to reflect on MERG’s recent trip to New Jersey for the Connect Arab America S...
11/19/2025

Join MERG today, 11/19 at 8pm in Cabot 703 to reflect on MERG’s recent trip to New Jersey for the Connect Arab America Summit 2025 and to learn more about Arab immigration to Paterson, NJ and its perseveration of heritage. Hope to see you soon!

Join MERG tomorrow, Wednesday, November 5th at 8pm in Cabot 703 for a discussion on the UAE’s Role in Sudan. See you the...
11/05/2025

Join MERG tomorrow, Wednesday, November 5th at 8pm in Cabot 703 for a discussion on the UAE’s Role in Sudan.
See you there!

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Medford, MA
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Tufts Middle East Research Group (MERG) is a student run, non-polemical think tank run through the Institute for Global Leadership (IGL) at Tufts. Founded in 2005 after the IGL's successful research trip to Iran in 2004, which was the first American student delegation to visit the country in 25 years, MERG now seeks to facilitate and expand undergraduate dialogue and scholarship on Middle Eastern affairs at Tufts. MERG is an organization that is open to all members of the Tufts Community and we cordially invite all those who are interested, regardless of age, background, academic interests, or familiarity with the Middle East. The club was more recently known as Tufts New Initiative for Middle East Peace (NIMEP) until students changed the name to reflect more diverse research studies in 2019. MERG’s activities in promoting Middle Eastern discussion and academic understanding on campus largely fall within three areas: through weekly dialogues moderated by student leaders and open to all members of the Tufts Community on emerging political, economic and social developments in the Middle East, through organizing speakers, panels, and other simulations or exercises to bring in outside perspectives on the Middle East and expand our dialogue as wide as possible, and through an annual, student-run research trip to a pre-determined country in the Middle East, where students engage in two weeks of intensive field research as preparation for writing articles to be published in the group's annual research journal, MERG Insights. Previous trips have seen MERG travel to Turkey, Tunisia, Iraqi Kurdistan, Israel, the West Bank, Syria, Kuwait, the UAE, and elsewhere. While applications for the trip are open to those who have attended dialogues, all other events are entirely open to the Tufts Community and we strongly encourage anyone interested to come. If you would like to be added to our e-list to receive updates about discussion meetings, events, and more, please send an email to [email protected] with the subject line "E-list Sign up".