We are SEPAD High impact, international research from academics and policy makers working in the field

Saudi and Iran: how our two countries could make peace and bring stability to the Middle Eas Eyad Alrefai - 19th Jun 2019

Relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic o...

SWAR project featuring SEPAD fellows publishes special issue on Sectarianism and Regime Formation Morten Valbjørn - 19th Apr 2019

Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism, vol. 19, 1 (2019) - Specia...

Iranian revolution: world’s reactions show that, four decades on, tensions remain as high as ever Dr. Simon Mabon - 4th Mar 2019

The 40th anniversary of Iran’s Islamic revolution in February 1...

What We Do

The Sectarianism, Proxies and De-sectarianisation (SEPAD) project based at Lancaster University’s Richardson Institute is a collaborative project aimed at understanding the conditions that give rise to sectarian violence and proxy conflicts.

Sepad Reports

After years of proxy war, Saudi Arabia and Iran are finally squaring up in the open

Ever since Saudi Arabia executed Shia Cleric Nimr al-Nimr for terrorist offences, tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia have been escalating by the day.
Relations between Riyadh and Tehran have been tense ever since the Islamic Republic ...

Bahrain: The Epicentre of the Saudi-Iranian Rivalry?

For many, the archipelago of Bahrain is at the epicentre of the geopolitical and sect-based struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Situated 16 kilometres from the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia, linked by the King Fahd Causeway, and 768 kilometres...

Iranian revolution: world’s reactions show that, four decades on, tensions remain as high as ever

The 40th anniversary of Iran’s Islamic revolution in February 1979 was greeted by an extraordinary tweet from US president Donald Trump. In both English and Arabic, it referred to “40 years of failure” and said the Iranian people dese...

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Events

BRISMES Call for Papers 29th Jun 2020

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Announcements

Iraqi Kurds and De-Sectarianization Dr. Simon Mabon - 15th Nov 2019

A piece by Thanos Trappelides

During the last weeks, th...

Survey on emotional wellbeing Dr. Simon Mabon - 4th Nov 2019

Colleagues working on the Middle East may be interested in the survey detailed below, undertaken by Jan Claudius Völkel on emotional challeng...

Report: “Beyond ‘Sectarianism’? Towards an Alternative Understanding of Identity Politics and Communal Antagonism” 24-25 October 2019, University of Cambridge Dr. Simon Mabon - 1st Nov 2019

By Emanuelle Degli Esposti

This two...

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From Twitter

ProjectSEPAD

Coming tomorrow is the latest episode of #SEPADPod featuring the wonderful Charles Tripp talking about growing up in the Gulf, studying the Middle East, his unpublished PhD thesis, a burgeoning interest in Iraq, and the power of agency. It’s not to be missed. Out 7.30AM tomorrow.

ProjectSEPAD

A little update on our conference in April: We are delighted that in addition to a keynote speaker (to be revealed soon) we have @fanarhaddad and @Staci_Strobl on a plenary panel to close the event. Very excited for #SEPAD2020.

ProjectSEPAD

Call for papers for special issue on sectarianization beyond the Middle East https://t.co/9nEhlaM7o8.

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SEPAD is supported by the following organisations