Rethinking Power, Markets, and War from the Margins
What does political economy look like when it is examined from outside the centers of global power? This question anchors a new collaboration between Pathways Beyond Neoliberalism: Voices from MENA at The American University in Cairo and the Arab Political Science Network, which together are convening the ongoing webinar series “Political Economy from the Global South”.
Designed as a space for critical and cross-regional dialogue, the series brings together scholars and practitioners to rethink global political economy from perspectives rooted in the Global South. Drawing on critical, decolonial, and interdisciplinary approaches, the webinars move beyond abstract theory to engage directly with lived realities; war, sanctions, labor, infrastructure, and uneven development, placing regions often treated as peripheral at the center of analysis.
“This webinar marks the beginning of an urgent conversation about our current global crises,” said Ingy Higazy, research manager of Pathways Beyond Neoliberalism: Voices from MENA. “By centering the Global South—particularly the MENA region—the discussion opened space to critically question dominant political and epistemic frameworks. It highlighted the importance of fostering alternative imaginaries for more just and equitable futures, which is the core mission of Pathways Beyond Neoliberalism: Voices from MENA.”
The series opened on March 31, 2026, with its first webinar, “What Is Political Economy from the Global South?” Moderated by Higazy, the session set the conceptual foundation for the series. Speakers included Amr Adly, associate professor of Political Science at The American University in Cairo and principal investigator of the project; Seth Schindler, professor of urban politics and development at the University of Manchester; and Sean Kenji Starrs, lecturer in International Development at King’s College London. The discussion explored capitalism, decoloniality, shifting global power relations, and the enduring legacies of imperial governance from multiple regional perspectives.
Building on this opening conversation, the second webinar convened on April 28, 2026, under the title “The Political Economy of Sanctions and War”. Moderated by Ahmed Morsy, co-Founder and chair of the Arab Political Science Network, the session examined war not only as a geopolitical and security issue, but as a socio-economic process that reshapes states, markets, and societies. Speakers Joseph Daher, academic and author specializing in the political economy of the Middle East; Hana Attia, Assistant Professor of Security Policy and Peace at Leuphana University and Research Fellow at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies; and Nikolas Kosmatopoulos, Associate Professor at the American University of Beirut, unpacked how sanctions, tariffs, and trade restrictions operate as forms of economic warfare, restructuring economies and social relations across conflict-affected contexts.
While firmly grounded in the MENA region, the webinar series forms part of a wider research initiative connecting partner universities in India, South Africa, Colombia, and Mexico. The initiative examines how economic systems intersect with political structures, with particular attention to alternative pathways toward more equitable and sustainable development models.
With two sessions already convened and preparations underway for a third, “Political Economy from the Global South” is emerging as a dynamic forum for rethinking political economy, one that foregrounds voices from the margins and insists on new ways of understanding power, crisis, and transformation.
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