Submission Guidelines for Democracy in Exile

Democracy in Exile welcomes pitches and submissions from a wide range of contributors. We work with exiles and dissidents from the Middle East and North Africa, as well as other writers, analysts and experts based around the world who closely follow politics and policy in the region.

Articles are usually 800-1,200 words in an op-ed or essay format, but there is flexibility to go longer and structure pieces differently, especially around first-hand reporting and personal reflections. All pieces should generally fit with Democracy in Exile's aim to bring to light anti-democratic practices and human rights violations in the Middle East and North Africa; to analyze social, political and cultural developments across the entire region, including critical assessments of U.S. foreign policy; and to inform readers on matters related to democracy, human rights and the rule of law that otherwise would have been forgotten or overlooked. We are committed to magnifying the voices of exiles and dissidents, whose own experiences are central to debates about the future of the Arab world. Overall, articles should be timely but still have relevance beyond the immediate news cycle.

Democracy in Exile also features diverse coverage of arts and culture from and about the Middle East and North Africa, including interviews with artists, political cartoonists, writers, poets and others. Multimedia submissions are welcome, such as photographs, cartoons and other visual arts.

Contributors can send their pitches and submissions to submissions@dawnmena.org. Please include a brief outline, in a few sentences, of the scope of the proposed article or multimedia submission, and tell us why you're best suited to write or produce it.

"Is there no other way for us? Must we choose between movie theaters and our rights as citizens to speak out, whether in support of or critical of our government's actions? Do we only voice glowing references to our leader's decisions, his vision of our future, in exchange for the right to live and travel freely — for ourselves and our wives, husbands and children too? …"

- Jamal KhashogGI, Washington Post, May 21, 2018

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