Research and Policy Memo #9 | May 2011
Renewable Energy Policies in the Gulf countries: A case study of the carbon-neutral "Masdar City" in Abu DhabiDanyel Reiche
Gulf Countries are heavily dependent on the export of oil and natural gas to generate revenue for their national budgets, as well as maintaining a supply of cheap energy for their domestic use. Yet recently, some leaders in the Gulf have started looking away from conventional fossil fuels and taken an interest in the possibilities of renewable energy.
One particular state, Abu Dhabi, the oil-rich capital of the United Arab Emirates...
Research and Policy Memo #10 | May 2011
Climate Change and Health Research in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR)Rima R. Habib
Climate change is likely to aggravate the burden of disease in the Arab region currently suffering from political instability, natural disasters and humanitarian crises. The prevailing arid environment and the reliance on rain-fed food production exacerbate the situation. Therefore, governments and key stakeholders are encouraged to make further outlays to counteract new and increasing challenges to population health.
سلسلة أوراق عمل #2 | أذار 2011
حصار غزة ليس خطأ بل غير مشروع : وضع الحصار بين القانون الدولي واستجابة الأمم المتحدة نورا عريقات
منذ اندلاع الانتفاضة الفلسطينية الثانية، عزّزت إسرائيل فكرة أنها طرف مشارك في نزاع مسلح دولي في الضفة . وبناء عليه، تزعم أنه يمكننها أولاً، أن تلجأ إلى الدفاع عن النفس بموجب المادة 51 من ميثاق الأمم الغربية وقطاع غزة المتحدة، وثانياً، أن تستخدم قوة تتجاوز تلك المسموح بها خلال إنفاذ القانون، حتى في حالة وجود احتلال تطبّق فيه قوانين الاحتلال . يؤكّد قرارا مجلس الأمن 1368) 2001 (و 1373) 2001 ،(اللذان أقرّا رداً على هجمات 11 أيلول / سبتمبر على الولايات المتحدة، على أن...
Working Paper Series #2 | March 2011
Is It Wrong or Illegal? Situating the Gaza Blockade between International Law and the UN ResponseNoura Erakat
Since the Second Palestinian Intifada, or uprising, Israel has advanced the notion that it is engaged in an international armed conflict both within the West Bank as well as Gaza. Accordingly, it argues that it can 1) invoke self-defense, pursuant to Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, and 2) use force beyond that permissible during law enforcement, even where an occupation exists and to which the laws of occupation apply. UN Security Council...
Research and Policy Memo #2 | March 2011
Partisan Urban Governance Restricts Access to Public Space Fadi Shayya
As well as their many ecological, environmental, and cultural advantages, green urban public spaces are the inalienable right of every citizen.
Dating back 350 years, Beirut’s unique 330,000 m2 park is part of the historical Horsh Al-Sanawbar that once measured more than 1,250,000 m2 . Today the park is concealed from the lives of many Beiruti residents and visitors. Less than 20% is open to the public—with restrictions on practices—whilst over 80% is fenced off with barbed wire and...
Research and Policy Memo #2 | March 2011
Partisan Urban Governance Restricts Access to Public Space Fadi Shayya
As well as their many ecological, environmental, and cultural advantages, green urban public spaces are the inalienable right of every citizen.
Dating back 350 years, Beirut’s unique 330,000 m2 park is part of the historical Horsh Al-Sanawbar that once measured more than 1,250,000 m2 . Today the park is concealed from the lives of many Beiruti residents and visitors. Less than 20% is open to the public—with restrictions on practices—whilst over 80% is fenced off with barbed wire and...
تقرير | كانون الثاني 2011
مشروع الدراسة الوطنية الاقتصادية والبيئية والإنمائية لتغير المناخ (NEEDS) (التقرير النهائي)
نديم فرج الله ماركوس ماركتانر ليلى داغر و فيليب زغيب
أصبح تغير المناخ واقعا مقبولا وتم تسجيل تأثرياته وتوثيقها في جميع أنحاء العالم. فقد سجل مركز أبحاث الأوبئة الناجمة عن الكوارث (CRED) في بلجيكا 39 كارثة مناخية لغربي آسيا منذ عام 1969. وتم تسجيل 12 كارثة في عام 2000 ّ وحده.
Paper | January 2011
Constructing Security Council Resolution 1701 for Lebanon in the Shadow of the ‘War on Terror’Karim Makdisi
This article argues that the ‘war on terror’ gave global meaning to the 2006 Israel– Lebanon war and to the construction of UN Security Council resolution 1701 that authorized the deployment of robust UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL). It uses a critical, discursive approach to argue that UN resolutions have embedded in them a particular, powerful discourse, in this case the ‘war on terror’. This discourse grounded a global struggle for and against US...
IFI Report | January 2011
The National Economic, Environment and Development Studies (NEEDS) for Climate Change Project (Final Report) Lebanon Nadim Farajalla, Marcus Marktanner, Leila Dagher, and Philippe Zgheib
Climate change has become an accepted reality. Its impacts have been recorded and documented throughout the world. The Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) in Belgium has recorded 39 climatologic disasters1 for Western Asia since 1969. Twelve disasters were recorded in the year 2000 alone. The majority of these disasters were droughts (16), followed by extreme...
سلسلة أوراق عمل #1 | تشرين الأول 2010
إدارة مخيمات اللاجئين الفلسطينيين في المشرق العربي: حوكمات تبحث عن الشرعيةساري حنفي
"يوما بعد يوم، تصبح كثافة المخيم لا تطاق. يتنامى حجم العائلة الفلسطينية بلا هوادة، يجتاح المهاجرون العراقيون أمكنتنا. لا مساحات خضراء، ولا أماكن للهو الاطفال. نعم هذا مؤلم... على الرغم من ذلك، فأنا أحب أن أكون هنا مع عائلتي وبين الناس الذين أعرفهم. هنا أشعر بالامن." بهذه الكلمات وصف لاجئ فلسطيني من الطبقة الوسطى أجريت معه مقابلة التجربة المتناقضة التي يعيشها في مخيم جرمانا (دمشق)؛ إحساسًا بوضع حضري موجع، وفي الوقت ذاته إحساسًا بالراحة ولانتماء لمجتمع. صحيح أن محيط المخيم...
