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This document is an adaption of a speech delivered on May 12, 2015 at the launch of a report by the Syrian Justice and Accountability Center (SJAC) entitled ”A Step Towards Justice: Current Accountability Options for Crimes under International Law Committed in Syria.” The repo

استأثر سؤال الهوية وما يتشارك معه من مصطلحات أخرى كالمواطنة والتعددية الثقافية والديمقراطية وغير ذلك، بنصيب لا يستهان به في حقل الدراسات السياسية والاجتماعية والثقافية، بدءاً بالنصف الثاني من القرن العشرين وصولاً إلى قرننا الحالي. وفي هذا الوقت بالذات، بات سؤال الهوية أكثر إلحاحاً وراهنية، حيث تمور منطقتنا العربية بانتفاضاتهاوثوراتها وأسئلتها. يحاول بحثنا هذا تسليط الضوء على مفهوم الهوية وتقاطعاته في بعض حقول السياسة والاجتماع وعلم النفس. وإن ما ينطبق على الكثير من المفاهيم والمصطلحات، من حيث تنوع التعريفات .والمقاربات، ينطبق بدوره على مفهوم الهوية وسؤالها، وهذا ما يجعل الخوض في غمار هذا...

This report provides an analysis of the current political, social and economic dynamics in Tripoli, Lebanon.

This report examines the nature of interaction and engagement between Lebanese citizens’ collectives and the state on gender-specific matters, through the case study of

This report investigates the use of memory by political parties in Lebanon in the political and educational domains.

This report aims to evaluate current accountability options by looking at the feasibility and potential impacts of each option.

This Conflict Analysis Digest is composed of: I. Current conflict trends 1- Overview of mapped conflict incidents in Lebanon, with the villages where most incidents are mapped for each classification. (Between 1 July 2014 and 28 June 2015) 2- Mapped air strikes/ armed conflicts and violations classified as Syrian Border Conflicts. (Between 1 July 2014 and 28 June 2015) 3- Overview of mapped conflict incidents in the Matn. II. Brief thematic report Politics of security, discourses of fear and economic fatigue: the conflict dynamics in al-Matn Abstract: This short report provides an...

This Conflict Analysis Digest is composed of: I.Current conflict trends - p.5 II.Brief thematic report - p.11 Spatial Fragmentation and rise in poverty: the conflict context in Saida Abstract: This short report provides a contextual and analytical summary of the conflict in the region of Saida, south of Lebanon, with a focus on spatial struggles and poverty growth. It describes the main conflict actors and how they have historically contributed to the shaping of conflictual dynamics in Saida from the fifties until today. Findings highlight that while most observers and media attention are...

LET THE KIDS DO IT A lot has been said and printed about the role that is expected to be performed by YOUTH in the governance process, and here I am thinking generally of University undergraduates.  However, I do not recall reading any serious and studied proposals on the subject. It is as though, some of our esteemed dinosaur leaders consider the idea so “farfetched “that, for them, it is not really worth considering. They ask: “Do you seriously think that “kids” can tell us what to do or not do? The answers would be: First, these “kids”, as you call them, can come up with some fresh ideas...

Working Paper | April 2015
Social Justice and the Arab Uprisings by Amaney A. Jamal and Michael Robbins
As the Arab Spring proceeded, massive changes swept across the region. Long-standing stability gave rise to ongoing chaos in some countries, most notably Syria and Libya, but also to a significant extent in Tunisia and Egypt. Meanwhile, Islamist parties won free and fair elections in Egypt and Tunisia and were allowed to come to power. These and other changes greatly altered the political landscape across the region. The importance of these changes cannot be overstated. Yet, amidst talk of a...

ما الحرية؟ كيف يتم تعريفها في أصولها الفلسفية وكيف نفهمها في ظل الواقع المأساوي التي تعيشه بلادنا؟ هذا هو السؤال الأساسي الذي يحاول هذا الكتيب الإجابة عنه من خلال استعراض مفهوم الكلمة في الفلسفة والسياسة والدين، ومقابلتها من ثمّ مع الواقع السوري. يطرح الباحث في هذا الكتاب عددا من الأسئلة الكبيرة حول الحرية، ثم يقودنا في رحلة بين المقولات النظرية والمعطيات الواقعية، ليس لوضع إجابات على الأسئلة وإنما “لفتح طاقات المعنى والكلام الحر.. في الحرية”. الحرية، تأليف: ماهر مسعود.

The conflict in Syria is forging new forms of territorial control, and a political economy that is not unlike the patronage system that was previously fostered by the ruling Ba’ath party.

This report provides an analytical summary of the conflict context in the Bekaa region of Lebanon, with a focus on the relationships between the Syrian de facto refugees and the Lebanese host communities in the Baalbeck-Hermel area. It is based on a socio-political qualitative assessment and a conflict analysis that are primarily based on experiences and perspectives of key informants,2 as well as Lebanese and Syrian residents of the Bekaa. Unless otherwise noted, information in this report is based on these interviews. The report is intended as a quick reading of the field at a set point in...

This report provides an analysis of the history and current situation of the conflict context, actors and dynamics in Beirut, Lebanon.

This second Accord Insight looks at how local actors organise to enter into dialogue with armed groups and challenge their use of violence.

Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) with its partner International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) has been providing assistance to Syrian refugees in Lebanon and host communities since January 2014.

الكتيبات المنشورة في هذه السلسلة موجهة بالدرجة الأولى إلى الشباب من 18 إلى 35 سنة وهي تهدف إلى ترميم الثغرة في المفاهيم السياسية والحقوقية الناتجة عن العوز المعرفي الذي تعاني منه المناهج التعليمية السورية. تغلب على كتيبات سلسلة «التربية المدنية » صفة العمومية وعدم التخصص العميق. فهي بمثابة بانوراما عامة أولية تقدم الخطوة الأولى لمن يريد أن يستزيد في القراءة والبحث. من الموضوعات التي صدرت تباعاً في هذه السلسلة: )بدعم من المنظمة الأورومتوسطية لدعم المدافعين عن حقوق الإنسان(

This report is this first of a three-part series focusing on the current status and lessons learned relating to transitional justice and policing initiatives in opposition-controlled Syria. • Part I focuses on the effects of the departure of judicial and security elements of the Syrian state has had on conditions on the ground currently and on the nascent justice institutions that have emerged in this void (including levels of institutionalisation, Islamic law, and the legal systems currently being debated and trialed in some areas). • Part II examines the variety of institutions and...

Policy Memo | June 2014
Social Cohesion and Intergroup Relations: Syrian Refugees and Lebanese Nationals in the Bekaa and Akkar by Charles Harb and Reem Saab
The growing influx of Syrian refugees to Lebanon has strained its socio-economic fabric, piling pressure on employment opportunities, housing, trade, and infrastructure capacities (basic services). Tensions between Syrian refugees and their Lebanese host communities have led to intercommunity clashes, and it thus becomes imperative to identify the indicators of social instability and ways to reduce them. A research project initiated by...

This study seeks to assess the relative weights of economic and political grievances across the uprisings in Bahrain, Egypt, and Tunisia. Highlighting the unique shared role of middle class youth, it contends that these constituencies have suffered from relative deprivation, despite deliberate efforts by authoritarian regimes to shield them through new targeted social protection initiatives. Nonetheless, economic grievances were not always the primary driving dynamic of protests and the importance of the middle classes has varied compared to the roles of the poor, labor, and pro-democracy...