ALL VIDEOS IN THIS CATEGORY

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  10. The geopolitics of conflict and cooperation in the Mediterranean (ENGLISH)

  On Tuesday, May 21, we held a new session in our event series titled “Dialogues on Open Societies” in Madrid, with this conference. Taking part were Gerald Knaus, founder of the European Stability Initiative, and Kristina Kausch, a senior researcher for the German Marshall Fund. Moderated by: Eduard Soler i Lecha, a senior researcher at the CIDOB. The rivalries between regional powers have been shifting and changing since the 2011 uprisings. Alliances are becoming increasingly volatile and inconsistent, in terms of both state and non-state role-players. In order to understand the way these conflicts are being redefined, as well as seeking out paths for cooperation in the Mediterranean, it is essential that we examine internal, regional and global dynamics. This analysis will take a look at a few specific cases and the way in which the EU has reacted to crises, above all in fields like migration and security. Similarly, there will be a discussion of United States’ role in the region and the way in which geopolitical borders have grown blurrier, involving neighboring regions like the Sahel, the Horn of Africa and the Balkans, as well. Gerald Knaus is the founder of the European Stability Initiative, a think-tank with offices in Berlin, Brussels and Vienna, which does work on southeastern Europe, the Caucuses, European expansion the future of the EU. Kraus studied at the Universities of Oxford, Brussels and Bologna, and has taught Economics at the University of Chernivtsi in Ukraine, as well as working for five years at NGOs and international entities in Bulgaria and Bosnia-Herzegovina. From 2001 to 2004, he worked at the UN Mission in Kosovo. He was a founding member of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) and is a specialist on state-building processes and intervention. Kristina Kausch joined the German Marshall Fund in Brussels in 2016. Ms. Kausch’s research focuses on Europe’s political relations with the Middle East and North Africa, political transformations in the Arab world and geopolitical trends in the Middle East. Prior to that, she worked at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, directed the Middle East Program at FRIDE, and was an expert at the German cooperation agency GIZ. She has had three books published on the region, as well as articles in both academic journals and the written press (The Guardian, El País, Middle East Eye and Süddeutsche Zeitung). Eduard Soler i Lecha is a senior researcher at CIDOB and the scientific coordinator of MENARA, a European project on geopolitical changes in the Middle East and North Africa. He is a political scientist and has a PhD in International Relations from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. His fields of work include: Euro-Mediterranean relations, Turkey’s foreign and domestic policy, political change in North Africa and the Middle East, Spain’s Mediterranean policy and cooperation in the field of security in the Mediterranean. More info: http://en.casaarabe.es/event/“dialogues-on-open-societies”-series-of-conferences#14545

  Published at 53 17,,, 19 2019
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  Hunger and conflicts in the Arab world today

  On Wednesday, April 10, 2019, at the Casa Árabe headquarters in Madrid, we got the chance to hear an analysis of this topic by Nicolas Oberlin, the assistant regional director of the Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia and Eastern Europe of the UN World Food Program. Presented by Yolanda Álvarez Maza, a former correspondent in the Middle East and the president of TVE’s News Programming Board. The conflicts causing upheaval in the Arab world are leaving millions of people without access to food. From Syria to Palestine, and in the refugee camps of Tindouf and Yemen, a country suffering the greatest humanitarian emergency of our times, the UN’s World Food Program provides essential services to the most vulnerable population. Based on his experience in the region, Nicolas Oberlin discussed the relationship between conflicts and hunger, as phenomena which feed back into each other, and the keys to breaking the vicious circle which threatens the future of the youngest generations. Nicolas Oberlin Nicolas Oberlin is an experienced humanitarian and development professional with more than two decades of service behind him at the United Nations and NGOs at the international level. He is currently the assistant regional director for the region of the Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia and Eastern Europe of the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), in charge of supervising the agency’s activities in responding to large-scale humanitarian emergencies and prolonged crises. Since he joined the WFP 20 years ago, Oberlin has held various positions at the entity’s headquarters in Rome and in the field, as well as working at humanitarian aid sites in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Before taking on his current position at the WFP’s regional office for the Middle East, Oberlin was an assistant representative of the WFP in Nepal and WFP’s representative in Tajikistan. Oberlin has degrees from the ESSEC Business School in France and Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). He currently lives in Cairo, Egypt. More info: http://en.casaarabe.es/event/hunger-and-conflicts-in-the-arab-world-today

  Published at 22 17,,, 19 2019
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  Feminisms, religion and secularism (ENGLISH)

  On Tuesday, March 26, there was a new session in our series titled “Dialogues on Open Societies,” given by journalist and writer Mona Eltahawy, along with fellow writer Najat el Hachmi. Presented by Karim Hauser, Casa Árabe’s Coordinator of International Relations. Reports from different international entities coincide in ranking the countries of North Africa and the Middle East amongst the worst in terms of gender equality. Though the situation differs by country, and in certain cases the Law has moved ahead considerably in guaranteeing rights on paper, the unrest which began in 2011 has not achieved the inclusion of women in public life under conditions of equality with men, and many consider themselves second-class citizens. Perhaps Tunisia could be named as a unique case where the triumph of protests has led to an improvement in women’s status. Through their activism, many Arab feminists question the oppressive mix of politics, cultural habits and religion which permeates every layer of society, and they continue fighting to make their voices heard, both inside and outside the region. Mona Eltahawy, who authored "Headscarves and Hymens", and Najat el Hachmi, the author of "The Last Patriarch", met at Casa Árabe to discuss this problem and call out to demand gender equality. The event included the participation of the publishing firm Capitán Swing and the Barcelona Contemporary Culture Center (Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona, CCCB). Mona Eltahawy is a columnist and international analyst of the subjects of Arabs, Muslims and feminism. She was a correspondent for Reuters in the Middle East for six years and has worked for the media in several countries in the region, and in China. She is currently collaborating with media such as the New York Times and The Guardian. She is a member of the Communications Consulting Group Musawah, the movement for justice and equality in the Muslim family. She has received a wide range of awards and acknowledgments for her work as a journalist, and Time magazine named her a “person of the year” along with other activists from around the world. She is the author of the book Headscarves and Hymens: Why the world needs a sexual revolution. Najat el Hachmi was born in Morocco after her father had already emigrated to Catalonia. At the age of eight, she moved to the town of Vic. She earned her undergraduate degree in Arabic Philology from the University of Barcelona. She has been writing since she was eleven years old, in the beginning as a form of entertainment, but little by little writing grew into a way for her to channel her thoughts about feeling like she was from two places at once, and a way to bring these two worlds to which she belongs closer together. In 2004, her book Jo també sóc catalana (I Am Catalan, Too) was published. She appears as a guest speaker on the radio and has articles published in the written press. Her work The Last Patriarch was bestowed with the Ramon Llull Award of 2008 and the Ulysse Award for a first novel in 2009, and she was a finalist for the Prix Meditérranée Étranger in 2009. The series “Dialogues on Open Societies” is an initiative of Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European Union and Cooperation with the cooperation of Casa Árabe, co-directed by Doménec Ruiz Devesa, Advisor for the Cabinet of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European Union and Cooperation, and by Pedro Martínez-Avial, the General Director of Casa Árabe. More info: http://en.casaarabe.es/event/“dialogues-on-open-societies”-series-of-conferences#14462

  Published at 18 17,,, 19 2019
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  Dialogues on Open Societies. 4. The good neighbor policy with the Mediterranean

  The Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean, Nasser Kamel, is taking part in another session of the series Dialogues on Open Societies. It will be taking place in Madrid on Thursday, February 21. Nasser Kamel will be taking part in a conversation with Senén Florensa, Spain’s Ambassador/Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office and other International Bodies in Vienna. The event will be presented by Pedro Martínez-Avial, the General Director of Casa Árabe. Regional cooperation and dialogue form the foundation for dealing with the major challenges faced in the Mediterranean Basin from the perspective of stability, human safety, the environment and a reactivation of the economy. The Union for the Mediterranean, with its twenty-eight EU members and fifteen countries from the southern shores, as a direct heir to the Barcelona Process (1995), is in a unique position to seek opportunities and strengthen the good neighbor and integration policy. The role of women in society, transportation, energy, industry, the environment and employment are just parts of the common agendas to be analyzed by the Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean, Nasser Kamel, in his talk with Ambassador Senén Florensa, Chairman of the Delegate Commission of the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed). The series Dialogues on Open Societies is an initiative of Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European Union and Cooperation, with the cooperation of Casa Árabe. Nasser Kamel is the Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean. A career diplomat of the Egyptian government, he held the position of Ambassador of Egypt in the United Kingdom from 2014 to 2018, and was the Ambassador to France from 2006 to 2012, during which time he took part in the drafting of the Paris Summit Declaration of 2008, which marked the launching of the Union for the Mediterranean. From 2004 through 2006, he was the director of Egypt’s Public Information Service. Before holding that position, he worked at various embassies, including those in Washington (1984-1988), Lisbon (1990-1994), Tunis (1994-1998), Brussels (1999-2001) and Paris (2001-2004). Kamel studied Political Science at the University of Brussels and at the University of Cairo’s School of Economic and Political Science. Senén Florensa is currently Spain’s Ambassador/Permanent Representative to the Office of the United Nations and other International Bodies in Vienna. He was Spain’s Consul General in Rome from 2017 to 2018 and Spain’s Ambassador to Tunisia from 2000 to 2004. He was the Director General and later Executive President of the European Institute of the (IEMed) from 2006 through 2017. He is the director of the journal afkar/ideas and of the Mediterranean Yearbook published by IEMed. He was the president of the World Congress of Middle East and North Africa Studies (WOCMES) in 2010, the Secretary of International and European Affairs of the Autonomous Regional Government of Catalonia and a member of the Organizing Committee of the Barcelona Olympic Games in 1992. More info: http://en.casaarabe.es/event/“dialogues-on-open-societies”-series-of-conferences#14418

  Published at 28 07,,, 19 2019
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  Libya: What are its prospects after seven years of conflict?

  2018.14.11. Casa Árabe, with the cooperation of the consultancy firm Stractegia Consulting, brought together two experts to discuss the current situation before the presidential and parliamentary elections in Libya. The event included the participation of Otman El Gajiji, former president of the High National Electoral Commission of Libya, and Barah Mikaïl, the director of Stractegia Consulting. It will be presented by Pedro Martínez-Avial, the General Director of Casa Árabe. Since the uprising in Libya in February of 2011, the country has been plunged into a series of conflicts. The many attempts to drive the country towards reconciliation and democracy have been unsuccessful, and Libya remains deeply polarized. In the midst of this political division, in which militias play an important role, Libyans are attempting to hold presidential and parliamentary elections, a risky endeavor that may lead to a greater escalation in violence if carried out in an improper manner. What are the factors that threaten the upcoming elections in Libya? Who are the main role-players, what are their interests and what demands are at stake? What opportunities have arisen to prevent violence and lead towards new scenarios? Can women play any role in the reconciliation process? Casa Árabe, with the cooperation of the consultancy Stractegia Consulting, brought together two experts to discuss the topic. Otman El Gajiji is a former president of the High National Electoral Commission and the Central Committee for Elections of the Municipal Councils. He is the president of Ishara Consultancy Services, a consulting firm whose headquarters is located in Tripoli. It gives advice on technology, education and policy, as well as electoral procedures. His expertise in the field of elections and local governance. He has a PhD in Computer Engineering from the University of Bath in the United Kingdom. Barah Mikaïl is the director of Stractegia Consulting and an associate professor at Saint Louis University’s Madrid campus. Prior to this, he worked as a main researcher in geopolitics and security at the Foundation for International Relations and External Dialogue (FRIDE), as well as a head researcher on the Middle East and North Africa, and water-related topics at the International and Strategic Relations Institute (IRIS, 2002-2010), with headquarters in Paris. More info: http://en.casaarabe.es/event/libya-what-are-its-prospects-after-seven-years-of-conflict

  Published at 38 05,,, 18 2018