1. Conferences and debates

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Syria: Prospects ten years after the outbreak of revolution

Published at 10 11,,, 21 2021

On Tuesday, March 16, we will be showing the eleventh conference in our event series Aula Árabe Universitaria 2, given by the director of the Arab Center for Political Research and Studies of Paris (CAREP), Salam Kawakibi, on our YouTube channel. The war against Syria’s civilian population has been ongoing since 2011, and its impact is profound. Although it is impossible to provide exact figures, the toll has been devastating: it has caused the death of half a million human beings, the destruction of 60% of all infrastructures and the disability of 1.5 million people, with another 200 thousand people in jails and arbitrary detention centers, the internal displacement of half of the country’s inhabitants and the exile of more than six million to different countries in the neighboring region. Although the violence has decreased over the last two years, the situation persists. However, neither the humanitarian catastrophe nor the Syrian people’s demands appear in the headlines anymore. The consequences of this conflict are enormous in terms of international security, and the role of regional and international role-players is undeniable in the Syrian disaster. Within this context, what prospects are there for a potential solution? Casa Árabe has organized this conference given by Salam Kawakibi, a researcher in Political Science and International Relations. It is the eleventh session in the Aula Árabe Universitaria 2 (AAU2) program, offered with the cooperation of the Master’s degree program in International Relations and African Studies at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM). The session will be introduced by Itziar Ruiz-Giménez Arrieta, coordinator of the Master’s Degree program in International Relations and African Studies at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, and is moderated by Karim Hauser, Casa Árabe’s International Relations Coordinator. Salam Kawakibi co-founded the organization The Day After: Supporting a Democratic Transition in Syria (www.tda-sy.org). He is a senior researcher at the University of Saint Andrews’ Centre for Syrian Studies, a co-founder and member of the advisory board of the Mediterranean Citizens Assembly Foundation (MCAF) (www.fundacionacm.org), a member of the board of the Institute for Research and Studies on the Arab World and Mediterranean in Paris, and a member of the scientific committee of Confluences, a Parisian journal which focuses on the Mediterranean region. From 2009 to 2011, Kawakibi was the head researcher at the University of Amsterdam’s Department of Political Science. Prior to that, from 2000 to 2006, he was director of the Institut Français du Proche-Orient in Aleppo. He earned his Advanced Studies Diploma (DEA) in Political Science from the Aix-En-Provence Institute of Political Studies and another in International Relations from the University of Aleppo, as well as his bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Aleppo. He has had numerous articles and essays published in specialized journals and various works in Arabic, French, Spanish, German and Turkish. More info: https://en.casaarabe.es/event/syria-prospects-ten-years-after-the-outbreak-of-revolution Photo: Anthony Gale on Flickr

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The Syrian Refugee Crisis: Socio-economic impact and humanitarian aid

Casa Árabe and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), with the cooperation of Acción contra el Hambre (Action against Hunger) and Save the Children, have organized a round table discussion titled “The Regional Dimension of the Syrian Refugee Crisis (I): Socio-economic impact and humanitarian aid.” The objective was to analyze and make evident the regional dimension of the refugee crisis caused by the Syrian conflict, as well as the socio-economic impact it is having on the neighboring countries. It included interventions by Michael Kingsley-Nyinah, director of the UNRWA office in Syria; Jean-Raphäel Poitou, geographic director for the Middle East at Acción contra el Hambre (Action against Hunger); David del Campo, director of International Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid at Save the Children, and a representative of Doctors Without Borders (pending confirmation). The debate was moderated by the journalist Carla Fibla. More information: http://en.casaarabe.es/event/the-syrian-refugee-crisis-socio-economic-impact-and-humanitarian-aid

Published at 54 11,,, 15 2015
Geopolitics and Arab Societies: Keys to upheaval

On the occasion of the presentation of the books “Islamic State: Geopolitics of chaos” and “What Is Left of the Arab Uprisings?: Activists, changes and essentials,” three journalists analyzed the current situation. The round table included talks by Reem Khalifa, an activist and founder of the newspaper Al Wasat in Bahrain; Javier Martín, delegate of the Efe Press Agency in North Africa and author de “Estado Islámico: Geopolítica del caos” (“Islamic State: Geopolitics of chaos”) and David Perejil, a journalist and the editor of “¿Qué queda de las revueltas árabes?: Activistas, cambios y claves” (“What Is Left of the Arab Uprisings?: Activists, changes and essentials”). The event was presented by Karim Hauser, who is responsible for the Governance Area at Casa Árabe. More info: http://en.casaarabe.es/event/geopolitics-and-arab-societies-keys-to-today’s-upheaval

Published at 05 22,,, 15 2015
The sacred art of Kufic calligraphy: an aesthetic reflection

Valérie González, an expert on Islamic visual culture, gave this conference in Casa Árabe. One of the most important forms of artistic expression in Islam is Kufic calligraphy. It was precisely in this form of writing that God’s word in the Qur’an was taken down with devotion at the beginnings of Islam’s history. Valérie González analyzed the role played by writing and calligraphy, and more specifically Kufic writing, as artistic paradigms in Islamic logocentrism at this conference. She examined masterpieces of Kufic calligraphy used in different media, such as books, architecture and objects created by artists, to show how the sacred human act of setting down Divine Revelation in writing gave rise to a sublimating visualization that transcended beyond just religious art. A special emphasis was placed on the Samanid ceramics of the tenth and eleventh centuries, whose wonderful calligraphic decoration blurs the border between the ordinary and the extraordinary, so deeply rooted within the West’s aesthetic consciousness. More info: http://en.casaarabe.es/event/the-sacred-art-of-kufic-calligraphy-an-aesthetic-reflection

Published at 27 22,,, 15 2015
#ArabSpring four years later. Session 4

Seminar on “Citizen entrepreneurship, political participation and artistic expression among Arab youths.” SESSION 4: ARTISTIC EXPRESSION AND CULTURAL MANIFESTATIONS “Creativity and spaces for freedom.” Malu Halasa, writer and editor of the book “Syria Speaks” “The walls speak: art in the streets.” Anahi Alviso, a researcher at the Centre Français d’Archéologie et de Sciences Sociales de Sanaa (CEFAS) “People’s theater and collective memory.” Jaouad Essounani, director of the company Dabateatr Moderated by: Nuria Medina, Coordinator of Culture and New Media, Casa Árabe More information: http://en.casaarabe.es/event/arabspring-cuatro-anos-despues

Published at 06 17,,, 15 2015
#ArabSpring four years later. Session 3

Seminar on “Citizen entrepreneurship, political participation and artistic expression among Arab youths.” SESSION 3: MOVEMENTS AND SOCIAL DYNAMICS “The importance of discontent: Arab faces and perceptions of injustice.” Middle East Center, associate researcher, Carnegie-Middle East Center “Activism and human rights.” Mohammed al Maskati, consultant and defender of Human Rights, The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights “Mental health in countries affected by conflicts.” Sally Toma, psychologist, therapist and activist. Kazeboon Moderated by: Leila Nachawati, a professor of Communication at the Universidad Carlos III and co-founder of the portal Syria Untold. More information: http://en.casaarabe.es/event/arabspring-cuatro-anos-despues

Published at 04 17,,, 15 2015