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Where Is Syria Headed? Two Years of Conflict Under Debate
From March 01, 2013 until March 13, 2013
Casa Árabe has organized this conference, which will be held in Madrid on the upcoming date of March 13 and will include the participation of four experts who will be debating this topic.
The conference will be presented by the General Director of Casa Árabe, Eduardo López Busquets, and will be moderated by Ignacio Álvarez-Osorio, a professor of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Alicante, with the participation of Haizam Amirah-Fernández, a researcher for the Real Instituto Elcano; Mayte Carrasco, a journalist and writer; Rosa Meneses, a journalist for El Mundo, and Ussama Jandali, a Spanish-Syrian activist and the spokesperson for the Association of Support for the Syrian People.
The event will take place in the Casa Árabe Auditorium (c/Alcalá, 62) at 7:00 p.m. with free entry until the room’s capacity is full.
In March 2011, the popular revolt began against Bashar al-Assad. During this time, the situation on the ground has been changing, until becoming an open war against Syria’s authoritarian regime. This changing stage makes it especially necessary to hold a debate over the origin of the current crisis, how it has developed and potential future changes. Also to be analyzed are the social, political and economic circumstances which made this revolt possible, the geo-strategic factor in Syria, and the possible effect of contagion to neighboring countries, as well as the humanitarian implications involved in the displacement of thousands of refugees.
According to the Syrian Human Rights Observatory, two years of violent confrontation have caused more than seventy thousand victims. During this same period, several political initiatives to bring the parties in the conflict closer together have failed, and the hostilities have intensified. However, Russia’s changing position and the opposition’s recent willingness to negotiate with members of the regime could help start up a new political process. Could the military stalemate coupled with the humanitarian crisis and pressure by the international community create conditions which lead to an agreement about the political future of Syria?
Haizam Amirah Fernández
Main researcher on the Mediterranean at the Real Instituto Elcano and an associate professor at the Instituto de Empresa (IE), she is the co-editor of the books “El Magreb: Realidades nacionales y dinámicas regionales” (“The Maghreb: National Realities and Regional Dynamics”) and “North Africa: Politics, Region, and the Limits of Transformation.”
Mayte Carrasco
A freelance reporter, analyst and professor, Ms. Carrasco was given the award for best foreign correspondent in 2011 by the International Press Club (CIP). She has collaborated with domestic and foreign media such as El País, Público, La Nación, Cadena SER, iTELE-Canal Plus (France), Die Welt (Germany), Foreign Policy and Open Democracy (United Kingdom).
Rosa Meneses
A writer for the international section of El Mundo newspaper, Ms. Meneses specializes in the Middle East and the Maghreb countries. She covered the Arab Spring events as a special envoy in Syria, Libya and Tunisia. She is also an Ochberg Fellow at the Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma, for the School of Journalism at Columbia University in New York.
Ignacio Álvarez-Ossorio
A professor in the Department of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Alicante, he has written and published several books, including “Contemporary Syria,” “Report on the Arab Revolts” and “Civil Society and Protest in the Middle East and North Africa.”
The event will take place in the Casa Árabe Auditorium (c/Alcalá, 62) at 7:00 p.m. with free entry until the room’s capacity is full.
In March 2011, the popular revolt began against Bashar al-Assad. During this time, the situation on the ground has been changing, until becoming an open war against Syria’s authoritarian regime. This changing stage makes it especially necessary to hold a debate over the origin of the current crisis, how it has developed and potential future changes. Also to be analyzed are the social, political and economic circumstances which made this revolt possible, the geo-strategic factor in Syria, and the possible effect of contagion to neighboring countries, as well as the humanitarian implications involved in the displacement of thousands of refugees.
According to the Syrian Human Rights Observatory, two years of violent confrontation have caused more than seventy thousand victims. During this same period, several political initiatives to bring the parties in the conflict closer together have failed, and the hostilities have intensified. However, Russia’s changing position and the opposition’s recent willingness to negotiate with members of the regime could help start up a new political process. Could the military stalemate coupled with the humanitarian crisis and pressure by the international community create conditions which lead to an agreement about the political future of Syria?
About the participants
Haizam Amirah Fernández
Main researcher on the Mediterranean at the Real Instituto Elcano and an associate professor at the Instituto de Empresa (IE), she is the co-editor of the books “El Magreb: Realidades nacionales y dinámicas regionales” (“The Maghreb: National Realities and Regional Dynamics”) and “North Africa: Politics, Region, and the Limits of Transformation.”
Mayte Carrasco
A freelance reporter, analyst and professor, Ms. Carrasco was given the award for best foreign correspondent in 2011 by the International Press Club (CIP). She has collaborated with domestic and foreign media such as El País, Público, La Nación, Cadena SER, iTELE-Canal Plus (France), Die Welt (Germany), Foreign Policy and Open Democracy (United Kingdom).
Rosa Meneses
A writer for the international section of El Mundo newspaper, Ms. Meneses specializes in the Middle East and the Maghreb countries. She covered the Arab Spring events as a special envoy in Syria, Libya and Tunisia. She is also an Ochberg Fellow at the Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma, for the School of Journalism at Columbia University in New York.
Ignacio Álvarez-Ossorio
A professor in the Department of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Alicante, he has written and published several books, including “Contemporary Syria,” “Report on the Arab Revolts” and “Civil Society and Protest in the Middle East and North Africa.”