Casa Árabe and the Syrian Question

Since the beginning of what are now known as the Arab Springs, Casa Árabe has reinforced its role as a facilitator of dialogue and a meeting point for the Middle East and North Africa, and it has worked to provide a space for the proposals by the Syrian opposition, because this is essential to understanding and strengthening Syrian political thought in order to take the alternatives to Bashar al-Assad’s regime into consideration.

Casa Árabe works as an asset of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation to channel debate and help get Arab and Muslim societies to come closer together. It is an institution which makes it possible to support initiatives at different levels, above all through informal dialogue between political, economic and social role-players, as well as the people, remaining at the forefront of diplomacy on several fronts. Casa Árabe is also a link in the chain which forms the network of Spain’s various “Casas” and the ensemble of think-tanks in Spain which work on Arab-related thematic fields: CITPax, FRIDE, ECFR, the Spanish Transition Foundation (Fundación Transición Española), CIDOB, IEMed, etc.

Main Role-Players and Political Analysis

In terms of political affairs, Casa Árabe has worked on its own and in coordination with groups such as the Union of Syrians Abroad, to provide a space for the proposals by the Syrian opposition, in the belief that it is fundamental to understand and strengthen Syrian political thought in order to consider the alternatives to the Bashar al-Assad regime, with a view to the Geneva I and potential Geneva II negotiations. Opposition leaders of the stature of Haytham Manna, Abdulbaset Sieda and the influential Moaz al Khatib have taken part in meetings and events at our headquarters in Madrid.

Likewise, our institution has promoted debate and analysis at the conferences and seminars listed below, in reverse chronological order:

- Seminar on  The Arab Spring: The conflict in Syria at the present time and its consequences, organized by the CEMOFPSC, June 2013.
- Visit by Moaz al Khatib, opposition leader and Acting President of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, May 21, 2013.
- Debate Where is Syria headed? Two years of conflict in debate, with Haizam Amirah, Mayte Carrasco, Rosa Meneses and Ussama Jandali, March 13, 2013. 
- Visit by Haytham Manna, President of the National Coordination Committee for Democratic Change in Syria Abroad,, on October 31, 2012.
- Visit by Abdulbaset Sieda, President of the Syrian National Council, on September 3, 2012.
- Conference by Georges Salama Keylah, Syrian political scientist and essayist, on July 5, 2012.

Cultural Reflection and Exhibits
 
For a proper understanding of the impact and different dimensions of the conflict, Casa Árabe has accompanied analysis of this society through cultural forms of expression, especially cinema and the visual arts, but also through people’s movements, as is the case with the exhibition on graffiti. For example, one highlight was the exhibition of Syrian artist Assem el Bacha, whose most recent work is a personal testimony to the humanitarian tragedy which his country is now experiencing. The following is a list of some of the main events held:

- The exhibition From Within: Sculptures of Pain and Rebellion. In memory of Namir, by Assem Al Bacha, Spring and Autumn 2013 (exhibition in Madrid and Cordoba, and an event held with the artist).
- Debate on Creation and Resistance in Syria, with Syrian filmmaker Ali Atassi and Catherine David, on March 25, 2013.
-    The exhibition Freedom and Innovation: Contemporary Arab calligraphy, with works by Syrian calligraphy artists Munir al-Shaarani and Khaled al-Saai, 2011-2013.
-    The exhibition The Sons of Abel: Images of the Syrian Bedouins, February 28, 2013.
-    Screening of  “A Flood in the Baath Country,” by Omar Amiralay, with the cooperation of the Syrian community in Granada, May 2012.
-    The film series “One Year of the Spring” with a session dedicated to Syria, May 2012.
-    The exhibition "Graffiti from the Revolution," March 2012.

Context and Diplomacy

The disaster in Syria has had major consequences on the regional equilibrium and world peace, because of the country’s strategic location at the heart of the Middle East. Although the use of chemical weapons in August 2013 has filled the most recent headlines and must receive a strong response, we must not forget that the conflict with conventional weapons is the one which has caused more than 95% of the 100,000 deaths estimated since the beginning of the conflict in March 2011. The internal displacement of 4.25 million people, coupled with 2 million Syrian refugees, represents a humanitarian crisis of enormous proportions for the neighboring countries which have taken them in: Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey.

The principles of Spain’s foreign policy advocate political solutions over military solutions. Many observers warn of the threat entailed by the dismembering of states and the order inherited from the Sykes-Picot Agreement in favor of ethnic or sectarian entities.

Within this context, Casa Árabe has organized a series of public activities, as well as backing discreet events which have made it possible to complement the efforts of official diplomacy and support inclusive projects. In the case of Syria, an emphasis must be placed on the characteristic feature of the “mosaic-style” social fabric, with a model of co-existence that allows for the interaction of non-Muslim minorities.

Publications

Finally, despite the decrease in volume of Casa Árabe publications, Syria’s presence is substantial:

-    Records of Memory (Pliegues de la memoria), dedicated to Syrian historian and political activist Maher al-Sharif, February 2012.
-    Analysis on Syria by Casa Árabe analyst Rocío Vázquez, March 2013.
-    Analysis titled “Two Years of Arab Springs”, April 2013.