In The
Spotlight

  • Moroccan Woman : Hagar al-Mukhi 13 December 2010

    "We should define what we mean by openness and reform, for we can have openness in one domain and not in the other, compared to the past; this makes it difficult to judge whether the conditions of women have improved or not."

  • Jordanian Student: Noor el-Tal 13 December 2010

    "The thoughts and interests of male university students are still focussed on getting close to their female colleagues… as female, and this is a major impediment to women’s participation in social and political life."

  • Palestinian Reconciliation is Delayed and Tied to the Fate of Negotiations 10 November 2010 , by Hani al Masri

    Procedural issues are overwhelming the Egyptian document for Palestinian national reconciliation. The document disregarded the content of the National Charter and the political programme of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) and the government...

Recent Publications

  • “Has Arab Business Ever Been, or Will it Be, a Player for Reform?” 13 December 2010 , by Giacomo Luciani , Steffen Hertog

    The project has examined to what extent the private sector is influencing the reform process in the Arab world, looking in particular at the sector’s independence; its relationship to the ruling authority; its ability to organize and lobby...

  • The Copts of Egypt: Specific Problems and General Tension 13 October 2010 , by Sameh Fawzi

    Muslim-Christian relations are beset by escalating tensions comprising new dimensions that threaten the Egyptian model of coexistence and unity. There are many reasons for this deteriorating situation...


Reform Watch

Saudi Arabia: Illegal Migrants’ Death Compounds Crisis 6 December 2010

Gulf News Saudi Arabia deported thousands of illegal migrants, according to aid agency

Egypt: Election Monitoring Coalition Urges Mubarak to Dissolve Parliament 6 December 2010 , by Amr el-Shobaki
Gulf Urged to Protect Workers 5 December 2010
Saudi Cleric Takes Women’s Side 2 December 2010

Events

Mariam Al Mahdi Beaten by Sudanese Police 11 January 2011

Mariam is a doctor, a mother of six and a member of the political bureau of the Umma party. She is also a fierce defender of women’s rights.

Publication Announcement: CIGI ebook, The Future of Security Sector Reform 7 December 2010
Call for Papers for the 2011 Gulf Research Meeting 6 December 2010
2011 Draper Hills Summer Fellows on Democracy and Development Program 20 October 2010

The Arab Reform Initiative is a consortium of fifteen key policy research centers from the Arab world with partners from Europe and the United States, working to mobilize the Arab research capacity to advance knowledge and promote a home grown program for democratic reform.