Europe and the Arab Spring: What should we be doing ?

As part of its 2011 Annual Meeting, the Europaeum organised a special international panel debate on Europe and the Arab Spring: What should we be doing? hosted at the University of Bonn on June 9th. The panel, which included Professor Christian Hacke (Bonn), Professor Pierre Beckouche (Paris 1), and Dr. Adeel Malik (Oxford) explored questions such as Should Europe be doing more ? Are all European nations doing enough ? Why is the EU itself so quiet ? Is NATO being effective enough ? What are the likely outcomes? How should Europe cope with the influx of new immigrants ? What are likely the consequences for the EU, for the Middle East Crisis, and for future oil supplies ? The debate was chaired by Dr. Andrew Graham, Master of Balliol College, Oxford. Please download the event Poster for more information.

Additional Resources

• The Pears Lecture given by Professor Avishai Margalit on ‘Israel and the Revolutions in the Middle East’ on 8 June 2011 at the Middle East Centre, St Antony's College, is now available as MP3 audio file at http://www.sant.ox.ac.uk/mec/middleeastlectures.html#israel (click on the link ‘Professor Margalit Lecture 8 Jun 2011’). The direct link to the lecture is at http://www.sant.ox.ac.uk/mec/lecturesarchive/Margalit-Lecture-8Jun2011.mp3
• Article: Revolution turns over new leaf for universities by Munyaradzi Makoni
  Higher education in Egypt is set to become a model for Africa and the Middle East as a result of the popular revolution that removed former president Hosni Mubarak and his regime from power and ushered in a new era of improvements. So said Dr Alaa Ibrahim of the American University in Cairo at the World Conference of Science Journalists in Doha. Full report on the University World News site
• Article: Public university leaders to be replaced by Ashraf Khaled
  A recent decision by the Egyptian government to replace the current heads of public universities and college deans has drawn angry reaction from these leaders, who deny having political links with the former regime. And academics have vowed to continue protesting until further demands are met. Full report on the University World News site
• Paper: Elections in Egypt: Analysis of Egypt's 2011 Parliamentary Electoral System from the International Foundation for Electoral Systems
  This Briefing Paper provides insight into the election laws regulating parliamentary elections in Egypt. It sheds light into the current electoral system, its impact on electoral stakeholders such as political parties, voters and disenfranchised groups, including women and Coptic Christians. The paper also touches on the changes the electoral law has undergone during the transitional period. Full report on the IFES site
• Publication: The Arab Spring: Implications for British Policy from the Conservative Middle East Council
  Contributors include a number of Oxford scholars, including Professor Eugene Rogan (Director of the Middle East Centre at St Antony’s College), Dr. Michael Willis (Mohamed VI Fellow in Moroccan and Mediterranean Studies at the Middle East Centre at St Antony’s College), Marwa Daoudy (Departmental Lecturer in the Politics and International Relations of the Middle East), and Tariq Ramadan (Professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies) Full Report on CMEC website
• Article: The Rights of a Deposed Despot: Libyans Don't Really Give a Hoot from the TIME Magazine
  Should Libyans care how Muammar Gaddafi died? As the debate continues over whether rebel fighters executed Gaddafi after capturing him — in violation of international rules of war — the issue has raised stark differences between Libya's new leaders, who suffered for decades under a suffocating dictatorship, and the views of some of their closest Western allies. Full report on TIME website
• Blog: Tunisia: the trailblazer and the benchmark from the Conservative Middle East Council
  Professor Michael Willis looks at Tunisia’s role as a trailblazer and a benchmark in the Arab Spring. http://cmec.org.uk/blog/tunisia-the-trailblazer-and-the-benchmark/
• Policy Brief: European Partnership for Democracy, http://www.europaeum.org/files/news/EU Policy Brief December 2012.pdf