Governance & Political Reform

September 2011 – Is It a Turning Point?

The change of Palestinian strategy from negotiations to an effort to get UN recognition for a Palestinian state is a result of a stalemate in the negotiations process. In Israel there is a debate on the implications of this new Palestinian strategy....

North Africa’s Intifadas: Is Algeria Next?

The conditions that led to the uprisings in other parts of North Africa have long existed in Algeria. Yet these system challenges have rarely threatened the regime’s existence as long as le pouvoir remained united.

Tunisia and the Arab Democratic Awakening

Who would have foreseen such agitation? Who dared hope that the Tunisian people would be capable of overturning a plundering police regime whose stability and strength was extolled in Europe and elsewhere?

Democratisation and Reform in the Arab Countries: Dynamics of Transformation

The Conundrum of democratisation and reform in the Arab countries has always been defined by three major elements: governance backlogs, development deficits, and a complex regional and international environment.

The Year of Revolts, the Year of Hopes

Turkey’s Constitutional Reform and the 2010 Constitutional Referendum

Most observers, Turkish and foreign alike, acknowledge that Turkey has a constitutional problem.

Turbulent Chronicle of Resistance to Political Change in Algeria

The line of defence of the Algerian authorities is not based solely on “political corruption” via the massive purchase of social peace. It also relies on society’s fresh memory of the chaos of civil war.

Multilevel Governance in a Changing World

Representatives of governments and research centers from six regions in Italy, France and Spain, along with academics and experts from Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia and Israel, discuss how to improve operations and multilevel cooperation.

Tunisia Sparks Arab Revolutions

This end to one of the most brutal dictatorships in the region is the logical outcome of a long process of political disintegration of a repressive, corrupt regime that succeeded in turning all Tunisians against it

Jordan: A Time for Elections and Assessing Political Reforms

Two fundamental reasons help to explain why this seemingly new era of political change may not be able to embrace Jordan as well, which might find itself outside of the “Arab Spring.”

Egypt’s Second January Uprising: Causes and Consequences of a Would-be Revolution

During the first months of 2011, the Egyptian political system was shaken by a veritable political earthquake, as the almost 30-year rule of President Hosni Mubarak was brought to an end by a popular uprising.

Los Hermanos Musulmanes del Egipto pos Mubarak

“Necesitamos una Constitución y un sistema legislativo que garanticen una democracia. Nadie debe tener poder sobre la voluntad de la mayoría”.