Charting New Paths For the Mediterranean
Whether in the hands of a single party, family, religious sect or ethnic group, monopolization of power and suppression of pluralism have often taken the place of developing stable political institutions to manage diversity and mediate differences. Far from managing these differences, the strong central state skillfully manipulated them, drawing them into a power game to sustain its own dominance. Libya’s revolution, for instance, was as much about aspirations for regional autonomy as it was about political freedoms. Tunisia’s revolution too, is a story of deep regional inequalities. Iraq is not spared by these dynamics: its Sunni minority has largely been neglected in recent years, while Iraqi Kurds relationship with the central state is getting ever more complicated and mistrustful. How did these countries deal with these dynamics in the aftermath of the Arab spring? Can decentralization be a solution for the Arab world’s repressed majorities, its persecuted minorities and its neglected regions?
These were questions tackled at one of the policy forums of the MED conference in Rome on 2 December 2017. The policy forum was conceptualized by the MENA Program of the DGAP, one of several scientific partners to the conference, and brought together political actors as well as senior researchers from Iraq, Tunisia, and Europe. Mediterranean Dialogues (MED) is the annual high-level initiative promoted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and ISPI (Italian Institute for International Political Studies) in Rome. The event aims at drafting a “positive agenda” for the Mediterranean by stimulating debate and promoting new ideas, rethinking traditional approaches and addressing shared challenges at both the regional and the international level. Dina Fakoussa (DGAP) participated in the 2017 MED conference in Rome in the Panel Discussion on Governing Local Identities in the MENA Region.
You can see here an interview with Dina Fakoussa from the conference.
