Arab Region Archives

Regions

United by geography and a long history that, since the end of the Ottoman Empire and especially during the long rule of the Assads, has taken on the characteristics of colonialism and occupation in the name of a “Greater Syria,” Lebanese and Syrians today share the same hope: that tomorrow will be different from today, putting an end to conflicts and reducing them to “wars of the past.” Reality demands this. In 2018, Lebanon’s GDP exceeded 55 billion dollars; today, it barely reaches 20 billion. One hundred thousand Lebanese pounds, which were worth 65 dollars at that time, are now worth just one. In Syria, in 2011, when the brutal repression of anti-government protests began, GDP reached 45 billion dollars; today it is only 9 billion.

PublicationsArab Region

From poetry to cinema, from microblogging to theater, from literature to journalism, arts and media are always a fertile ground for experimentation and imagination, creativity and political dissent. That is the case across Arab and Muslim societies, too. The output of the 2021 edition of the Carthage Seminars, this e-book strives to shed light on those very intellectual resources – often neglected, at times repressed – to unpack the complexity of societies and cultural experiences across the MENA region. A specific focus is provided, in the second part, on the social and cultural ferment in Tunisia, a particularly interesting reality, that deserves special attention in this season of great political and democratic uncertainty.

Our Initiatives Arab Region

The international association Reset Dialogues on Civilizations has launched the Reset Seminars of Pluralism in the Middle East and North Africa, a yearly international program on cultural and religious pluralism and political liberties. The purpose is to promote a local intellectual response to the rise of rigorist strands of Islamic thought by training 40 emerging opinion-leaders on the relationship between religion, history and power and to contribute to the reawakening of pluralistic traditions in Muslim contexts.

Videos Arab Region

“Major elements of Islamic Shari’a are human dignity, justice, fairness and freedom: there is no force, no compulsion in the case of faith and religion.” An excerpt from the first part of ResetDOC’s latest video-interview with Mohsen Kadivar, Professor of Islamic Studies at Duke University, on pluralism in Islam.

ConveningArab Region

November

2019

Williamsburg (United States)

An International Conference organized by Reset DOC and Reset Dialogues in partnership with the College of William & Mary taking place in Williamsburg, VA, United States.

September

2019

Tunis (Tunisia)

An international conference on the evolution of democracy organized by Reset DOC in partnership with Carep – Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies and the support of the Italian Minstry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation

July

2019

Casablanca (Morocco)

An International symposium on religious pluralism organised by Reset Dialogues on Civilizations in partnership with the King Abdul-Aziz Foundation.