7 live conversations | Every Tuesday from May 18 to June 29, 2021

Violence and the widespread public desire to transition from violence has been a major concern in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region for many Years. More recently, the pandemic has increased the level of misery and dislocation in the MENA region amid fears that desperate current circumstances may trigger more violence. At the same time, the pandemic crisis may also present new opportunities for a more peaceful future in the MENA region and even a more hopeful model for the rest of the world.

To discuss these risks and opportunities, the Fondation Maison de Sciences de l’Homme is launching #IPEVLIVE, a series of eight live conversations as part of IPEV - International Panel on Exiting Violence.

IpevLive | Transition from violence: lessons from the MENA region (EN)

#IpevLive - Transition from violence: lessons from the MENA region is a series of 7 expert conversations launched by the Foundation Maison des Sciences de l'homme in Paris with the support of the Carnegie Corporation of New York. 

The first conversation "Navigating the Transition from Violent Radicalization in the Context of Autocracy" is dedicated to the emergence of radicalization within contemporary Islam.

Mohamed Ali-Adraoui, Sari Hanafi and Andrew Lebovitch discuss the current relationship between Salafism and jihadism and outline research projects and ideas that would better illuminate the role of political and religious doctrines on the probable outcome of efforts to transition from violence.

The conversation is moderated by Hal Plotkin, a founding editor of the U.S. public radio program, Marketplace, and a former Senior Policy Advisor in the administration of President Barack Obama

Introduction & Navigating the Transition from Violent Radicalization in the Context of Autocracy

#IpevLive - Transition from violence: lessons from the MENA region is a series of 7 expert conversations launched by the Foundation Maison des Sciences de l'homme in Paris with the support of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

The second conversation focused on gender-based oppression and violence directed toward women as fundamental elements of social structures that promote state-sanctioned violence, sectarian violence, and social violence.

Gender-based strategies to reduce violence are often regarded as tangential issues that are best addressed after other sociopolitical concerns. But a growing body of evidence identified by scholars on this panel indicates gender-based analysis must instead be placed at the center of efforts to reduce violence in the MENA region, findings which have significant implications for other regions, as well.

The conversation is moderated by Hal Plotkin, a founding editor of the U.S. public radio program, Marketplace, and a former Senior Policy Advisor in the administration of President Barack Obama

Listening to Women in the MENA Region Before and After the Arab Spring

#IpevLive - Transition from violence: lessons from the MENA region is a series of 7 expert conversations launched by the Foundation Maison des Sciences de l'homme in Paris with the support of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

The third conversation "Arab Uprisings: The Evolution of Arab Society" seeks to examine the restructuring of Arab societies post the 2011 Arab protests considering the increasing demographic shift of the region, and the evolution of the youth bulge.

The panel investigates how Arab youth are responding to the increasing social polarization that eventuated post the Arab revolts. Our experts explore the MENA region’s trajectory into a new decade by studying strategies and tools employed by youth to bridge ideological gaps, resolve religious and ethnic tensions, and formulate a new social contract.

The conversation is moderated by Hal Plotkin, a founding editor of the U.S. public radio program, Marketplace, and a former Senior Policy Advisor in the administration of President Barack Obama

The conversation is organized in partnership with IPEV sustainability partner Columbia Global Centers

Arab Uprisings: The Evolution of Arab Society

#IpevLive - Transition from violence: lessons from the MENA region is a series of 7 expert conversations launched by the Foundation Maison des Sciences de l'homme in Paris with the support of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

The fourth conversation focuses on conditions that Prevent Ending Violence Can We Now See More Clearly and the ways in which the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted governance weaknesses in the MENA region and contributed to their ongoing crisis of legitimacy.

Rim Turkmani (London School of Economics), Marie Kortam (Ifpo), Jalel Harchaoui (Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime) and Tarik Yousef (Brookings Doha Center) see new opportunities to link pandemic-related assistance with the implementation of more durable reforms that reduce inequality, prioritize investment in critical infrastructure, and encourage transparent and responsive citizen-government interactions to prevent and discourage violence.

Questions and ideas about exactly how interventions and aid can be targeted to meet current needs while also supporting more permanent anti-violence social, political, and governance structures will be explored.

The Pandemic as a Magnifying Glass

In the fifth #IpevLive conversation “Seizing the Opportunities Created by the Pandemic”, that took place on June 15, 2021, Kamel Doraï from the Institut Français du Proche-Orient, Jens Kromann Kristensen from the World bank and Amr Adly from the American University in Cairo reviewed with Journalist Hal Plotkin common problems and concerns across the MENA region that create momentum for new stakeholder alliances and collective approaches to the popular goal of reducing and eliminating violence and drew attention to research projects that can accelerate a shared understanding of new opportunities in the MENA region.

Seizing the Opportunities Created by the Pandemic

Ugo Tramballi from the Italian Institute for International Political Studies, Salma Bukhatwa from the Libyan International Medical University and Marcello Scalisi from the Mediterranean Universities Union (UNIMED) discussed with Journalist Hal Plotkin what needs to be done on the academic level to see emerging new opportunities to reduce violence and how civil society can be seen as a key actor to move toward substantial reduction in violence.

Civil Society, Youth and Academia: A necessary Axis for a successful Transition in Reducing Violence

This last conversation explored the role of memory, memorials and narratives in sustaining or ending violence in the Middle East North Africa region, with a specific focus on Palestine and Israel. 
Journalist Hal Plotkin and 3 prominent experts : Inès Abdel Razek from the Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy, Alain Dieckhoff from the Center for International Studies at Sciences Po Paris and independent film-maker katya Chelli discussed the particular dynamics of memory in Palestine and Israel, how those memories shaped the past, and explored how approaches informed by the social sciences could reveal opportunities for a less violent future.

The Uses and Abuses of Memory: Case Study Palestine and Israel

La FMSH est une fondation reconnue d'utilité publique qui soutient la recherche et la diffusion des connaissances en sciences humaines et sociales.