Commentary
In an interview, Kheder Khaddour explains that Damascus is trying to stabilize its borders, but avoiding war isn’t guaranteed.
Michael Young
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Source: Getty
Commentary
The Writing Is on the Wall
Graffiti by protestors in Algiers and Beirut shows their desire to take control of public space.
Published on Oct 31, 2019
At the Carnegie Endowment’s website, Dalia Ghanem, Loulouwa al-Rachid, and Sabri Benalycherif have just published a very interesting photo essay on the graffiti of protesters in Algiers and Beirut, where large demonstrations have taken place this year against the countries’ respective governments and political systems. Describing the graffiti, the authors write that “Some evoke the past to illustrate a long history of suffering, while others use metaphors and name-calling to unite people against their ‘oppressors.’” A more profound aim in posting graffiti, they argue, is that for protesters, “in both countries, graffiti art subverts state control and takes back the public space.”
About the Authors
Dalia Ghanem
Former Senior Resident Scholar, Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center
Dalia Ghanem was a senior resident scholar at the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, where her research focuses on Algeria’s political, economic, social, and security developments. Her research also examines political violence, radicalization, civil-military relationships, transborder dynamics, and gender.
Loulouwa Al Rachid
Former Co-Director, Program on Civil-Military Relations in Arab States, Carnegie Middle East Center
Loulouwa Al Rachid was a co-director of the Program on Civil-Military Relations in Arab States at the Carnegie Middle East Center.
Sabri Benalycherif
Sabri Benalycherif is an independent documentary photographer and contributor to Studio Hans Lucas.
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
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