IMGXYZ1060IMGZYXArab Reform: A Retrospective and Look Ahead, A Conference Commemorating Five Years of the Arab Reform Bulletin

Neither economic nor political reform has produced dramatic change in Arab countries in the last five years, and yet there is continued dynamism and calls for change from within Arab societies. Frustration with formal politics is leading to the creation of less organized protest activities disconnected from any party or movement. In some cases, governments are facing increased protests as they reach the limits of reforms intended more to bolster regime stability than to spread prosperity or political participation.

With support from the Heinrich Boll Foundation and assistance from Partners in Development, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace held a conference in Cairo on November 15-16, 2008 to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Arab Reform Bulletin, which began publication in 2003. The conference was conducted in Arabic and brought together ARB authors from Morocco, Libya, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain, in addition to Carnegie scholars Amr Hamzawy, Ibrahim Saif, and Michele Dunne as well as Carnegie Middle East Center Director Paul Salem. Egyptian participants included scholars, journalists, activists, students, former government officials, and members of parliament.

Click on the icons on the top left to read the conference report in English and Arabic.