MEDITERRANEAN
DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE

During our first conference in Brussels, we gave the floor to Salam Kawakibi, the director of the Arab Center for Research and Political Studies in Paris (CAREP). Salam, who is of Syrian nationality, spoke extensively about the alarming situation in Syria and its people through a poignant narrative.

Taking stock of the Arab Spring as a whole, since its inception in 2011, doesn’t really make sense, given the contrasting situations in the Mashriq and the Maghreb. Just a few months ago, the relative success of the transition in Tunisia and the ongoing tragedy in Syria were demonstrations of this. However, it is important not to make a simplistic judgment about the failure of the Arab Spring.

The driving forces behind the Arab revolutions have not disappeared, despite the disappointments, as they are deeply rooted in societies. Even though they have not resulted in stable political solutions, these movements led by younger generations will ultimately mark the gradual end of the authoritarian monolithic model in its various religious, civilian, or military versions. The movement towards more democracy, rule of law, pluralism, combating corruption, and moving away from rent-based economies is inevitable, but will take time to materialize.

At a conference organized by the Delphi Forum in Brussels, Ghazi ben Ahmed (President of the Mediterranean Development Initiative think tank) was able to speak about the ins and outs of the migration pact linking the EU to Tunisia.

At a conference organized by the Delphi Forum in Brussels, Ghazi ben Ahmed (President of the Mediterranean Development Initiative think tank) was able to speak about the ins and outs of the migration pact linking the EU to Tunisia.