The countries of the Mashreq and the Maghreb, that broadly encompass the Middle East region, have dominated international news for many years. At present the main areas of interest are the wars in Syria and Iraq, the refugee crisis, and the emergence of radical Islamic movements. But extensive news coverage of a given event doesn’t necessarily generate thorough knowledge of the issues at stake, given that few world regions have been subject to so much contradictory information. What are the reasons for the war in Syria? Why can’t Israel and Palestine live in peace? What are the political Islamist movements? How was Daesh born and what interests does it represent? Why have democratic revolutions failed in the Arab world? What are the reasons for democratic success in Tunisia? What is Portugal's relationship with the Maghreb region?
The Serralves Foundation aims to contribute to the knowledge and study of the geostrategic situation of its neighbouring region - Morocco is located 140 km from Portugal’s south coast. The French philosopher Edgar Morin has classified it as "the powder keg of the world", but it is also a region rich in opportunities and potential changes.
Coordination: Álvaro Vasconcelos, associate senior researcher of the Arab Reform Initiative, former director of the Institute for Security Studies of the European Union.
Organization: the Serralves Foundation, in collaboration with the Arab Reform Initiative (ARI) and CEIS 20 of the University of Coimbra.
Target audience: This course is aimed at teachers, students, journalists and business people, as well as anyone interested in furthering their knowledge of the major political, economic and security trends in the southern Mediterranean region that can mould its future.
Methodology
The course will be taught in eight 2-hour sessions: five theoretical sessions and three sessions dedicated to case studies, in which the auditors will work in groups and conclude with a report on one of the four topics under study. A public debate will be held in the closing session.
Bibliography
The course organisers will provide a bibliography for each topic to the auditors and will enable participants to become familiar with experts and leading international policy research centres that study the Middle East.
Diploma
A course participation diploma will be issued to anyone who attends at least 6 sessions.
Study trip to Tunisia
For anyone interested, a study trip to Tunisia will be organised after the course. Registration details and information about the trip’s cost and conditions will be provided during the course. Only course participants will be able to register for the trip.
Maximum number of participants: 60 persons.
Registration: 120 €
Friends of Serralves: 100 €
Students: 60 €
To register, please contact Manuela Ferreira via the e-mail address m.ferreira@serralves.pt.
Scholarships: The Eng. António de Almeida Foundation will award 30 scholarships for the Strategic Introduction to the Middle East course. The scholarships are available to students of PhD programmes, Master’s programmes or final year students of bachelor degree courses. The application must be sent to the electronic address: cursogeostrategia@gmail.com, until January 30, 2017, accompanied by a CV and letter of motivation. Applications will be reviewed by a jury, chaired by the course coordinator.