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Two Years After the Arab Spring 
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Democratic Transitions in the Arab World: Two Years After the Arab Spring
Dear Friends, Members, and Colleagues:  

You are INVITED to join us for our 14th Annual Conference on Islam and Democracy, on Wednesday, May 29, 2013, at the Ronald Reagan Building, in Washington D.C. bringing together some of the best scholars, experts, practitioners, and policy makers from Tunisia and the whole World.  REGISTER NOW.

EARLY REGISTRATION ENDS on Friday, May 17th.  Space is limited (max capacity 300 people) and we cannot guarantee that seats will be available after May 17th.

Early registration is highly recommended.
CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF ISLAM AND DEMOCRACY
 
14th Annual Conference on Islam & Democracy
 
 
 
 Democratic Transitions in the Arab World: 

Two Years After the Arab Spring 

 
 
 
Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Amphitheater - Ronald Reagan Building

1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC   20004



 

 

EARLY REGISTRATION ENDS May 17th
Seats are limited



Register Now




TENTATIVE PROGRAM

  

 

8:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.            Registration

8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.             Opening Remarks
    
Tamara Sonn, CSID Program Committee Chair


9:00 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.        Panel 1

How a Proper Understanding of Islam Can Help Democracy?

            Chair:


"Can Islam of the Islamic parties in the Arab Spring lead to democracy?  Text and Textualism" - Abdulaziz Sachedina - asachedi@gmu.edu

"Why Islam (properly understood) is the Solution: Reflections on the Role of Religion in Tunisia's Democratic Transition" - Nader Hashemi - Nader.Hashemi@du.edu

"The New Political Islam and the Question of Popular Sovereignty" - Juan Cole - jricole@gmail.com

"Universal Dimensions of the Qur'an and Historic Specificity of Islam's Theological Sciences" - Ashfaque Syed -  ashfaque.u.syed@gmail.com

10:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.        Coffee and Tea Break

11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.        Panel 2

Can Tunisia Succeed as a Model?

            Chair:



"Electoral Formula and the Tunisian Constituent Assembly" - John Carey - John.M.Carey@dartmouth.edu

"Blasphemy, Freedom of Speech and Democratic Transition: The Case of Tunisia" - Joelle Fiss - USA - FissJ@humanrightsfirst.org

"Building common ground for democratization in Tunisia through the development of civil society and civil political culture" - Alexander Martin -  a.p.martin@durham.ac.uk

"Building A Stable Democracy in Tunisia - What will it take?" - Radwan Masmoudi - masmoudi@islam-democracy.org



12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.    Keynote Luncheon


US-Arab Relations:  
A Vacuum of Leadership?


Robin Wright 
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

John L. Esposito 
Georgetown University

Col. Lawrence Wilkerson 
College of William & Mary



2:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.        PARALLEL SESSION -  Panel 3
        
Democratic Transitions in the Region - Challenges and Opportunities

            Chair:


"The Legacies of Protection Racket Politics: Egypt and Tunisia in Comparative Perspective" - Daniel Brumberg - dbrumberg@gmail.com

"Social Media and the Arab Spring- The Vehicle that Made the Revolution Possible" - Abdelhamid Abdeljabar -  hamidabd@rci.rutgers.edu

"Women and the 'Arab Spring': A Case Study of Yemen" - Maria Holt - M.C.Holt01@westminster.ac.uk

"The Arab Awakening and the Security Sector Reform" - Omar Ashour - UK - O.Ashour@exeter.ac.uk


2:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.        PARALLEL SESSION - Panel 4


What the U.S. Can Do to Support Democratic Transitions in the Middle East

            Chair:


"The Obligation of the International Community Towards the Syrian People" - Radwan Ziadeh - radwan.ziadeh@gmail.com

"The Evolution of U.S. Policy Towards Islamists" - Peter Mandaville - pmandavi@gmu.edu

"Islamists in power - How are they faring?" - Marc Lynch - marclynchgwu@gmail.com

"Problems of Transition: Lessons from Other Countries" - Marina Ottaway - Marina.Ottaway@wilsoncenter.org



3:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.        Coffee and Tea Break
 
4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.            Keynote Speech

 
VISIONS FOR A NEW TUNISIA:

How Islam & Democracy Can Support Each Other


KEYNOTE SPEAKER:

Rached Ghannouchi

Founder and President of the Nahdha Movement in Tunisia

__________________________________________________

5:30 - 6:00 p.m.    Keynote Speech:


US POLICY TOWARDS THE REGION - TIME TO REVAMP

TBA


6:00 p.m.    Closing Remarks 



Register Now



For further information, please contact:

Imen Ouederni at:  ouederni@islam-democracy.org
or
Mariem Masmoudi at mariem@islam-democracy.org


____________________________________________________________________

Where & When

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Ronald Reagan Building Amphitheater

Washington, D.C.