‘State of play’ in MENA transitions to be debated at Sofia Platform
Progress, or otherwise, in the ongoing transitions in countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is to be discussed at the latest Sofia Platform on October 31 and November 1 2013.
This is the fourth in the Sofia Platform series, after the previous events in the Bulgarian capital city that brought politicians, academics, journalists and others involved in what at the outset was commonly called the “Arab Spring” together for discussions with counterparts experienced in the transitions in Central and Eastern Europe.
The conference, organised by Sofia Platform and the Centre for Liberal Strategies, will be opened by Nikolai Mladenov, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq and former foreign minister, and Kristalina Georgieva, European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response.
Participants in panel discussions include speakers from Libya, Turkey, Lebanon, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Syria, Tunisia, Iraq, Albania, Egypt, Qatar and Poland.
In an introductory note on this year’s Sofia Platform, the organisers said that two years on from the popular uprisings in the MENA region, nothing looks the way it should.
“But skepticism is as predictable as misguiding. And a total political reset is as desirable as utopian. Every surge for democracy over the decades has been followed by moments of uncertainty along with questioning the functionality of democratic values and governance. “Today none of the countries that embraced the transition to democracy two and a half years ago is comparable to the others, but neither can be described as stable or clearly democratically,” the introductory note said.
While in Syria Assad’s regime triggered a full-scale civil war with terrible humanitarian consequences and no political solution in sight, in Egypt the democratic institutions were seized by the military and the ultimate goal of the transition is under threat. Tunisia faces social and economic challenges, among which notably the unemployed and strikingly disengaged youth; while Yemen is on the verge of a humanitarian collapse with more than half of the population in need of relief aid.
“With this year’s edition of the Sofia Platform we want to take a snapshot of the current state of play in the countries of the MENA region in terms of progress of the ongoing transformations.
“The comparative perspective is again the core of the sessions. The experience of Central and Eastern Europe, including mistakes, wrong choices and steps not taken, has proven throughout the years to be a helpful starting point for a mutually enriching exchange of views, experience and know-how.”
For further details of the event and the programme, please click here.
(Photo, of an anti-Assad demonstration in 2011: Bo Yaser)
