Topics Civil Society in West Asia
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Civil Society seems to be at the center of attention in this Knowledge Programme: what is understood by it? Despite its presumed origin within Western political thinking, a clear and consensual definition of what civil society is does not exist. Following Biekart, ‘civil society in its modern conception primarily refers to citizenship and to a distinct ‘societal public sphere’ of social relations between the family and the state. Civil society can be defined as ‘the zone of voluntary as...About the Knowledge Programme West Asia
The Knowledge Programme on Civil Society in West Asia is a joint initiative by Hivos and the University of Amsterdam/AISSR with the purpose of generating and integrating knowledge on the roles and opportunities for civil society actors in democratization processes in politically challenging environments. This programme integrates academic knowledge and practitioner’s knowledge from around the world to develop new insights and strategies on how civil society actors in Syria and Iran can cont...About AISSR
AISSR merges three research institutes active in social science research at the UvA: ASSR, AMIDSt, and IMES. The mission of the AISSR is to stimulate the achievement of excellence in scholarly research in the social sciences, build interdisciplinary and international research collaboration, and promote academic freedom. The AISSR consists of thematically focused research programmes anchored in one or more of the disciplines represented in the new institute (Sociology, Geography and Planni...Internet or Enter-Not: the Syrian Experience
Working Paper 10 discusses the status of the internet in Syria. Syrian authorities show a large amount of distrust vis-à-vis the new technology and there is much state control. The list of banned sites is long, varied and flexible. Website bans are about muzzling free expression and controlling access to information. Syrians are arrested because of their beliefs they express on the Web. Is there a future for the use of internet as a tool of expression in Syria? Syrians try to find their w...
The Uncertain Future of Democracy Promotion
30/08/2010 Democracy promotion has had a tough decade, nowhere more so than in the Middle East. Ten years ago, the democratic optimism that followed the end of the Cold War was in relatively good health. Today, after a decade of authoritarian reversals, a sustained “backlash against democracy promotion,” and authoritarian resurgence from Russia to Africa to Latin America, post-Cold War optimism has given way to a darker, more sober assessment of democratization’s limits. The Middle East in particular,...The Private Media in Syria
Working Paper 11 is about the private media in Syria. A new publishing law was passed in 2001, which allowed the private sector to re-enter the media industry, having been banned from it since 1963. The relatively high number of approved publications since 2001 provides the Ministry of Information with an argument in its favour, which it uses every time the media situation in Syria is discussed. However, even though the new law does not impose censorship as a prerequisite, it does remain...
Internet or Enter-Not: the Syrian Experience
Working Paper 10 discusses the status of the internet in Syria. Syrian authorities show a large amount of distrust vis-à-vis the new technology and there is much state control. The list of banned sites is long, varied and flexible. Website bans are about muzzling free expression and controlling access to information. Syrians are arrested because of their beliefs they express on the Web. Is there a future for the use of internet as a tool of expression in Syria? Syrians try to find their w...