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    <title><![CDATA[Hivos Online, Humanistisch Instituut voor Ontwikkelingssamenwerking]]>: <![CDATA[Civil Society in West Asia]]></title>
    <link>http://www.hivos.net</link>
    <description></description>
    <language>eng-GB</language>
    
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			<title><![CDATA[Complex Dynamics Civil-Political Societies and Democratization Processes  ]]></title>
			<link>http://www.hivos.net/Hivos-Knowledge-Programme/Themes/Civil-Society-in-West-Asia/News/Complex-Dynamics-Civil-Political-Societies-and-Democratization-Processes</link>
			<description><![CDATA[
Is there a relationship between civil society and political society in democratisation processes? How do these societies influence each other? What are the potential interrelated (explanatory) variables of both societies which could improve or impede democratization? To find out more about these topics, read the interesting research paper of Stephan de Vries titled: The Downfall of Simplicity and the ‘Complex’ Notion (s) of Democratization: A Revision of the Relation between Political Society, Civil Society and Democratization. 

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			<pubDate>Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:12:31 +0100</pubDate>                                                           
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			<title><![CDATA[Report on 'Civil society dynamics under authoritarian rule' ]]></title>
			<link>http://www.hivos.net/Hivos-Knowledge-Programme/Publications2/Report-on-Civil-society-dynamics-under-authoritarian-rule</link>
			<description><![CDATA[
Are there links between civil society activism and democratisation? To what extent is the 'traditional’ notion of civil society still workable? And is the authoritarian state simply a 'security state' acting on repression and staying in power or is it 'interdependent' on and even 'needs' civil society for its own survival? The report on 'civil society dynamics under authoritarian rule’ sheds lights on and provides insights about these topics. 

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			<pubDate>Wed, 30 Dec 2009 14:22:35 +0100</pubDate>                                                           
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			<title><![CDATA[Working Paper: Moth or Flame, the Sunni Sphere and Regime Durability in Syria ]]></title>
			<link>http://www.hivos.net/Hivos-Knowledge-Programme/Publications2/Working-Paper-Moth-or-Flame-the-Sunni-Sphere-and-Regime-Durability-in-Syria</link>
			<description><![CDATA[
This working paper is written by Teije Hidde Donker and based on the forthcoming academic article “Enduring Ambiguity. The Civil Dynamics of Authoritarian Upgrading in Sunni Syria”


Teije Hidde Donker is currently a PhD student at the European University Institute in Florence. During the first half of 2009 he conducted field research in Syria for the Knowledge Programme Civil Society in West Asia 

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			<pubDate>Wed, 30 Dec 2009 14:18:27 +0100</pubDate>                                                           
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			<title><![CDATA[Working Paper: Moth or Flame, the Sunni Sphere and Regime Durability in Syria ]]></title>
			<link>http://www.hivos.net/Hivos-Knowledge-Programme/Themes/Civil-Society-in-West-Asia/News/Working-Paper-Moth-or-Flame-the-Sunni-Sphere-and-Regime-Durability-in-Syria</link>
			<description><![CDATA[
This working paper is written by Teije Hidde Donker and based on the forthcoming academic article “Enduring Ambiguity. The Civil Dynamics of Authoritarian Upgrading in Sunni Syria”


Teije Hidde Donker is currently a PhD student at the European University Institute in Florence. During the first half of 2009 he conducted field research in Syria for the Knowledge Programme Civil Society in West Asia 

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			<pubDate>Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:07:07 +0100</pubDate>                                                           
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			<title><![CDATA[Newsletter, October 2009, Issue 1   ]]></title>
			<link>http://www.hivos.net/Hivos-Knowledge-Programme/Themes/Civil-Society-in-West-Asia/News/Newsletter-October-2009-Issue-1</link>
			<description><![CDATA[
We are pleased to present to you the first quarterly newsletter from the Knowledge Programme Civil Society in West Asia, which celebrated its first anniversary. 


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			<pubDate>Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:53:41 +0100</pubDate>                                                           
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			<title><![CDATA[Civil Society Activism under Authoritarian Rule ]]></title>
			<link>http://www.hivos.net/Hivos-Knowledge-Programme/Themes/Civil-Society-in-West-Asia/News/Civil-Society-Activism-under-Authoritarian-Rule</link>
			<description><![CDATA[
On the 13th of November, 2009, Knowledge Programme Civil Society in West Asia organised a seminar on the Moroccan civil society for the political scientist and researcher Dr. Francesco Cavatorta. Dr. Cavatorta is attached to School of Law and Government, Dublin State University and Knowledge Programme Civil Society in West Asia. The presentation and conclusions provided a platform for researchers and civil society actors to involve in a lively and critical debate about the role of Moroccan civil society in contributing to democratic reforms and ‘limits’of democratisation by civil society actors in the Middle East and North Africa in general.

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			<pubDate>Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:11:20 +0100</pubDate>                                                           
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			<title><![CDATA[Civil society activism in Morocco: ‘much ado about Nothing’]]></title>
			<link>http://www.hivos.net/Hivos-Knowledge-Programme/News/Civil-society-activism-in-Morocco-much-ado-about-Nothing</link>
			<description><![CDATA[
 


On the 13th of November, 2009, Knowledge Programme Civil Society in West Asia organised a seminar on the Moroccan civil society for the political scientist and researcher Dr. Francesco Cavatorta. Dr. Cavatorta is attached to School of Law and Government, Dublin State University and Knowledge Programme Civil Society in West Asia. The seminar was attended by participants from Hivos, University of Amsterdam, Press Now and IKV Pax Christi. 


 


The presentation and conclusions provided a platform for researchers and civil society actors to involve in a lively and critical debate about the role of Moroccan civil society in contributing to democratic reforms and ‘limits’of democratisation by civil society actors in the Middle East and North Africa in general. 


 


This presentation was based on the forthcoming paper by Dr.Cavatorta: ‘Civil society activism in Morocco: ‘much ado about Nothing’. This paper will be produced within the framework of Knowledge Programme Civil Society in West Asia. 

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			<pubDate>Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:06:17 +0100</pubDate>                                                           
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			<title><![CDATA[Newsletter Civil Society in West Asia-Issue 1  ]]></title>
			<link>http://www.hivos.net/Hivos-Knowledge-Programme/News/Newsletter-Civil-Society-in-West-Asia-Issue-1</link>
			<description><![CDATA[
We are pleased to present to you the first quarterly newsletter from the Knowledge Programme Civil Society in West Asia, which celebrated its first anniversary this month. 

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			<pubDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:27:04 +0100</pubDate>                                                           
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			<title><![CDATA[Working Paper: Moth or Flame, The Sunni Sphere and Regime Durability in Syria]]></title>
			<link>http://www.hivos.net/Hivos-Knowledge-Programme/Themes/Civil-Society-in-West-Asia/News/Working-Paper-Moth-or-Flame-The-Sunni-Sphere-and-Regime-Durability-in-Syria2</link>
			<description><![CDATA[
This paper investigates relations between the Syrian regime and the Sunni sphere by providing a brief policy oriented analysis of regime - sphere relations and their role in the resilience of the Syrian authoritarian regime. It adds to the emerging appreciation amongst scholars and practitioners in the field of civil society that civil activism does not necessarily have a positive impact on processes of democratization and/or socio-political liberalization. It does this by questioning the extent in which civil actors are independent in the Syrian authoritarian context and assessing what influence this has on stabilizing the Syrian authoritarian system. 

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			<pubDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:19:22 +0100</pubDate>                                                           
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			<title><![CDATA[Round table discussion with Radwan Ziadeh ]]></title>
			<link>http://www.hivos.net/Hivos-Knowledge-Programme/Themes/Civil-Society-in-West-Asia/News/Round-table-discussion-with-Radwan-Ziadeh</link>
			<description><![CDATA[
Within the framework of Knowledge Programme Civil Society in West Asia, Hivos and University of Amsterdam will organize a round table discussion with the Syrian researcher and activist Radwan Ziadeh. The discussion will concentrate on challenges faced by and windows of opportunities for Syrian civil society actors striving to improve human rights and rule of law in their country. 

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			<pubDate>Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:37:08 +0200</pubDate>                                                           
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			<title><![CDATA[Syrian Civil Society Scene  ]]></title>
			<link>http://www.hivos.net/Hivos-Knowledge-Programme/Themes/Civil-Society-in-West-Asia/News/Syrian-Civil-Society-Scene</link>
			<description><![CDATA[
On the 8th of September, IKV Pax Christi and the Knowledge Programme ‘Civil Society in West Asia’ organized a round table discussion on civil society in Syria. Two guest speakers from Syria were present, both of them affiliated with civil activism in their country. 

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			<pubDate>Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:59:39 +0200</pubDate>                                                           
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			<title><![CDATA[CALL FOR PROPOSALS:  Authoritarianisms, Regime Resilience and State-Society Relations: Comparing Political Change in Syria and Iran  ]]></title>
			<link>http://www.hivos.net/Hivos-Knowledge-Programme/News/CALL-FOR-PROPOSALS-Authoritarianisms-Regime-Resilience-and-State-Society-Relations-Comparing-Political-Change-in-Syria-and-Iran</link>
			<description><![CDATA[
Steven Heydemann (U.S. Institute for Peace and Georgetown University) and Reinoud Leenders (University of Amsterdam) are pleased to invite you to submit a proposal for writing a paper within the framework of a joint research effort on Authoritarianisms, Regime Resilience and State-Society Relations: Comparing Political Change in Syria and Iran. The paper is to be presented in a project workshop and will be considered for publication in an edited volume or a special edition of a major academic journal. The project is part of the Knowledge Programme Civil Society in West Asia based at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.* 

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			<pubDate>Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:36:42 +0200</pubDate>                                                           
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			<title><![CDATA[Where is post 12 June Iran heading?  ]]></title>
			<link>http://www.hivos.net/Hivos-Knowledge-Programme/Themes/Civil-Society-in-West-Asia/News/Where-is-post-12-June-Iran-heading</link>
			<description><![CDATA[
The events of the past months in Iran, unpredicted as they were, have raised many questions about the direction the Islamic Republic will take. In an attempt to create an opportunity for experts on the subject of Iran to get together and try to make sense of the situation and the possible outcomes, a seminar was held on 2 July 2009 at the University of Amsterdam. The meeting was chaired by Paul Aarts and speakers included Touraj Atabaki, Shervin Nekuee, Maaike Warnaar and Erik van Zuylen. 

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			<pubDate>Tue, 11 Aug 2009 12:07:08 +0200</pubDate>                                                           
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			<title><![CDATA[Iranian Civil Society Speaks - Elections turning into a Quiet Revolution ]]></title>
			<link>http://www.hivos.net/Hivos-Knowledge-Programme/Themes/Civil-Society-in-West-Asia/News/Iranian-Civil-Society-Speaks-Elections-turning-into-a-Quiet-Revolution</link>
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&amp;quot;Where is my vote?&amp;quot;; &amp;quot;I want my vote back&amp;quot; are slogans from Tehran streets with which we have been familiarised over the past few days. What is the role of the Iranian civil society in the current protests against election results? Read the report prepared within the framework of the Knowledge Programme Civil Society in West Asia. 

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			<pubDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:17:23 +0200</pubDate>                                                           
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			<title><![CDATA[Report on 'Civil society dynamics under authoritarian rule' ]]></title>
			<link>http://www.hivos.net/Hivos-Knowledge-Programme/Themes/Civil-Society-in-West-Asia/News/Report-on-Civil-society-dynamics-under-authoritarian-rule</link>
			<description><![CDATA[
Are there links between civil society activism and democratisation? To what extent is the 'traditional’ notion of civil society still workable? And is the authoritarian state simply a 'security state' acting on repression and staying in power or is it 'interdependent' on and even 'needs' civil society for its own survival? The report on 'civil society dynamics under authoritarian rule’ sheds lights on and provides insights about these topics. 

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			<pubDate>Wed, 03 Jun 2009 15:17:33 +0200</pubDate>                                                           
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			<title><![CDATA[Here to Stay: Authoritarianism in the Middle East ]]></title>
			<link>http://www.hivos.net/Hivos-Knowledge-Programme/Themes/Civil-Society-in-West-Asia/News/Here-to-Stay-Authoritarianism-in-the-Middle-East</link>
			<description><![CDATA[
Expectations were high that authoritarian regimes would not survive the expansion of capitalism. However, in the Middle East there are strong currents that underpin authoritarianism. Trying to impose democracy from the outside will not help. Only changes in economic structures will show results in the long term. This article has been published in The Broker issue of April 2009, within the framework of the knowledge programme Civil Society in West Asia. 

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			<pubDate>Wed, 15 Apr 2009 12:04:37 +0200</pubDate>                                                           
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			<title><![CDATA[Symposium 30 years Islamic Revolution of Iran-Presentation Peyman Jafari ]]></title>
			<link>http://www.hivos.net/Hivos-Knowledge-Programme/Themes/Civil-Society-in-West-Asia/News/Symposium-30-years-Islamic-Revolution-of-Iran-Presentation-Peyman-Jafari</link>
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Read the presenation of Peyman Jafari on Iranian Civil Society, held within the framework of the sympoium on 30 years of Islamic Revolution of Iran, organized on 20 February 2009 by Hivos, University of Amsterdam, International Institute of Social History (IISH), the Foundation ZemZem and The Dutch Association for the study of Middle East and Islam (MOI).

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			<pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2009 13:59:49 +0100</pubDate>                                                           
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			<title><![CDATA[Report Symposium 30 years of Islamic Revolution of Iran ]]></title>
			<link>http://www.hivos.net/Hivos-Knowledge-Programme/Themes/Civil-Society-in-West-Asia/News/Report-Symposium-30-years-of-Islamic-Revolution-of-Iran</link>
			<description><![CDATA[
Read the report of the symposium on 30 years of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, which was organized on 20 February 2009 by Hivos, University of Amsterdam, International institute of Scoial History, the Foundation ZemZem and the Dutch Association for the study of Middle East and Islam (MOI). 

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			<pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2009 13:35:27 +0100</pubDate>                                                           
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			<title><![CDATA[Democratization in MENA: Prospects versus Peculiarity]]></title>
			<link>http://www.hivos.net/Hivos-Knowledge-Programme/Themes/Civil-Society-in-West-Asia/News/Democratization-in-MENA-Prospects-versus-Peculiarity</link>
			<description><![CDATA[
Are there prospects for democratization processes through political parties and civil society actors in many of the still authoritarian states in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA)? Or is MENA ‘peculiar’ and hence ‘structurally as well as culturally non- and even anti-democratic’, as some scholars and analysts contend? 

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			<pubDate>Mon, 16 Mar 2009 13:37:50 +0100</pubDate>                                                           
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			<title><![CDATA[Symposium on 30 years of the Islamic Revolution of Iran  ]]></title>
			<link>http://www.hivos.net/Hivos-Knowledge-Programme/Themes/Civil-Society-in-West-Asia/News/Symposium-on-30-years-of-the-Islamic-Revolution-of-Iran</link>
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On 20 February 2009, Hivos, The University of Amsterdam (UvA), International Institute of Social History (IISG) and Zem Zem organized a symposium entitled Facing the Future: 30 years of the Islamic Revolution of Iran. The speakers analyzed the historical and political background of the revolution. Also they provided insights on the current status of the revolution in terms of internal and external challenges it is faced with. 

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			<pubDate>Fri, 27 Feb 2009 13:50:01 +0100</pubDate>                                                           
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