IRSD-KHID-RHID

On 17 December 2010, the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi in Sidi Bouzid initiated a formidable chain reaction that would shake the Arab world starting from Tunisia and, in particular, topple several heads of state who had been in place for decades (in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, etc.). Ten years later, this shock wave, popularised through the infelicitous wording “Arab Spring” in the media, yielded a very dreary result, since only Tunisia seemed to have barely made it through, while several other affected countries (Libya, Syria, Yemen) had sunk into civil war. One thing seemed clear in most cases: socio-political demands had not received the expected response and socio-economic shortcomings had largely persisted, or even worsened.

Since 2019, social discontent has even spread to the streets of some capitals that had largely shunned the 2011 protests, prompting the press to evoke an “Arab Spring 2.0” (in Algeria, Lebanon, Sudan). While the health crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily overshadowed issues related to the continuing instability in the Middle East and North Africa, geopolitical developments and associated security challenges did not stay locked down. At a time when the European Union’s Strategic Compass is raising awareness of the risks geographically close to our countries, we should analyse the future of our immediate southern neighbourhood: the Maghreb.

In order to diversify our understanding of this vast issue, we are honoured to welcome Prof. Dr Pierre Vermeren, professor of Contemporary History at Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne University, and Dr Michaël Béchir Ayari, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group (ICG), who will present their views, respectively anchored in Morocco and Tunisia, on Maghreb – and, more specifically, on Algeria – dynamics.

Online evening conference

Intersecting perspectives on the Maghreb
ten years after the Arab Springs

Prof. Dr Pierre VERMEREN
Dr Michaël Béchir AYARI

Moderator : Didier LEROY

Language: French

24 February 2022, 17:00 – 18:30
> From 16:45 – Registration –
connection to online conference
> 17:00 – Conference

Conference videos:
> Prof. Dr Pierre VERMEREN
> Dr Michaël Béchir AYARI