Middle East and North Africa
We are an open Haus for innovation and a global liberal think-tank, with the aim of enhancing the values and goals of freedom worldwide. With our activities and publications, we encourage and support individuals in exercising their right of political participation. Our offices in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) work within the frame of freedom and human rights in their national context. Our office is based in Amman, Jordan. FNF MENA has three main programs that encourage inter-country cooperation: MENA-NET | MENA-EU | MENA-GEOPOL. We advise and motivate relevant stakeholders and shape and promote solutions that are based on enhancing individual freedom and responsibility.
News
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Amman Innovation in Politics Forum 2020
This is not a conventional conference. It is experimental journey meticulously designed to reflect the power of ideas through unconferencing methods enabling two-way interaction and communication between our audience and experts.
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Iran Dossier
Iran holds its presidential elections on the 18th of June, 2021. Out of the seven candidates, only five have lasted till the last round. While polls are indicating that Chief Justice in Iran Ebrahim Raisi will be the next president, the international observers are closely looking into the reaction of the Iranian people towards the post-Rouhani period.
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MENA-EU Cooperation Position Paper
In this paper prepared in collaboration with the European Liberal Forum and the European Parliament, we provide answers to challenges that impede fruitful cooperation between the MENA and EU. Firstly, we explain how complex systems theory such as the modelling of bird flocks can be used to craft more effective coalitions in EU and MENA.
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Take Me By The Hand
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Iran 1400 Brief: Beyond the Headlines
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MENA on the Map
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Euro-MENA Day for Freedom
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Libya’s Wish for Peace
Holding the next elections in Libya on December 24th, 2021, is not fortuitous, but it coincides with the 70th anniversary of the unification of the country by King Driss Senoussi. From the Italian colony in 1911, to the Franco-British colony after the Second World War, Libya quickly became a constitutional confederal kingdom in 1951. The country was made of three provinces: Cyrenaica in the East, Tripolitania in the West, and the Fezzan in the South.
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The Illusion of Peace without the Palestinians Is Fading
Ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and the Islamic Jihad so far holds after more than 4,000 rockets at Israel, with 12 dead, according to Israeli sources, and Israeli air strikes on more than 800 targets in the Gaza Strip, with more than 240 dead, according to Palestinian sources. Military experts believe that Israel achieved in one week as many tactical objectives in Gaza with targeted air strikes, as it did in seven weeks of a costly ground offensive in 2014.
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Syria before the Presidential Election: A Political Theater Inside and Out
Dictator Bashar Al-Assad is having himself confirmed in office on May 26th in order to show strength and secure international aid. Our Syria expert Kristof Kleemann from Beirut explains why the international community should not get involved.
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A Future for Cooperation in an Increasingly Hot Middle East
Climate Change hits the MENA region especially hard, and multiplies existing threats. This raises the need for cross-border collaboration and smart interventions. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is one of the regions in the world that has been most affected by climate change.
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The Dwindling Shadow of Iran
After several years of Iranian expansion in the region, reaching a high tide level of controlling four Arab capitals as stated by one of President Rouhani’s advisors , there is a growing consensus that Iran’s influence in the region is waning. Nowhere this is more prominent than in Iraq! In 2020, a new Prime Minister, Mustafa Al Khadimi has taken over, resisting Iranian pressure, and clawing back a more ‘Arabist’ stance for Iraq.
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Nissa Berntsen's Internship with FNF MENA
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Meet our Interns
What is it like being an intern at FNF - MENA? What kind of experience will you gain? What will you learn?
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Free Connected Minds Conference 2020
The Free Connected Minds (FCM) conference aims at exploring, through interactive debates and panels, a fresh set of ideas on the impact of the digital era on politics, culture, economics and social relations. The conference raises as a main topic, the impact of ever-changing innovative social and digital media on the present and future of humankind.
Social Media
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Sophie Schmid, Regional Project Manager, FNF MENA, demonstrates as part of the Iran Dossier that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) transformed the intra-Yemeni conflict into a Saudi-Iranian proxy war with far-reaching impact. Why does Iran view its military alliance with the Houthis as an efficient way to retaliate against Saudi Arabia? Why do both countries have an interest in de-escalating the conflict in Yemen? Schmid answers these questions in her analysis: Iran’s support to the Houthis. Read this intriguing analysis & more and download the entire Iran dossier at tinyurl.com/Iran-Dossier
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Kristof Kleemann, Project Director, FNF Lebanon and Syria, points out as part of the Iran Dossier that heart of the bond between Iran and Syria lies in the shared view that cooperation generates substantial strategic and political returns for both countries. Why has the relationship between the two countries become unbalanced? At what cost did Iran’s engagement in Damascus come? Kleemann answers these questions in his analysis: Iran’s involvement in the Syrian conflict and the future of Iran’s Foreign Policy in Syria. Read this intriguing analysis & more and download the entire Iran dossier at tinyurl.com/Iran-Dossier
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Dirk Kunze, Regional Director, FNF MENA, as part of the Iran Dossier dives into the political, economic, and ideological rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia. What is the reason behind Riyadh’s frustration with Iran’s advance? Why does Iran fear a normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran? Kunze answers these questions in his analysis: The other Giant of the Region between hostility and diplomatic Initiatives. Read this intriguing analysis & more and download the entire Iran dossier at tinyurl.com/Iran-Dossier
