The Middle East and Northern Africa
Presentation | People | Projects | Publications | Library acquisitions
Map: CMI research on The Middle East and Northern Africa
From Secularism to Islamism
The Middle East region continues to dominate the international scene, and the Palestine-conflict remains centre stage. Research that can promote a better understanding this region, its conflicts and prospects remains as important as ever. With funding from Norad, CMI has collaborated with the Muwatin - the Palestinian Institute for the Study of Democracy since 1995.
The CMI-Muwatin agreement remains a cornerstone in CMI's Middle East research in general and the Palestine-conflict in particular. Since 1995, CMI and Muwatin's research agenda has closely tallied the political developments in Palestine, covering the process leading to the Oslo Accords and the establishment of the Palestinian Authority, followed by studies of good governance and later, corruption. Current research projects in Lebanon largely focus on conflict, violence and the state.
In 2002, CMI and Muwatin began studies of Palestinian Islamism ("political Islam") that was gradually gaining strength at the expense of the beleaguered Palestinian Authority (PA).
Other research projects looks at Christian on the West Bank, Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, democratisation, women's rights and Islamist movements in Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and northern Sudan .
Most of CMI’s research in this region has been on the Arabic speaking Levant, primarily Lebanon and Palestine.
Afghans question the liberal peace, the democratization and the development projects that have set the course for Afghanistan's transition from war to peace.
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This project will study how human rights protection for forced migrants (refugees and internally displaced persons, IDPs) can help secure a lasting peace in three countries: Lebanon, Cyprus, and Pakistan/Afghanistan.
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This is the first video from the panel session on Sudan Mai 12 2010.
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2009 was a momentuous year at CMI. We moved to the city centre. We opened a new arena for research communication: Bergen Research Centre for International Development. And in the same year, we achieved a publication record with the highest number of peer reviewed articels ever. Read the online version.
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On 20th May 2007, fighting broke out between the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and a new militia group calling itself Fatah al-Islam based in Nahr el-Bared, a Palestinian refugee camp near Tripoli, North Lebanon. After 15-weeks of intense bombardment, the camp was reduced to rubble and more than 30,000 residents made homeless. Despite plans to rebuild the ruined camp, the displaced families live under dire conditions and face an uncertain future.
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Recent publications
Bargaining with patriarchy in Sudan: The art of reimagining Islam Liv Tønnessen (2010)
Learning to build a sustainable peace: Ownership and everyday peacebuilding Ole Jacob Sending (ed.) (2010)
Sudan Peace Agreements: Current Challenges and Future Prospects Abdel Ghaffar Mohamed Ahmad (2010)
The Politics of Women's Representation in Sudan: Debating Women's Rights in Islam from the Elites to the Grassroots Liv Tønnessen, Hilde Granås Kjøstvedt (2010)
The Paradox of Representation in Sudan: Muslim Women's Diverging Agendas Liv Tønnessen, Hilde Granås Kjøstvedt (2010)
Recent projects and programmes
Party Politics in Palestine: Hamas and the Politicization of Resistance
Forced Migrants, Human Rights and Lasting Peace
Conflict and Co-existence in Lebanon
Women and Peacebuilding in Sudan
Documentary film: Nahr el-Bared Talks Back
Recent library acquisitions
Corporate security responsibility? - corporate governance contributions to peace and security in zones of conflict
edited by Nicole Deitelhoff and Klaus Dieter Wolf
Conflicts, National security, Peace, Case studies, Rwanda, Congo DR, Nigeria, Israel, Palestine
Hamas - the Islamic resistance movement
Beverley Milton-Edwards and Stephen Farrell
Politics, Political movements, Islam, Hamas, Palestine, Middle East
