Political Systems and the Role of Parliaments in the Emerging Arab Democracies

The onset of the Arab Spring compelled societies in the Middle East to demand their rights for meaningful democracy. Establishing a democracy requires political institutions that are able and willing to fully represent the interests and demands of the people. In light of these developments, KAS Amman and Al-Quds Center jointly organized a regional conference on Oct. 1-2, 2011 to discuss the role political bodies in these states play in achieving democracy and preventing the return of autocracy.

Women Empowerment through Research

KAS, the Women Empowerment Organization (WEO) and the Institute for Women's Studies in the Arab World (IWSAW)/ Lebanese American University (LAU) jointly organized a roundtable discussion on gender from November 16th - 18th 2011, entitled “Women Empowerment through Research”. The roundtable was successful in terms of opening new channels of communication between the network of scholars and civil society activists working on women and gender-related issues.

The Media and its Role in Monitoring the Municipal Elections

On October 22nd, KAS Amman in cooperation with First Media Company held a roundtable discussion that brought experts together to discuss "The Media and its Role in Monitoring Municipal Elections". Panelist tackled questions of competency of municipalities, transparency and integrity in municipal elections and the power of media in fostering positive change in the administration of elections as well as in the public perception of elections.

Empowering Local Governments in Jordan:

Enhancing Political and Developmental Relations between Local Governments and Local Communities

Since municipalities, respectively, local governments form the centre of developmental and investment activities in its community, KAS Amman and the Vision Center for Strategic and Development Studies organized a workshop on the empowerment of local governments in Jordan. The workshop took place on October 26th, 2011 in Jerash and was aimed at enhancing the role of municipalities and strengthening their relations with civil society organizations and the private sector in order to make their work most efficient.

PD Dr. Martin Beck nahm virtuell an einer vom GIGA in Hamburg organisierten wissenschaftlichen Konferenz teil

PD Dr. Martin Beck nahm am 13./14. Oktober virtuell an einer wissenschaftlichen Konferenz zum Thema "Will a Regional Power Re-Emerge in the Middle East? New Power Constellations after the Arab Revolts" am GIGA in Hamburg teil. Sein einführender Vortrag behandelte das Thema "The Arab Spring as a Catalyst for the Re-Emergence of a Regional Power in the MIddle East?". Der Vortrag ist hier abrufbar:

Dr. Martin Beck taught a course on Cross-Mediterranean Relations at the Jordanian Institute of Diplomacy

Dr. Martin Beck taught future Jordanian diplomats on cross-mediterranean relations at the Insitute of Diplomacy. The four-day course was held from October 3rd to 6th and covered historical and theoretical aspects of Euro-Arab relations, the relevance of the Israli-Palestinian conflict and the challenges of the Arab Spring.

Study Visit to Brussels with Directors of JCCES, LCCES and WEO.

Accompanied by three directors of leading non-governmental organizations from Jordan Mona al-Alami (Jordanian Center for Civic Education Studies), Susan Arif (Women Empowerment Organization, Iraq) and Rula Mikhael (Lebanese Center for Civic Education Studies), Martin Beck travelled to a study visit to Brussels, which was organized by the KAS office in Brussels headed by Andrea Ostheimer. The participants had the opportunity to meet high-ranking figures from the European Parliament, the European Commission, the European Action Service, NATO and several important non-governmental organizations.

Media and Political Development

On September 10th, KAS Amman in cooperation with First Media Company held a roundtable discussion concerning "Media and Political". Panelist discussed the role of media in raising awareness for political developments among youth and in promoting democracy in societies.

Integration of Human Rights Concepts in the Educational Curricula

Konrad Adenauer Stiftung with the cooperation of the Women’s Studies Center at the University of Jordan and the American University of Madaba are organizing a seminar entitled “The Iraqi women's movement: Between Dictatorship, Occupation and the Struggle for Women's Rights”. The talk will be given by Professor Nadje Al-Ali-- a professor of gender. In this seminar, Professor Al-Ali will present some of the main issues and challenges facing the Iraqi women's movement historically and in present-day Iraq.

Empowering Local Governments in Jordan: Enhancing Political and Developmental Relations

between Local Governments and Local Communities

KAS Amman and the Visions Center started a series of workshops focussing on decentralisation and the role of municipalities in local development. The aim of this workshop was to increase the institutional capacity of municipalities by enhancing their coordination and cooperation with NGOs in managing local resources and developing general policies. KAS Amman and the Visions Centre, feel deeply committed to promote the capacity building of municipalities and the value of subsidiary.