“Whither the Arabic World? Revisiting Democratic Transition Theory” was a 2-day Conference organized by the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) and Sciences Po at the Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA). It ended with more questions than answers, nevertheless it was extremely fruitful in capturing the conundrum facing the Arab world. The topics discussed by political and social scientists headed by the Co-Organizer of the conference Professor Ghassan Salame and Steffan Hertog (from PSIA) revolved around the political economy and political engineering of democratic transitions with an emphasis on fiscal and labor issues, constitutional debates, electoral dynamics, security issues and transitional justice. Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah’s Director General Sheikha Hussah Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah gave the opening welcome statement to this gathering of intellectuals at the official dinner.
November 9th 2014