Overview

The Middle East and North Africa, SWANA, is of great strategic importance, as it has a large part of the world’s oil reserve, home to world’s sacred sites, and is located at the crossroads of important trade routes. There are important issues in the SWANA that come from the past and give the current parameters to the region in general. The Palestine-Israel issue, the water crisis, the bloody rivalries of the regional states, the democratization process and the sectarian wars are the main concerns in the region. It has not always been easy to change the old order in the SWANA. The region has been shaken by serious political crises and social upheavals recently. Youth, women and social media have impacted the formation of these social movements. Recent developments and changes in the region prompted many to rethink the region and look at the ongoing events from different angles. In this context, this seminar series will be organized online for those interested in the field in order to better analyse the change processes and transformations in the SWANA. The course will last for 14 weeks and different topics related to the region will be discussed each wee