A Year in Tahrir: The Future of the Arab Spring

and its Implications in the U.S.

Co-sponsored by the Wayne Law Program for International Legal Studies, the National Security Network, and the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding.

Saturday

April 14, 2012

9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Spencer M. Partrich Auditorium
Wayne State University Law School
471 W. Palmer
Detroit

The reform movements sweeping the Arab World have come to be known as the Arab Spring. This conference brings together prominent experts in the region to examine the achievements and set-backs of the reform movements, who is involved in the reforms and their future prospects. The conference will also examine the impact of the movements on the Arab-American community.

Conference Program

8:30-9 a.m. Registration

Panel I – The Spark of the Revolution
Origins and Current Status of the Arab Spring Reform Movements
9:00 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.
What are the conditions that led to the uprisings across the Arab World and how are the current transitions are playing out, with a particular focus on Egypt, Libya and Syria. Panelists will focus on the many difficult questions surrounding the sequencing of reforms, the inclusion (or exclusion) of various actors in the political process and transitional justice issues.

Panelists:  

• Michael Hanna, The Century Foundation
• Radwan Ziadeh, United States Institute of Peace
• Moderator: Heather Hurlburt, National Security Network
   

10:45-11 a.m. Break

Panel II – The Foundations of a New Middle East?
A look at the legal, political, economic and civil society structures being developed in the region
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
What sorts of legal, political, and economic models are in play in the various countries experiencing change? The panel will focus on issues surrounding constitution-making, civil liberties, electoral systems, market/regulatory reforms and the protection of minority groups.

Panelists:

• Khaled Elgindy, visiting fellow, Foreign Policy, Saban Center for Middle East Policy at The Brookings Institute
• Abdullah Al Arian, Wayne State University Department of History
• Leila Hilal, New America Foundation
• Moderator: Greg Fox, Wayne State University Law School

Lunch Discussion
External Actors: Help or Hindrance
What Should be the Role of International Actors in the Transitions?
1:00 - 2:45 p.m.
One remarkable aspect of the uprisings is that they are almost all completely indigenous in origin. What should be the role of other states and international organizations in states having cast off authoritarian regimes and those in which struggles are ongoing?  Discussion will focus on the roles of the United States, the EU, the United Nations and the Arab League.  The exception of Libya will be discussed.  What accounts for the significant role played by outsiders in the Libya case but not in others? What are the lessons for countries in which reform struggles are ongoing, such as Syria and Bahrain?

Panelists:

• Marc Lynch, George Washington University
• Mark Goldberg, managing editor of the blog UN Dispatch
• Moderator: Heather Hurlburt, National Security Network

2:45-3 p.m. Break

Panel IV– The Arab Spring and American Politics
The Arab Spring and its impact on American culture and politics
3:00 - 4:30
The Arab Spring offers a new framework for how Americans and those around the world view Arabs. The lens of “Arab as Terrorist” that was built in the last 10 years has the opportunity to be fundamentally altered to the Arab protestor fighting for freedom and democracy. Is this paradigm shift likely to happen? Will this impact the views of Arabs and Muslims in America? How are Arab Americans responding to the ongoing developments in the region?

Panelists:

• Maya Berry, executive director, Arab American Institute
• Imad Hamad, regional director and senior national advisor for public affairs, American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
• Fay Beydoun, executive director, American Arab Chamber of Commerce
• Saeed Khan, Institute for Social Policy and Understanding
• Moderator: Shireen Zaman, Institute for Social Policy and Understanding


4:30-6 p.m. Reception

Law School Atrium
Refreshments courtesy of Habib's Cuisine





 

We are extremely grateful to Starsky TV for providing video services for the conference.

 Additional co-sponsors:

American Society of International Law
American Branch of the International Law Association
Detroit Council for World Affairs
International Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan
American-Arab Student Union of Wayne State University
US-Iraqi Youth