North Africa and the Middle East: Political Processes in the Context of Dynamic Relativity of Civilization Development

Convener: Dr. Alexander A. Tkachenko (Institute for African Studies, Moscow, Russia);
e-mail: alexander.tkachenko@inafr.ru

The Section will focus on the following issues:
- the collapse of the authoritarian model of political power and the statehood crisis causes, characteristics and consequences;
- the political upheaval in the region of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA): the role of political parties and movements, Internet groups;
- “old” and “new” models of political power: archaic elements, tradition and modernity;
- problems of modernization in the MENA and challenges of the 21st century;
- civil society and the Islamic tradition in the context of the Arab Spring;
- international relations in the MENA: the current situation and prospects;
- socio-economic aspects of the transformational change in MENA (the issues of unemployment, small and medium-sized enterprises development, and migration);
- interfaith relations in the context of political crises;
- the Middle East conflict and the prospects for tits settlement in the light of “the Great Arab
Revolution”.