October 13, 2004
Political Parties in the Arab World: Current Challenges and Areas for Reform

LCPS organized a regional workshop  during which participants reviewed the current situation of Arab political parties and engaged in a critical assessment of the contemporary party experience in the region with an emphasis on case studies from Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, and Yemen. Key questions explored included:
What is the constitutional, legal and organizational framework of political parties and political life in the Arab world today?
To what extent are Arab political parties independent in their current political systems?
Do Arab political parties constitute tools through which vital citizen interests are expressed? Or are they tools for the mobilization of various sects, tribes, regions as well as for the promotion of authoritarian ideologies whether nationalistic or religious?
The results of the workshop were published in a book entitled: Political Parties in the Arab World.
The event was hosted in collaboration with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.