Arab Spring: how women are using their bodies to create a revolution

In conservative societies, men have always subjugated women by exercising control over their bodies. The female body, virgin and fertilizable, shackled, covered and concealed, is the object of all manner of prohibitions and obsessions. It is both coveted as the symbol of family honour and stigmatised as a source of temptation and discord - the word in Arabic is fitna, by Nadia Aissaoui and Ziad Majed (Original text in French translated by Eric Rosencrantz, Mediapart.fr).

On “Islamists”, electorally

First post-revolutions elections offered groups known as “Islamits” first positions in three Arab countries. This article attemps at explaining  some of the reasons behind these results, and argues that post elections “islamists” will not remain the same forces that they were during their long journeys outside power and “official” politics - Ziad Majed

New forms of cooperation in the Mediterranean?

This text aims to present some thoughts and suggestions on how the European Union could support democratic transitions in the Arab world in general, and in North African countries in particular. Before doing so, the text tries to shed light on the new situation that has characterized the region for the last few months.