Assistance in Strengthening State Resilience in the Arab East

Vladimir I. Bartenev, PhD (History), coordinator of the project and Director of the CSDS opened the workshop titled “Assistance in Strengthening State Resilience in the Arab East: Methodology of Analysis”. At first he concretized goals and objectives of the three-year project and general plan of its realization, and then he submitted a report with a summary of basic approaches to the solution of methodological and theoretical conceptual problems on the project’s subject in Russian and foreign academic works.

Vasiliy A. Kuznetsov, PhD (History), Director of the CAIS and Associate Professor at the Chair of Regional Problems of World Politics at the School of World Politics at the MSU had the floor next. He underlined the necessity for adaptation of theoretical and methodological approaches to the reality of the Arab East and opened a rather substantial discussion, which was actively supported by all the members of partner organisations (A.Aliyeva, O.Bulaev, L.Oganisyan, A.Solomatin, L.Khlebnikova).

Second part of the workshop provided insight into the selection of country cases. The selection of the concrete states was substantiated. Subject of participation of international donors in regional aid programmes in 1990-2000s including programmes of democracy promotion on the one hand and post-conflict reconstruction on the other will be examined on the example of these states.

The workshop was concluded with a discussion of plans of the collective for this year regarding publication of scientific papers in leading peer-reviewed periodicals, reports in workshop panels and round tables on the project’s subject and preparation of applied analytical works.

Next workshop on the project is planned for arranging on the ground of the Institute of Oriental Studies RAS in autumn 2017.