Event Proceedings

Rojava at 4: Examining the Experiment in Western Kurdistan
August 2016

In July 2012, Kurds in northern Syria began taking control of territory. This led to the creation of the largely self-governing areas known collectively as Rojava (Western Kurdistan), and a new experiment in local government which has deep significance for Syrian, Kurdish, Middle Eastern and international geopolitics. Four years on from this unprecedented development, the LSE Middle East Centre convened a workshop to examine the progress and nature of the Rojava project. 

Bahrain after the Elections
April 2015

In November 2014 Bahrain held its first parliamentary elections since the anti-government protests erupted in 2011. With the main Shi’a opposition party al-Wefaq’s boycott of the elections and the subsequent arrest of its leader Ali Salman, the role of the elections in determining the future of Bahrain was questioned. 

Statebuilding and Gender in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq
July 2014

This report features the proceedings from a workshop held at the University of Kurdistan-Hewlêr in Erbil on 27 May 2014 as part of the Academic Collaboration research project between LSE MEC and AUD. The workshop focused on the relationship between international actors in institutional reconstruction and gender relations in Kurdistan-Iraq since 2003.

The New Politics of Intervention of Gulf Arab States
July 2014

This report is the outcome of a workshop held on Wednesday 26 March at the LSE Middle East Centre. Nine papers were presented, discussing the following issues: The use of complex realism in assessing Gulf foreign policy; State formation and militarisation; The role of the GCC: identity, cohesion, and foreign relations; Case studies: Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE; Gulf interventionist foreign policies.

Addressing the Demographic Imbalance in the Gulf States: Implications for Labour Markets, Migration, and National Identity
June 2014

This report contains the proceedings from a workshop organised by the LSE Middle East Centre and led by Dr Kristian Coates Ulrichsen which examined demography in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states. The event took place on 24 January 2014 under the Chatham House Rule and hosted six speakers from the Gulf and Europe who addressed the shifting dynamics of the study of demographic issues in the GCC states.

Inside Syria: 18 Months On
October 2012

This report is the outcome of the conference 'Inside Syria: 18 Months On' organised on 20 September 2012 at LSE. The conference, featuring four panels and a keynote address from former Syrian National Council chairman and Université de la Sorbonne Nouvelle Professor Burhan Ghalioun, explored the dynamics of the key  domestic forces influencing the struggle: the regime, the opposition, the economy and the Syrian people.