Current Proposals

This paper will examine the writings of Ghannouchi, Yassin and Qaradawi: the respective leaders of the Tunisian, Moroccan, and Egyptian Islamic movements, concerning the issues of Democracy and its ties to the Enlightenment era in the Western world. The paper will also analyze Rousseau's and de Tocqueville's writings and how they viewed the role of religion in public life, since in many ways they have theoretically laid the foundations of Western liberal democracy.

Thus the paper will analyze whether post-enlightenment Western European liberal thought excludes religion from the public arena. This analysis will have implications regarding the theoretical assumption that secularization is imperative to democratization.

The Dialogue Between Folk Culture and Vernacular Internet: A Case Study of the United Arab Emirates.

This paper seeks to broaden the dialogue between folklore and Internet studies in a milieu where people can exchange information and learn from each other outside of the confines of a specific time/space. This work contributes to both folklore and Internet studies. It provides an awareness not only of traditional forms of peoples expressive behavior (beliefs, customs, stories, and other traditional communication) but also of the ways folklore changes in such a rapidly changing society as the UAE that relies heavily on electronic communication without abandoning its authentic culture.

Folklore plays an essential role in preserving the identity and diversity of the Emirati cultural heritage. The study, however, tackles the problems that arise when a predominantly oral culture employs artistic techniques from literary/technologically mediated modes of communication.

The research proposes new ways of addressing the visual, written or textual aspects of folklore presented in the Internet. For instance, in so far as certain parts of electronic messages are closely related to certain kinds of traditional folklore genres, they can be investigated and interpreted as a new vernacular medium of folklore or e-folk culture. Such an assumption has not formerly been examined by scholars.

The paper is divided into the following sections. 1. The role played by the UAE government institutions in preserving local heritage through the Internet and other electronic channels. Put differently, the dialogue depends on the capacity of local culture industries to transform certain vernacular contents of the Internet to suit local audiences. 2. The way Individuals informally use folk genres in their face-to-face relationships and Internet interactions as well. This means that the dialogue also relies on the capacity of people to use the Internet to circulate their folk culture as well as to appropriate materials from the Internet and integrate them into their folk performances. 3-Examine certain local folklore genres and compare them with global folklore genres (such as the local folk tale of Simija or Biyaha and that of global Cinderella or the local belief of Umm al-Duyas and that of Medusas hair).

The paper argues that the function and the use of a folkloric phenomenon, orally or textually, convey relevant information that enhances effective communication and dialogue between people.

Beginning in the 1850s Christian missionary organizations began establishing schools in Ottoman Palestine. A variety of networks developed over the years, principally those of the Anglicans and Catholics. Initially these schools provided an education emphasizing European Christian values and subjects. Over time however a slow process of indigenization occurred. The first fruits of this process are illustrated by the young leaders like Emil Tume and Tewfik Tubi who were prominent in the political opposition in Israels first years of statehood. Another generation produced such notables as author Raja Shehadeh and Hanan Ashwari. In todays Haifa the best schools, from a standpoint of matriculation, are Christian private schools that are open to all communities. Through this history the paper examines the development of a Christian school network and the political activism and empowerment it helped engender.

Another important contribution is in the examination of the case study of Rosary Sisters. Founded in 1880 by sister Soultane Ghattas Danil, a Palestinian nun, this was the first indigenous Catholic order to be founded in Palestine by a Palestinian woman. Rosary Sisters was devoted, from its inception, to educating Arab women and to that end it has been phenomenally successful. Today it has 44 schools throughout the Middle East served by 150 Arab nuns. Through interviews with graduates of the flagship institution in Beit Hanina near Jerusalem this article also examines issues of womens empowerment, secularism and religious education in a Catholic school where most of the pupils are Muslim and the importance of an indigenous education.

The inability of nationalism to yield peacefully coexisting forms of identity in Israel/Palestine has persisted: this is so, whether one is speaking of the strands of secular nationalism providing the basic, modern (i.e., late nineteenth- and twentieth-century) historical foundations for Israeli and Palestinian political identity, or subsequent, religion-inflected nationalisms. Moreover, the failure of nationalism to foster peace building or conflict-resolution in the Israel/Palestine impasse infects not only the familiar (but increasingly problematic) two-state solution, it also hinders the contested (but, in fact, perhaps more promising) one-state solution, which, for its part, has tended to be characterized by a secular, 'binational' approach.

In this light, I would like to assert that the peculiar, untapped promise of the one-state solution could be better actualized if it were to draw on ingredients for the construction of political identity that, in a true, spiritual sense, transcend the limiting divisions of nationalism. Specifically, might religion, including the "patterns of Abrahamic reconciliation" (Marc Gopin, Holy War, Holy Peace: How Religion Can bring Peace to the Middle East, Oxford Univ. Press, 2002) underlying the three traditions -- Judaism, Christianity, and Islam -- most closely held by the communities ensnared within the Israel/Palestine impasse, offer a more fruitful basis for fostering coexistence among the plurality of peoples in the region? Further, might other traditions, such as the Baha'i Faith, be potentially helpful in building one political community with common monotheistic roots? Imagining the one-state solution in a multicultural and multi-religious, rather than binational vein, can demonstrate that the sacredness of transcendent Reality, rather than of a specific nation or nations, provides an unsurpassable, unifying focus for just and compassionate action in this world.

When we look to the legislative elections in Lebanon, The Palestinian Authority, and Iraq. These elections, rather than creating conditions of stability and political harmony, accelerated their societies entrance into to conflict and political rivalry, setting the stage for intense fighting and outbidding. Although the touted paradigm of democratic transition claims to guarantee peace and stability, it appears difficult, if not impossible for political entities in the Middle East, even the ones which have seemingly adhered to the standards of democratization, to attain peace and stability.

The strange paradox present in the three latter cases is that the need for democracy is supposed to rise higher than degrees of division and unity. It is believed to be able to moderate the positions of the involved parties, spurring them to re-draft both evaluations and calculations, ultimately leading them to consensus, and even perhaps compromise. The exact opposite, however, happened in these cases.

Global Civic Education as a Framework for Nationhood in Palestine: Implications for Rules, Norms, and Strategies of Citizenship
This paper takes as data for empirical examination 500 civic education exercises of fifty-two teachers and 400 of their Palestinian students over a period of two years, 2008-2010. Crucial to this exercise are the assumptions of the international non-governmental organization, the Ministry of Education, the Israeli Consulate, and the Department of State in undertaking this project. Through a review of this data, I try to understand the possibilities and constraints in sustaining self-governing entities and argue that human fallibility, including non-state and state actors, is creating rules and norms of statecraft that run counter to a sustainable peace and full citizenship for Palestinians and Israelis.

I also argue that the State Departments frontline diplomats are skilled artisans but their field staff often lack the ability to communicate a coherent strategic cross-national mission, understood as soft diplomacy, in part, because there is mission creep and, in part, because a post-9/11 terrorist paranoia is grounded in both real and imagined contexts, with consequences for job security, a constrained peace, and human capacity for adaptation. Throughout this work I ask: What types of questions, about the rules and norms of citizenship and nationhood, and strategic sustainability, do these exercises raise? What types of questions do teachers and students answers to thorny global issues, such as the Oslo Accord, recovering justice after genocides, and the protection of children, raise about emerging intergenerational norms of citizenship? What role did the Ministry of Education (state actors) play in developing this curriculum and why? As state actors, what is important to note about their roles in developing a global civics education framework as a political, religious, and secular marker for nation building?

The literatures in political science and anthropology that focus on human capacity, self-governance and institutional analysis and development, will be used as a blended framework for examining the data gathered from teachers, students, the Ministry and other state actors. The fallibility of human beings (Palestinians and Israelis) to achieve self-governing entities will be explored with an eye toward intergenerational rule, norm, and strategic agenda setting within the fluid Palestinian /Israeli context. In particular, I draw upon Elinor Ostroms Understanding Institutional Diversity, Paul Aligicas and Peter Boettkes Challenging Institutional Analysis and Development and collective action and game theoretic frameworks.

*Closing event sponsored by the Philosophical Society of Washington
Powell Auditorium of the Cosmos Club
Washington DC

Eilon M. Adar
Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

The impact of the accelerating global warming on the natural and human environments of the arid and semi-arid zones is forecasted to be catastrophic. It is predicted that in most of the dry-land regions the precipitation systems will change, resulting severe depletion in existing water resources. Interference with long term water balance in nature, mainly in arid and semi-arid zones over the globe raised the doubt whether the principles of Sustainable Development of existing (and future) water resources will be able to avert the forthcoming catastrophes associated with water scarcity in these regions, especially in developing societies. The accelerating socio-economic crises in the developing world and the still looming negative impacts of the Global Climate Change on the already thirsty and hungry societies, strengthened the conclusion that a new policy of development has to be considered, namely to ensure progress toward a safer and sustainable life, while averting irreversible environmental catastrophes.

It is suggested to call this new policy "Progressive Development" as it entails, in the first place, profound and sweeping changes in the attitude of the development approach toward natural environmental resources in the arid and semi arid zones. These changes will utilize the up-till-now, un-developed natural water resources without binding ourselves to the common environmental definition of "sustainability".

When it comes to natural resources, Progressive Development will aim at the comprehensive development of soil and water resources including one-time water reserves and marginal land resources. Such projects will include deep drilling and pumping, modern irrigation and agricultural methods. Water development projects will plan ahead for the diversion of rivers from regions of excessive water resources to regions of needs. As most of the fertile land in humid regions has been already heavily cultivated (in many regions even over exploited), one of the targets will be to come up with additional "new" water for planting the deserts, in the first place to produce food, and also to sequester atmospheric carbon and thus help mitigating global warming.

In a nutshell Progressive Development aims to guarantee the survival and well-being of future generations of the developing world in the arid and semiarid zones, by giving priority to investment in advanced planning and development of new water resources, step by step while observing and assessing the current and possible future impact on nature and the environment. Almost 100 years of intensive, yet successful development of the agriculture industry in the dry-lands of Israel, were associated with a simultaneous development of the most sophisticated water resources and water technologies. In some cases water exploitation lead to (temporary) environmental stress. In most cases, however, the massive interference with the long term natural water balance did not reveal any substantial negative impact on Mother Nature, yet it is under continuous investigation for its potential negative impact on the environment. The comprehensive progressive development of integrated various water resources such as one-time groundwater reservoirs, marginal aquifers, treated effluents, desalinated sea water and brackish groundwater provided Israel with sustainable water distribution systems. It served as the most firm foundation for reclaiming substantial are of desert basins turning it to famous productive land.

Shortages of water in various qualities for different end users already exist in Mediterranean countries. The situation will worsen in the eastern Mediterranean in the very near future, due to an anticipated massive increase in population as well as elevated living standards that will increase the demand for additional water for domestic use and food production.

All major water resources (rivers and groundwater reservoirs) are transboundary water bodies. In general the riparian (downstream) users depend on the upper basin activities for both availability of adequate quantities and quality of water.

The combined impact of increase in water demand, deterioration in water quality, negligible volume for operational water reservoirs, and the issues related to management of transboundary water resources are illuminated, elaborated, and discussed in details.

Surface water resources in the Middle East region of the eastern Mediterranean (mainly the Jordan River basin) are fully exploited and the water quality is deteriorating dramatically over time. Most of the other (smaller rivers) are already heavily contaminated

Groundwater is the best long-term storage reservoirs believed to be better protected from negative anthropogenic impacts.

Groundwater resources in the eastern Mediterranean are fully developed and prone to salinization and contamination and as a result, groundwater quality is declining with time.

The only fresh water reservoir that can be used as an operational reservoir buffering from winter/summer and wet/dry year fluctuations is the Sea of Galilee. Therefore the region lacks operational reservoirs, with all the ensuing consequences.

The massive development of advanced agricultural industry in Mediterranean countries, including the Middle East, endangers the two major natural resources, soil and water. Most of the coastal aquifers all already impacted by anthropogenic activities including contaminants such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers migrating across the vadose zone into groundwater.

The presentation emphasizes the hydrological complexity in the eastern Mediterranean countries due to water shortage, massive groundwater exploitation, urbanization, agriculture and industrial impact on water availability and quality associated with the transboundary water resources.