Dear MENASP Friends,
It is my pleasure to be the one writing this Spring newsletter foreword. Our sincere apologies for the delay in getting this edition out to you all. This forward is not written solely by me, as I’m inspired and influenced by all the great work we are doing. I hope my words amplify what I’ve observed, felt, and embraced, regardless of my short time with the network.
In a time where protracted conflict, political instability, and the rates of human security are further descending across multiple parts of the region; it is vital that those with the appropriate expertise step in to help understand, educate, and potentially support the transition towards social, economic, and political stability in MENA.
I am pleased to reveal that this newsletter will be featuring Professor Timo Kivimäki’s and Dr Rana Jawad’s book ‘The Fragility-Grievances-Conflict Triangle in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)’, which is a reprint of the Social Sciences Special Issue. The book looks at various interactions between state fragility, conflict, and lack of human development, specifically focusing on the MENA region and the political contexts underpinning the wide spectrum of social policies. Furthermore, it distinguishes itself from only engaging with structural and formal institutions and equally looks at informal sectors, both economic and political. The four sections of the book provide a decent understanding of the role of grievances and state fragility in MENA and support eliminating research and literature gaps related to structural and proximate drivers of conflict.
Along with the exciting news of the book, I am very excited to say that this newsletter will welcome our new Early Career Researcher representatives while we also say our goodbyes to our leaving reps and feature their testimonies from their time with us.
As for our future, coming activities, keep an open eye for our upcoming webinars with very interesting topics and speakers. Last but not least, for the second-round call for the MENASP-CP GCRF Research Fund proposals (coming soon), this newsletter includes our ‘register your interest’ sign-up form, and we encourage MENA-based teams to apply.
On a rather personal note, I consider myself lucky to join the team as we’re nearing the first MENASP network decennial anniversary. The MENASP Network Decennianl Anniversary will be both an opportunity to reflect back on a decade-long of valuable contribution towards social policy research in the MENA region and look forward to further promoting quality research, networking, and knowledge brokering in the region.
The MENASP team values your contributions and invites you to keep the momentum as our partners of success. I leave you with our Spring 2022 newsletter.
Warm wishes,
Mohammed
Research and Communications Assistant