Democratisation - Human Rights

Throughout the countries of the Middle East, citizens view the state with suspicion. State institutions are often experienced as biased towards the powerful, corrupt and predatory, and as a sometimes violent means to safeguard the position of a ruling elite, or the domination of one part of the population over others.

Participation, on the other hand, is mostly reduced to elections of questionable representational value, or relies on informal channels and structures and primordial relations, and thus reinforces existing patterns of subordination and power.

The program Democratisation - Human rights supports initiatives that demand accountability and due process and encourage citizens to become aware, active and organized around issues of (gender-) democratic participation, freedom of expression and sustainable development.

What Did the State Do in April 2024?

لماذا انهار «تكتّل نواب التغيير» في البرلمان اللبناني؟

Why did Lebanon’s Parliamentary “Change Bloc” Collapse?

Bab El Hawa border crossing from Turkey to Syria in March 2006

The survivors of the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria need support!

Accountability for Justice

The biggest uprising in the country’s history, the largest explosions in the twenty-first century, a regime obstructing any investigation into the root causes of the explosion, a global pandemic, and now one of the worst socio-economic crises in the world. Lebanon has been transformed beyond recognition, has unraveled beyond limits.

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Latest Publications

Entering the Lion’s Den Lebanon’s “Change MPs” in parliament

Paper

Building on prior TPI research about alternative political groups in Lebanon, this report examines challenges that “Change MPs” faced during their first 18 months in office. Drawing on eight original interviews with Change MPs, the report is divided into four sections that examine their legislative performance, oversight duties, parliamentary alliances, and political outlooks. It also examines how sectarian parties have paralyzed the parliament to protect their interests – from avoiding accountability and delaying reforms to sabotaging legislation and bullying opponents – by recounting specific legislative battles waged by Change MPs.

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Beirut's Underground Music Scene

Photo Documentation

A very inspiring creative project Hajar utilized a historical-political lens, to carefully delineate artists, community and the use of space within Beirut’s quick pace of change. Given the lack of research on the dialectic between music and crises in the region, this historical lens is applied to understand recent developments that begin from the October 2019 Revolution, extending through to the complete collapse of the economy and banking system, and the August 2020 explosion. The photos coupled with over twenty interviews aim to re-imagine and recreate our spaces and collective identity with values that extend far past appreciating certain genres. This project chooses to focus on the vibrant and creative forces which stand in constant dialogue with the worn and broken.

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“People like me, they have to bypass”

Research Paper

My nationality is my right has a long history in Lebanon. In a country, that does not treat its citizens equally; women cannot pass their nationality to their husbands and children if they have a binational marriage. To this day, this law is still on papers. In this paper, Benita argue that the performative citizenship of the children in these families is not only expressed through their political and social activism for a more inclusive citizenship law. Rather, by finding coping strategies to exercise basic human rights and by having an affective citizenship meaning they feel Lebanese and therefore state their right to be Lebanese on paper, they are performing Lebanese citizenship.

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