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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Moscow:20200113T124500
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Moscow:20200113T134500
DTSTAMP:20260611T222248
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SUMMARY:Polarized and Demobilized: Legacies of Authoritarianism in Palestine
DESCRIPTION:Dana El Kurd\, Assistant Professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies\, delivered a CIRS talk on January 13\, 2020\, on the effects that authoritarian strategies have had on polarization and collective action in Palestinian society. The talk was based on her recently published book\, Polarized and Demobilized: Legacies of Authoritarianism in Palestine\, which examines the impact of international involvement on political development and state-society relations in the Palestinian territories\, particularly in the deterioration of democratic processes. \n\nEl Kurd explained that the Palestinian Authority (PA) has been in power in the Palestinian territories since 1993 (and today\, just in the West Bank). The PA emerged in the mid-nineties out of the Oslo process\, and was meant to serve as an interim government\, to govern until the expected Israeli withdrawal from territories in the West Bank and Gaza Strip by 1999. However\, Israel did not adhere to this agreement. In the meantime\, the PA bureaucracy quickly expanded\, created various security and police forces\, and became the largest employer in the territory under its control. Furthermore\, international organizations became increasingly involved in Palestinian politics\, and external funding strengthened the power of the PA\, entrenching its position. Numerous Palestinian opposition groups arose to challenge the PA’s centralization of power; these included\, for example\, Hamas and other Islamist groups. \n\nSome have argued that the Palestinian Authority has “acted as a ‘subcontractor of repression’ for the Israeli occupation\, in the sense that they police on behalf of the Israeli occupation. They have become a kind of authoritarian indigenous regime overlaid on top of a foreign occupation.” \n\nAccording to El Kurd\, some argue that the PA has “acted as a ‘subcontractor of repression’ for the Israeli occupation\, in the sense that they police on behalf of the Israeli occupation. They have become a kind of authoritarian indigenous regime overlaid on top of a foreign occupation.” The PA has been able to co-opt large segments of the Palestine population and they have increasingly used repression to control people\, she said. Their security apparatus has greatly expanded since 2007\, following the Hamas victory in the 2006 legislative elections (and subsequent removal from power)\, and there is greater coordination with the Israeli occupation. “There have been well-documented increases in torture and arrests\, and limitations on academic and media freedom\,” she said. \n\n“After the Arab Spring\, we saw this sort of rise in polarization and fragmentation\,” and El Kurd examined the conditions that have divided Palestinians and divested them of political power. “We all know that the main goal of authoritarian regimes is to control their populations\, and they utilize different strategies or combinations of strategies\, such as cooptation or repression\,” El Kurd said. However\, regimes target different groups using different strategies\, and she suspected those strategies themselves might be at the root of social polarization in Palestine and a decline in political mobilization. \n\nEl Kurd conducted a survey experiment in the Palestinian territories in conjunction with the Palestine Survey Research Center\, and she held interviews with Palestinian decision makers to collect their views on democracy and accountability to assess the role of international involvement in determining attitudes. She used lab-in-field experiments\, qualitative data\, and statistical analysis with a protest dataset. Her primary research questions were: What is the effect of varying authoritarian strategies on polarization? And\, how does that polarization affect collective action? \n\nHer theoretical argument links authoritarianism and polarization\, and she explained that authoritarian regimes use strategies selectively\, bringing certain groups into the fold while repressing others. While El Kurd argued that authoritarian strategies generate polarization\, she also explained that the type of strategy matters: “cooptation is inclusionary and repression is exclusionary.” Additionally\, she found inclusionary strategies generate polarization to a smaller degree than exclusionary strategies. Consequently\, she argued that the selective nature of authoritarian strategies is a cause of polarization\, translating into a “lack of capacity for collective action through two main mechanisms: insularity within groups\, and grievances between them.” \n\nEl Kurd was able to measure the Palestinian people’s willingness to engage in collective action in various and diversified ways. Her findings indicate that repression strategies lead to a decline in the willingness to engage in collective action\, specifically for what she considers as targeted groups: the Islamists and leftists. This “exclusionary strategy seems to generate less willingness to cooperate” than the cooptation strategy. \n\nEl Kurd found that exclusionary strategies had the greatest effect on behavior\, with repression causing polarization in society. “In the Palestine case\, this helps to explain why different groups—who might have similar ideas about the Palestinian Authority\, and similar ideas about the occupation—are not coordinating properly\, and they seem to be unable to surmount these coordination problems.” She also explained that this finding applies to dynamics in the broader Arab world\, where authoritarian governments have had similar effects on societal cohesion. \n\nDana El Kurd is a Researcher at the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies\, and Assistant Professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies in the Critical Security Studies program. She specializes in comparative politics and international relations. She has published in Foreign Affairs\, The Washington Post’s Monkey Cage blog\, Al-Araby al-Jadeed\, and academic journals such as Parameters\, Journal of Global Security Studies\, Contemporary Arab Affairs\, Middle East Law and Governance\, and the Journal of Arabian Studies\, among others. She is the author of the Polarized and Demobilized: Legacies of Authoritarianism in Palestine (Hurst and Oxford University Press\, 2020). \n\nArticle by Chaïmaa Benkermi (Class of 2021)\, Publications Fellow
URL:https://cirs.qatar.georgetown.edu/event/polarized-and-demobilized-legacies-authoritarianism-palestine/
CATEGORIES:Dialogue Series,Regional Studies
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Moscow:20200114T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Moscow:20200114T140000
DTSTAMP:20260611T222248
CREATED:20200227T065819Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210610T073828Z
UID:10001428-1579003200-1579010400@cirs.qatar.georgetown.edu
SUMMARY:CURA Open House
DESCRIPTION:On January 14\, 2020\, CIRS hosted its first open house event for GU-Q students to learn more about CIRS and the CURA program for undergraduate research advancement. The CIRS Undergraduate Research Advancement program (CURA) aims to facilitate research opportunities for GU-Q undergraduate students through providing focused mentorship and a chance to publish and present their original research as part of the CURA Paper Series and CURA Lunch Talks. \n \n \nDuring the event\, Professor Mehran Kamrava\, Director of CIRS highlighted that two years ago\, CIRS launched the CURA program to advance undergraduate research. He remarked that\, “the aim of the program is to enhance the research skills of our students and we do that by offering number of opportunities for our Fellows and for the entire student body.” \n \n \nOne aim of CURA is to enhance the undergraduate experience by helping students develop a range of research skills and publish their original research. To this end\, Elizabeth Wanucha\, Operations Manager of CIRS announced a new opportunity for GU-Q students under the ongoing CURA Paper Series. The CURA Paper Series opened a paper competition that will span the Spring 2020 semester\, with a submission deadline of February 12\, 2020. She added\, “the winner of this competition will be coached by CIRS staff through the peer review and editorial process to publish the paper by the end of the semester as a distinguished publication under the CURA Paper Series.” The winner will also be issued an electronic certificate that highlights the achievement on LinkedIn and other social media sites. \n \n \n“The aim of the program is to enhance the research skills of our students and we do that by offering number of opportunities for our Fellows and for the entire student body.” \n \n \nNgoc Nguyen (class of 2021) said that she enjoyed meeting the staff of CIRS at the open house. “It was a great opportunity to learn about research opportunities that CIRS is providing for Georgetown students. I will definitely participate in more CIRS events in the future.” \n \n \nIn addition to the paper competition\, GU-Q students also have the opportunity to showcase their original research by submitting it for consideration to the CURA Paper Series. The process of selecting papers is rigorous and competitive. CIRS has a wide network of scholars\, and publishing with the CURA Paper Series will disseminate the selected research across the globe. CIRS publishes the CURA Papers online\, prints and distributes the hard copies\, and disseminates the research via the CIRS research e-newsletter. \n \n \nCIRS also helps GU-Q undergraduate students develop skills related to research through its CURA fellowship program. CURA Fellows provide research assistance in three areas: publications\, research and administration. Through the CURA peer mentorship program\, fellows learn hands-on about the research field and develop analytical skills by convening one seminar each semester on a current CIRS research project. Fellows are invited to discuss papers written by experts in their respective fields\, and share their conclusions with the authors of the papers in the CIRS Working Group organized around that research project. \n \n \nChaïmaa Benkermi (class of 2021)\, a CIRS publications fellow said\, “Having been part of CIRS for two years has been continuously rewarding. I have acquired unique skills that I have come to apply in all fields and disciplines\, developed new research interests\, and simply gained more confidence in what I do and what I deliver to others\, which is also part of my CURA fellowship experience.” \n \n \n  \n \n \nArticle by Shaza Afifi (Class of 2022)\, CURA Publications Fellow 
URL:https://cirs.qatar.georgetown.edu/event/cura-open-house/
CATEGORIES:Student Engagement
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Moscow:20200119T090000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Moscow:20200120T170000
DTSTAMP:20260611T222248
CREATED:20200212T073459Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210829T134742Z
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SUMMARY:Big Data in the Middle East Roundtable
DESCRIPTION:On January 19-20\, 2020\, the Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) hosted a Research Roundtable on Big Data in the Middle East. The meeting was held in order to generate an initial conversation on how big data can be meaningfully applied to deepen our understanding of social and political phenomena in the Middle East. With the growing availability and amount of different data and the enhanced capacity of data scientists to use computational tools for analysis\, social scientists around the world are increasingly turning to big data to address some of their fields of research. How far these innovative developments in research are being demonstrated in the Middle East and how social science research questions can be explored through these new data sources and analytical tools was the primary purpose of this roundtable. Over the course of two days\, participating scholars and experts engaged in a fruitful dialogue that explored several important areas\, including: big data and healthcare\, social media and user-generated content\, analyzing data produced in Arabic language\, social science research\, food security\, big data and museums\, opportunities in the defense sector\, female employment as well as religious discourse on social media and hate speech. \n\nThe discussion was initiated by Dr. Ingmar Weber\, Research Director for Social Computing at the Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI). Dr. Weber’s presentation was centered on the topic of changing demographic trends in the Middle East and big data applications to measure these changes. Using Facebook as a platform for accessing user data and using various variables such as places lived and mobile phones used\, it was reasoned that researchers could collect data on wealth distribution and income level of the users. These variables can also be used to extract data from other platforms like Twitter and Snapchat to get demographic data. This\, in turn\, can be used to track\, International migration\, Poverty\, and digital gender gaps. The online digital platforms provide access to over 2 billion users\, and the data can be used to address traditional attributes like interest\, as well as understand the selection bias of users. However\, there are limitations to this as models for bias correction are required and only include people that are online. For future research\, a number of topics were identified that included interdisciplinary research efforts\, conducting surveys to collect data from hard to reach population\, and the use of satellite imagery to get onsite data. \n\nChiara Bernardi then steered the conversation to user-generated content and social impact. It was stated that social data is intervened with social behavior\, and this creates essential knowledge and meaning. The social impact of these can be used to drive policies and legislation. Marketing is one industry where the relevance of this content is widely used; however\, there are limits to this. There is a need to understand how this influences the strategy\, and mixed frameworks are needed to interact with the industry data with the academics settings. In order to bridge the gap and understand what we can learn from user-generated content\, a methodological framework in the Middle East is required. The term big data also needed a clear definition in terms of its volume. Content generated from multiple languages requires mapping and visualizing in order to understand the impact on behavior. Academics need to recognize the role and\, at the same time\, bridge the gaps in order to contextualize behavior on digital media. The structure of the platform and design was also highlighted as an essential component as it leads to different behaviors. \n\nChallenges to analyze data produced in Arabic was next discussed by Wajdi Zaghouani\, who stated that data in Arabic is becoming more and more available\, and that data is the new oil. However\, analyzing this data is difficult\, as Arabic is a very challenging language. There is a lot of ambiguity and variation in the written and spoken format of the language\, which requires new processing tools. In addition\, the romanization of the language also poses a problem when it comes to processing. It was stated that there was a need for tools to separate the noisy data and convert it into a usable format. Fine graining of tools to analyze dialects and less commonly used Arabic variety was also highlighted as a key area. Speech processing and lack of concentrated collaboration of researchers were also identified as gaps. Zaghouani also identified the detection of hate speech\, polarization\, and sarcasm as an understudied area that requires further research. \n\nZahir Irani looked at the topic of food security and big data in the Middle East and argued that much attention has been paid to the food waste from the plate\, but very little to food lost during the supply chain. It was argued that food security was a challenge around both availability and accessibility and that efforts were needs that maintain the sustainability of food production and less fluctuation on the viability. It is estimated that our food needs over the next 40 years will be greater than in the past 10\,000 years. This is attributed to a number of factors\, including food waste and loss\, and an increase in the global population.  Science and technology can be to understand the issues at hand. New technology and geological surveys can present a better picture of the physical environment and lead to increased food production. Irani highlighted that some of the drivers of food (in)security include population\, income\, water supply\, food supply\, soil erosion\, imports\, wastages\, yields\, demands\, seasonality\, consumption\, safety and nutrition\, and health wellbeing. The question of feeding future generations has become a global challenge and safeguarding food disruption\, and consumption through circular economy principles requires quality big data. \n\nThe participants then discussed the topic of big data and healthcare in the Middle East. Mowafa Househ highlighted 3 core research areas; privacy and responsibility\, the cultural and religious dimension of collecting data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) and big data. AI has huge impacts on healthcare. Computing power and data being generated has changed the way healthcare is practiced\, diagnosed\, and cured. Narrow AI and better performing computers can help gain insight into different populations of different social and physical conditions. However\, this data can help detect correlation but not the causation. In terms of privacy laws\, countries like Saudi Arabia\, Qatar\, and Bahrain have certain policies in place however state still have access to the health data of the people\, even with the implementation of privacy laws. What the state can do with the data and what kind of approach can be taken\, is a question that needs further examination. Many countries in the Middle East have a multiple-tier system that separates the people. Data is collected and disseminated differently from different groups (citizens and residents)\, which leads to missing data points. How do academics apply ethical frameworks where there is no discrimination among the various groups and what are the values that you put into the algorithm\, were some of the research gaps identified? Culture and religious sensitivities also need to be taken into consideration when it comes to health data collection in the Middle East. Engaging the local stakeholders and policymakers and involving them in the conversation was also highlighted as a critical area for future research. \n\nLisa Singh addressed different ways big data can benefit social science research and stated that there are different kinds of big data that can be used. Currently\, every discipline has its own methodology\, and there is a need for more integrated ways to use these big data. Researchers need to study big data as a field rather than independently for various case studies. Another area highlighted where big data and social science could collaborate was early warning mechanisms\, which are technically challenging\, and lacks strong political will. Currently\, researchers lack a more holistic picture of the methodology required\, which stresses the need for integration of data and various ways that it can be brought together. \n\nThe participants also discussed social media and religious discourse in the Arab region. Walid Magdy presented examples of how big data is helping answer questions in social sciences. One of the studies conducted included looking at people’s opinions and the change in perception due to major events and trends.  It was highlighted that results from the study indicated that global change in trends does not mean change in individual opinion. In regards to religion and social media\, a case study conducted emphasized that many users used social media platforms to have discussions on topics such as atheism\, share positive tweets about Islam and religion in general and re-share or re-post tweets as a form of ongoing charity.  There is a need to complement these findings with anthropological studies\, and innovation and technology are required for sentiment analysis\, especially for data generated in Arabic. Social media is vast and represents many people\, which in turn presents many opportunities to measure user behavior but requires the collaboration of social and computer scientists. \n\nMarc Owen Jones broadened the discussion on social media by addressing the question of hate speech and propaganda. Jones addressed the issue of data weaponization and colonization\, platform manipulation\, and the notion of ethics. There are different approaches to data collected from diverse sources; this data can be used to gauge audience usage and behavior on social media. In many of the previously observed cases\, hate speech tends to be controlled by automated bot accounts. This leads to the question of who has the power to manipulate the data and how a small number of people have the influence to shape the discussion on social media. In addition\, the question of how data is weaponized to promote certain political views and ideas that are held by a group of people and not the general public needs examination. Other areas for future study involve examining the political economy of the technological companies\, governance of platforms\, and integrity and quality of the data. \n\nGeorgios Papoaiannou shifted the focus of discussion to big data and museums and emphasized that museums collect a large amount of data on a daily basis. This data can be used to address some of the challenges and implications of big data and museums. When it comes to big data and museums\, there is more than one reality and a number of issues that need academic focus. Qatar museum authority opened 4 new museums in the past 5 years. These institutes generate data on a daily basis that can be used to address ways to help make these museums better in various ways. One of the research areas identified was the need for data-driven museums and policies through which correct and meaningful information could be collected. Papoaiannou also stressed addressing sentiment via textual or image data and the pros and cons of doing this\, as a gap in the existing literature. \n\nEid Mohamed analyzed Egyptian culture through big data and looked at the question of whether Egyptians still cared about the Arab Spring. The cultural data can provide evidence of growing revolutionary consciousness in the general masses. Most excitingly\, an analysis of such great masses of source material offers the research community the opportunity to work on the challenge of discovering the appropriate epistemologies for coming to terms with emergent transcultural identities and a transformed Arab world in the making. Digital humanities\, in general\, offer a new set of methods for dealing with such an abundance of materials. The Arab Spring needs to be explored through an approach of localizing the change by using local stories. The pre-2011 context of significance concerns earlier moments when popular resistance came to the fore\, moments that 2011 has been considered to be a continuation of or inspired by. These can be traced to the writings of Taha Hussein and other revolutionary writers. Computational tools are required to analyze the vast body of corpora as well as online and offline activism. \n\nThe dialogue then moved to the discussion of big data and female labor in Turkey. Gunes Asik stated that female employment is essential for development and that big data is not just user-generated data but also can mean large administrative data. This includes population data kept by the government in time series. Though this data is reliable\, it is very difficult to access as government approval is required. Female employment and labor demand\, in general\, is affected by a number of factors\, including discrimination\, government policies\, and the emergence of new sectors. Some of the determinants of female employment include education\, conservatism\, child and elderly care\, health\, and lack of social protection. Asik identified a number of research gaps\, such as the impact of informal employment\, the effect of domestic violence\, and using Google search and social media to collect the data\, as well as the automation of jobs and its impact on different genders. \n\nCharbel Chedrawi talked about opportunities for big data in the defense sector and detailed that defense data is a black box. Data for this sector is not easily accessible\, and there are very few scholars working on the topic. Big data is the strategic assets of the 21st century and is a valuable raw material for security and defense. However\, there are certain barriers in generating and applying this data\, including infrastructure\, human barriers\, such as lack of IT professionals in the organization\, and lack of proper training and financial barrier\, as budget is allocated mainly to weapons rather than research and development. Chedrawi identified 5 areas of further study; identifying the resource gaps in defense sector and the limitations associated with it; the hazards of outsourcing; isomorphism of the institutions; the type of technology required for mining the data and the role of big data in reducing the transaction cost and how can the defense sector benefit from such economies. \n\nAs a general takeaway\, the roundtable discussions indicated that for social scientists studying the Middle East who want to use new data sources\, it is of fundamental importance that they bridge the disciplinary divide and develop partnerships with data scientists. In order to make the best use of the variety of new data available and apply them to critical social sciences research questions in the region\, there is a need to actively develop interdisciplinary collaborations. Working with data scientists who have the requisite expertise in data analytics will help social scientists make sense of and extract meaning from data from multiple sources. Moving forward with the discussions at this roundtable CIRS plans to launch a research project in the near future with a thematic focus on some of the core issue(s) and big data in the Middle East. \n\n  \nFor the roundtable agenda\, click here.	For the research initiative\, click here.\nParticipants and Discussants: \nShaza Afifi\, Georgetown University in Qatar	Gunes Asik\, TOBB Economics and Technology University	Zahra Babar\, CIRS – Georgetown University in Qatar	Mongoljin Batsaikhan\, Georgetown University in Qatar	Chiara Bernardi\, University of Stirling	Chaïmaa Benkermi\, Georgetown University in Qatar	Misba Bhatti\, CIRS – Georgetown University in Qatar	Charbel Chedrawi\, Saint Joseph University 	Salma Hassabou\, Georgetown University in Qatar	Mowafa Housef\, Hamad Bin Khalifa University 	Zahir Irani\, University of Bradford 	Marc Owen Jones\, Hamad Bin Khalifa University 	Mehran Kamrava\, CIRS – Georgetown University in Qatar	Walid Magdy\, University of Edinburgh 	Eid Mohamed\, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies	Emad Mohamed\, University of Wolverhampton 	Phoebe Musandu\, Georgetown University in Qatar	Georgios Papaioannou\, University College of London- Qatar	Khushboo Shah\, Georgetown University in Qatar	Lisa Singh\, Georgetown University 	Elizabeth Wanucha\, CIRS – Georgetown University in Qatar	Ingmar Weber\, Qatar Computing Research Institute	Wajdi Zaghouani\, Hamad Bin Khalifa University\nArticle by Misba Bhatti\, Research Analyst at CIRS
URL:https://cirs.qatar.georgetown.edu/event/big-data-middle-east-roundtable/
CATEGORIES:Focused Discussions,Regional Studies
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Moscow:20200123T123000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Moscow:20200123T160000
DTSTAMP:20260611T222248
CREATED:20200114T063247Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210610T073816Z
UID:10001424-1579782600-1579795200@cirs.qatar.georgetown.edu
SUMMARY:CURA Workshop: Evaluating Credibility: Sources for Academic Research
DESCRIPTION:On January 23\, 2020\, CIRS hosted a CURA workshop titled\, “Evaluating Credibility: Sources for Academic Research\,” with GU-Q Professor Jim Reardon-Anderson and Librarian Paschalia Terzi. The workshop was focused on scholarly resource analysis and determining the authenticity of sources for research projects. Professor Anderson led the workshop and outlined some of his preferred techniques in determining the authenticity and validity of the sources. The workshop’s interactive nature made it a valuable learning experience. Furthermore\, students gained substantial research strategy skills by engaging in this professional and encouraging environment. \n \n \nProfessor Anderson’s primary experience and scholarly insight further added to the meaningfulness of the workshop. He underlined how the right sources build on the internal validity and reliability and help strengthen the quality of the research project. Borrowing from his rich career experiences\, Professor Anderson shared how he\, as a researcher and historian\, uses primary and secondary sources for his research projects. He outlined the necessity of a detail-oriented analysis to the research process\, which benefited the students and encouraged them to be reflective of their own research experiences. His reflection prompted the students to understand the limitations of their research process and how to overcome some of the hurdles faced. \n \n \n“The most useful and inspiring part of the workshop was Prof. Anderson’s personal description of what a researcher’s life is really like.” – Hussam Aitelqadi\, sophomore at GU-Q. \n \n \nEngaging with Professor Anderson\, students questioned on how to accommodate the variety of sources available; for example\, how to engage with multimedia resources such as newspapers\, magazines\, websites\, and social media platforms\, was one of the quires raised. Professor Anderson narrated how intersectional mediums and methods can boost one’s research and how students can benefit from the vast resources the Georgetown library provides. Hussam Aitelqadi\, a sophomore at GU-Q who attended the workshop\, commented on how participating in the workshop was an enriching learning experience. He reflected that\, “the most useful and inspiring part of the workshop was Prof. Anderson’s personal description of what a researcher’s life is really like.” Another student\, Jawaher Al-Sulaiti\, also reflected on how the workshop helped her to gain a “better understanding of the tools of evaluation.” \n \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n \nIn the second half of the session\, GU-Q Librarian Paschali Terzi led the workshop through an interactive exercise. Building on Professor Anderson’s valuable insight\, Paschalia showed students how to apply their practical learnings from the workshop. Students engaged with scholarly material and used a template to determine the credibility of the source. This was facilitated by accessing journals available on research databases and analyzing how social media can be used as part of research. This hands-on activity solidified the workshop experience; by immediately applying what they learned\, students were able to practice new skills and receive feedback on their work from CIRS Staff and Paschalia. All in all\, this workshop aimed at improving the overall research process of Georgetown University in Qatar’s undergraduate students. \n \n \nArticle by Khushboo Shah\, CURA Administrative Fellow
URL:https://cirs.qatar.georgetown.edu/event/cura-workshop-evaluating-credibility-sources-academic-research/
CATEGORIES:Student Engagement
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Moscow:20200127T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Moscow:20200127T193000
DTSTAMP:20260611T222248
CREATED:20200212T061545Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210829T134653Z
UID:10001425-1580148000-1580153400@cirs.qatar.georgetown.edu
SUMMARY:Qatari Cases before International Dispute Settlement Fora
DESCRIPTION:On January 27\, 2020\, Mohammed Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi\, Dean of the College of Law at Qatar University\, presented a talk at CIRS\, Qatari Cases before International Dispute Settlement Fora\, concerning legal actions following the blockade against Qatar that began on June 5\, 2017. On that date\, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)\, the United Arab Emirates (UAE)\, the Kingdom of Bahrain\, and Egypt severed diplomatic relations and cut off direct communications with Qatar. Al-Khulaifi outlined the ways in which the four countries have taken coercive measures against Qatar and Qataris that are in contravention of their obligations under international treaties to which they are parties. \n\nAl-Khulaifi said the State of Qatar has sought legal remedies and instituted proceedings against the four states using various international dispute settlement mechanisms. Three of the major cases currently pending are at the International Court of Justice (ICJ)\, and are based on: the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms Racial Discrimination (CERD)\, the Convention on International Civil Aviation\, and International Air Services Transit Agreement. In addition\, there are two inter-state complaints before the CERD Committee. Additionally\, there are two cases concerning trade that are currently pending before the World Trade Organization (WTO). \n\nThe first case that Al-Khulaifi discussed was filed by Qatar against the UAE under the CERD Convention\, which deals with matters of human rights. Qatar brought the case against only the UAE because of the four blockading states\, only the UAE recognizes the jurisdiction of the ICJ under this Convention. In this case\, Qatar alleges that the UAE’s actions—for example\, expelling Qatari citizens from the UAE—were based on national origin and therefore the UAE violated its obligations under the CERD. The Convention protects a number of rights including: prohibition on collective expulsion\, the obligation to condemn racial hatred and incitement\, the right to equal treatment before tribunals\, the right to marriage and choice of spouse\, and the right to own private property. These rights are outlined in Article 5 of the Convention\, and Al-Khulaifi said\, “We believe strongly that the UAE has clearly violated those rights.” \n\n“Never has a country decided to submit a complaint in front of a United Nations human-rights treaty body against another state\,” he said. “And I am glad that the case Qatar v. KSA is number one in history; and number two is Qatar v. UAE.” \n\nAdditionally\, Qatar requested provisional measures before the ICJ on June 5\, 2018\, to receive an urgent order from the court “to preserve the rights of its nationals or the rights of the country itself.” The legal team successfully received the court’s approval for the provisional measures that ensured that families separated by the UAE’s measures were reunited; gave Qatari students the option of completing their education in the UAE\, or at least access their necessary records; and allowed Qataris to access UAE courts and tribunals. A fourth measure required “both parties must refrain from any action that may aggravate the dispute during the proceedings of the case.” That the court found in favor of Qatar on these measures was a “clear rebuke of the unlawful discriminatory measures adopted by the UAE\,” Al-Khulaifi said. \n\nIn March 2019\, the UAE submitted its own request for provisional measures\, which was an unconventional step and served to delay the process. However\, the UAE’s request was rejected by the court in June 2019\, Al-Khulaifi said. \n\nThe cases that are before the CERD Committee are conciliation procedures and concern racial discrimination. Qatar has filed two communications against the UAE and KSA. It is worth noting that the case against KSA could not be sent to the ICJ\, Al-Khulaifi said\, “Because Saudi Arabia decided\, purposefully\, to make a reservation to Article 22 of the CERD\, so we could not follow that path.” He noted that this is the first filing of its kind in history. “Never has a country decided to submit a complaint in front of a United Nations human-rights treaty body against another state\,” he said. “And I am glad that the case Qatar v. KSA is number one in history; and number two is Qatar v. UAE.” In August 2019\, the CERD Committee decided to accept the jurisdiction and look at the two communications submitted by the State of Qatar; the cases is still pending. \n\nConcerning the matter of civil aviation\, the four blockading states have prevented Qatari airlines from flying over their territories\, and also landing and taking off from their airports. “Those are clear violations of the Convention on International Civil Aviation\,” he said. After receiving  decisions from the ICAO Council confirming that it has jurisdiction to examine the merits of the cases\, the four blockading states decided to appeal those decisions before the ICJ\, “which will soon decide on these matters\, and hopefully\, will send the cases back to the ICAO Council. Then\, the ICAO Council will examine the merits of our complaints\,” he said. \n\nIn conclusion\, Al-Khulaifi addressed the trade violations within the framework of the World Trade Organization (WTO). “Part of those coercive measures adopted by the four states—but more specifically the three neighboring states—is to simply prevent import\, export\, sale\, purchase\, license\, transfer\, and all types of commercial deals with the State of Qatar\,” he said. Qatar filed  complaints against Bahrain\, KSA\, and UAE arguing violations related to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)\, the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS)\, and the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). An additional separate case was filed against the KSA over intellectual property rights violations concerning copyright infringement\, and more specifically\, piracy of the content of beIN Sport. \n\nAs far as the case against the UAE before the ICJ is concerned\, hearings on preliminary objections will take place soon. Al-Khulaifi said the hearings would be broadcast on the UNTV website. “We expect that a few months after the hearings\, the Court will make its final decision on the jurisdiction of the case. \n\nMohammed Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi is Dean of the College of Law and Associate Professor of commercial law at Qatar University. He is a member of several academic and professional committees in Qatar\, including the Permanent Legislative Committee of the Council of Ministers. He has received numerous awards and fellowships\, including His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani\, The Emir of Qatar\, Ph.D. Award (Education Excellence Award\, 2012). In parallel with his academic activities\, Al-Khulaifi is a lawyer at Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi law firm and serves as an independent adjudicator at the Qatar Financial Center\, in Regulatory Authority. He acts as legal counsel to HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar\, and he was appointed as the Agent of the State of Qatar before the International Court of Justice. His research and practice focus on commercial law\, and he has authored numerous articles and books on bankruptcy\, mergers and acquisitions\, commercial law\, banking transactions\, and arbitration. \n\n  \n\nArticle by Chaïmaa Benkermi (Class of 2021)\, CURA Publications Fellow
URL:https://cirs.qatar.georgetown.edu/event/qatari-cases-international-dispute-settlement-fora/
CATEGORIES:Dialogue Series,Regional Studies
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