1. Panel - Q & A: Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey Regional Caucus | On the Way to a New Constitution
Channel: Helsinki Yurttaslar Dernegi
Date: 23/05/2012

Saturday 28th April 2012, Istanbul

1. Panel : Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey Regional Caucus

Question & answers with:
Abbas Vali, Boğaziçi University
Christian Sinclair, University of Arizona
Rebwar Kerim Wali, Chief Editor, Rudaw
Cengiz Çandar, Radikal Daily
Nigâr Hacızade 

The events of the Arab Spring brought tremendous change for all Arab countries. Old dictatorships had collapsed, governments had to introduce reforms; the whole process is still ongoing and the results of the events are yet to be seen. In many countries a process of replacing or at least reforming the constitution started. Different models of participation of society and various forms of demands from the people are to be observed.
This conference wants to bring together the various experiences from around the region with a comparative civic/human rights perspective. 

It intends to focus on the question as to what does it mean to be "free" after the revolution, and try to understand the current dynamics that shape the very basis of a social contract in respective countries? This is an important task, given that for the first time since the modern state building experiences, people of the region now have the chance to develop a common vision on issues pertaining to democratic citizenship, based on their will and internal dynamics in a mutually learning environment. 

As such, the conference will be dealing with issues and problems of the following sort and similar others:

• How does the landscape of political actors and political parties look like and whom do they represent in society? Do they form coalitions and how do their interests play into their demands for a new constitution?
• What are the social constituents, opposition groups, protest groups, their socio-political structures and the nature of their demands?
• The question of popular participation for a new constitution: How can people be organized to play an active role in shaping the transition towards a new social contract?
• What should be the content of a constitution based on democratic citizenship? What should a constitution incorporate to have the democratic capacity to bridge differences?
• Debating the idea of equal democratic citizenship in ethnic-religious, linguistic terms. 
• The various modes, degrees and models of decentralization; alternatives between federal structures, autonomy models or cultural rights. 

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