Background Brief - The Arab revolutions and challenges for

The beginnings of political legitimacy and the legitimate use of power resides in responding to demands voiced by people in the square, like the „agora‟ of the ancient Athenians. [...] Regional research programs and knowledge production on conflict resolution and peacebuilding The region is desperately in need of critical thinking in the field of conflict resolution and strong academic programs and research institutes, which can consolidate the knowledge of peace practitioners and help create a knowledge base of research, best practices, and training materials. [...] o Organizations have to promote and contribute to the institutional reform of the police, the army and the judiciary. [...] Contact: nizarghanem@gmail.com ENDNOTES 1 In the view of the author, for Arab NGOs the seeds of an “Arab peace movement” lie in their understanding of and involvement with grassroots interests and concerns, which also reflects the non-violent, impoverished and democratic nature of the popular uprisings. [...] Fourth, accompanied by the recovery of the argument will of the people, is the bringing of the identity of the Arab region to the forefront, in the face of a series of identities imposed from the outside.