The importance of the media over in these countries over this period is often acknowledged but rarely examined. We wanted to address the lack of detailed analysis of both the media's impact on North Africa's countries since the Arab Spring, and the impact of the Arab Spring and the subsequent evolving political settlements in these countries on their medias.
02 October 2019
Addressing the gaps in media and political accountability since the Arab Spring
The media has been a major influence on the political development of North African Countries since the Arab Spring, yet nobody’s talking about it, conference delegates heard last week.
Our Institute of Middle Eastern Studies brought together scholars working in International Relations, Political Science and Journalism, and practicing journalists and editors to address this shortfall at their recent Inaugural Conference and Keynote Address.
The conference, held on 25 September, addressed a wide range of topics including the media and political hybridity, activism challenging authoritarian resilience and the power of new online media.
Jonathan Hill, Director of the Institute of Middle Eastern Studies & Professor of International Relations, explained:
The Keynote Address, which took place the following evening, was delivered by Dr Christian Turner, the Prime Minister’s International Affairs Adviser and Deputy National Security Adviser from 2017 to 2019 and a former Director General for the Middle East and Africa.
His address focused on the development of the UK’s interests in – and relations with –the countries of the Middle East and North Africa since the Arab Spring.
The Inaugural Conference was recorded, and you can listen to the audio here
This event was in partnership with the project “Arab Media and Democracy: Journalistic Practices in Communicating Conflicts_ The Arab Spring” funded by the British Academy Sustainable Development Project.
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Director of the Institute of Middle Eastern Studies