This course engages the issue of justice in the aftermath of the “Arab Springs”. Transitional justice came to be recognized in recent decades as an important component of post-crisis and post-war situations. Considering the massive human rights abuses and widespread corruption that prevailed under the pre-Arab Spring regimes in the various Arab countries, transitional justice would be a most relevant tool to overcome the past and to build post-revolution societies and polities on fairer and more equitable terms. Focusing especially on the Tunisian and Egyptian cases, the course will show however the extent to which politicized justice rather than true transitional justice has prevailed so far, and the short term and longer term consequences of such politicization. A couple of present situations will be assessed and the problems pertaining to politicized justice and unfulfilled transitional justice will be pinpointed and analyzed. Overall, the course aims at introducing the theory of transitional justice and at familiarizing the students with the relevant challenges in the framework of the Arab Spring.
First Joint Summer School : Building Peace after the Arab Springs 