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The Middle East Studies Center held a seminar on scientific research and civil society in Arab World reforms presented by Professor Hassan Nafa’a from the Politics Department at Cairo University in which he clarified the concepts of civil society, associations, reform in the Arab World and scientific research. His paper was followed by Dr Ibrahim Badran, a political scientist in Jordan. Dr Nafa'a discussed priorities and the issue of restoration of authority for meaningful reforms. He explained the current problems facing the Arab world that of development, absence of a strong and reliable economic policy and the absence of political participation. He said scientific research in the Arab world must be understood within this context. Its lack of goes back to the absence of strong development, but it can also be used to create effective policy and civil society institutions, though he stressed the lack of expenditure is always a problem. Dr Badran stressed that scientific and academic research requires a nationalistic structure that fosters the infrastructure of moving forward and fight underdevelopment. He said for this to happen there must also be a united Arab world. He said it is incumbent on many parties and actors to carry on the reform including: Government, civil society organizations, private sector, academic institutions, political parties, and the general elites in society. MESC Director Mr Jawad A1 Hamad said there has to be a greater understanding between the different actors regarding reform in the Arab world, and we must not compare ourselves to the United States, Germany and Japan which is often the case. Mr Hamad said there are derivatives and basic elements we have to create and foster relating to: Our education, technological change and adoption, political and social reform, openness to the world and social and political diversity.
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