Partners

Our Center has collaborated with some of the best names in International Development and International Relations. Either representing or working for important stakeholders in the region, we work with our partners for the sake of achieving our goals in better understanding and better facilitating change in the Middle East.

Civil Society

Civil Society organizations are the rising stars and the Middle East, and especially on the Syrian scene, whether inside or outside Syria. Whether advocates for refugee rights, vocal opponents of ill-appropriation of property rights in war-affected areas, or watch-dogs for governmental abuses of authority, civil socity orgatnitions are our primary partners on the ground. They supply us with data, trained field-personnel, and/or local facilitators; and we supply them with analysis, know-how, and innovative ways of tackling new tasks and/or challenges.

Unfortunately, in a volatile situation such as the Syrian one (currently, our main focus area), most civil society organizations are short-lived. Their digital prints are ephemeral, if any at all. Nonetheless, regardless of the longivity of these organizations, their mere existance is important for vitality and knowledge accumulation of societies that are struggling through tough transitional phases. It for this exact reason that we always go above and beyond what is implied in a working contract in order to support our civili society partners.

Private Sector

When we started in 2012, our first partner war the well-known British company Adam Smith International, which specializes and International Development. Adam Smith was no stranger to Syria, even since before the onset of the war. During the war, the company was active in Syria through a varienty of projects, mostly aimed at civil society. Late in 2012, the company was tasked by the British government to investigate ways to support the emerging governance structures, the so-call Syrian Local Councils. Then, the project, titled Building the capacity of emerging governance structures in Syria, targeted in Qaboun, on the outskirts of Damascus.

Central and Local State Institutions

Supporting decentralization in the Middle East is one of our most important principle, and also one of our strongest core expertises. We have supported and worked with the emerging Local Councils in Syria. Today we seek any opportunity to be involved in any effort to implement good local governance in Syria: in the areas that were always under government control, the area that returned to government control, and also the areas that are under foreign influence such as the two zones in the northeast (American) and the northwest of Syria (Turkish). Such efforts, not only mean to work with local partners, but also to coordinate with the Syrian central institutions, as well as the Turkish, American, and Russian state institions that are involved in Syria.

Political Organizations

Political organizations are probably the weakest on the Middle Eastern scene. Many times, it is hard to distinguish them from civil society organization. Regardless of their political ideology, as long as it is pacifist, inclusive and democratic, we partner with any political organization, or even less-structured groups, in order to help them create a viable presence: formulating a political program, good institutioal practices, forecasting the near future, branding and public image, and/or community impact. Our second project in support of the emerging Syrian local councils was in partnership with a Syriuan political party-under-construction. Unfortunately, the part did not materialize, but the training manuals for raising the capacity of the Syrian local counils, the subject of that partnership, were produced and also used in training potential council personnel.

International Organizations

International organizations, whether governmental, connected with the UN, or independent NGO's, are the :"bread-and-butter" of anybody working in conflict-ridden areas of the world. The methods and impact of such organizations are hotly-debated; this is something that one must acknowledge and engage with. Nonethelessm they are the elements of the international political system, the system in which every country participates and the one to which every country is subject. It is our experience that one must know his/her organization's vision and goals when engaging with the monstrous apparatuses of these internationl organizations. Smaller institutions must constantly adapt to the environment that is shaped by the giant players. Smaller institutions must also never lose sight of their own goals; or otherwise they become mere instruments in the realization of the goals of larger and more powerful players and stakeholders. Over the part decade we have partnered with the German GIZ,and the Swiss-based Center for Humanitarian Dialogue. The projects varied widely from community business development to technical support for track-three diplomacy.

Research and Scientific Community

Our roots are in academic research work; and we are still true to these roots. Whether in data-collection, dynamic model-development, systemic approch to analyzing social phenomena, or predictive models of recent trends in war and politics, we are in constant contact with the reaseach and scientific community for methods, insights, and collaboration.