Feminist Peace and Security in the Middle East and North Africa

Feminism, Violent Extremism, Africa, Middle East, Gender, CVE

Conflict has escalated in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) on a dizzying scale since the 2011 Arab uprisings. The region has witnessed conflicts between states, between states and non-state actors, and conflicts in which international actors play a major role. These conflicts are best seen as a form of the ‘new wars’ that emerged globally after the end of the Cold War, in which non-state actors are increasingly influential and civilians are affected by conflict ever more directly and in multi-faceted ways. Most notably, terrorism has become the most significant cause of violence as a new generation of violent non-state actors has emerged. Conflicts that originated in particular parts of the region have spread to other parts, drawing in regional and international actors along the way. The power and security vacuums that emerged due to the chaos of war and weak state institutions, especially in the fields of security and the rule of law, have been filled with increasing numbers of local, national, regional and international actors. Nowhere is this more evident than in the transformation of the Syrian war into something more akin to an international proxy war; although the current conflicts in Libya, Yemen and Iraq also display these hallmarks. The net effect is a heightening of local tension and conflict between actors and a rendering of the resolution of the conflict even more complicated.