MENARA provides a bottom-up assessment of local, regional and global dynamics in the MENA region and their projection into the future. The findings are based on numerous fact-finding missions covering 30 countries from the region and beyond, almost 300 face-to-face interviews, a Delphi survey with 71 experts, 3 focus groups (Brussels, Rabat and Beirut) and 2 stakeholders meetings (Istanbul and Rome).
The project was divided in four phases.
• The first one aimed at reaching a common conceptual and analytical framework with a particular focus on clarifying the notion of regional order, the limits of this region, the importance of historical factors and the interplay between domestic, regional and global levels of analysis.
• The second one looked at material and ideational factors shaping the regional order. This includes, among other, key issues such as the links between religion and politics, nationalism, militarisation, energy, demographic and environmental factors.
• The third phase zoomed in into specific actors and cooperative and conflictual dynamics. This effort covered the three levels of analysis (domestic, regional and global)
• Finally, the fourth and concluding phase of the project aimed at characterising the regional order and assessed the intensity and direction of changes since 2011. It also built scenarios for the medium and long-term futures and identified policy-options for the EU.
During the whole duration of the project communication has been fundamental pillar of this collective endeavour. MENARA reached out to different audiences, thus bridging the gap between policy, research and practice. The dissemination activities have been fully integrated in the research activities. The projects website has been constantly updated. Every two months, MENARA has sent a newsletter to more than 13.000 subscribers summarizing all the research activities and events conducted by the researchers within the project. Also, the research activities have been disseminated through the social media, Twitter (@MenaraH2020) and Facebook (Menara2020). The researchers also delivered informed comments to several media outlet in Europe and the MENA region and have written Op-ed for the MENARA blog on the Huffington Post Maghreb.
At the policy-level, the members of the project kept regular contact with their national ministries and the coordinator has also liaised with European institutions regularly. The coordinator was invited to present preliminary results of MENARA in the European Parliament and in the EEAS. The project also organized two Stakeholder meetings targeting expert, policy-makers and academics working in the MENA and a final conference in March 2019 attended by more than 200 Brussels-based decision-makers and members of the EU institutions staff. This conference was opened by the High Representative and VP of the European Commission, Federica Mogherini.
Finally, the project produced specific products to further communicate the results:
• 20 infographics and maps that visualise the main research outcomes of the project.
• 5 time-lines on the Middle East and North Africa,
• 28 videos (MENARA voices)
• 4 booklets translating the results of the research for specific target audiences (academia, humanitarian sector, business and development agencies).
