Policy Focus & Research Themes

Crisis and Future of Citizenship in the Arab Region

Mass denial of citizenship not only defies international law, but also challenges the foundations of the state. Today more people than ever before are trapped without states, services, or identities. The Arab Region faces particularly complex issues in failed or failing states, with international armed conflicts creating massive numbers of refugees and internally displaced populations.

BCARS working groups, through discussion forums, publications, and social media are documenting, researching, and analyzing failed citizenship transactions and seeking to understand how various levels of governance and civil society are working to address these unique challenges.

Displacement & Migration

Syria, Yemen, Libya, Iraq, Palestine ... The Arab Region is facing unprecedented humanitarian challenges and crises of displacement within and across borders. More than half of the world's 22.5 million refugees are from the Arab Region. Internally displaced persons in the Arab Region total more than 12 million.

BCARS teams are working with practitioners, policy makers, and researchers to develop policy solutions and share best practices for international and regional actors on issues related to displacement and migration.

Civil Society & Human Rights

Millions of citizens across the Arab Region are increasingly excluded from exercising their basic human and civil rights, whether they remain in their national home or are seeking refuge outside their state borders. The ability of civil society organizations and human rights frameworks to address the political, economic, and social challenges in the Arab Region is becoming increasingly constrained and contested.

BCARS is strengthening transnational networks of scholars, researchers, policymakers and practitioners working on the complex challenges associated with the shrinking civil society space and hurdles to human rights imperatives in the Arab Region.