Projects

  • Options for Helping Middle Eastern Youth Escape the Trap of Radicalization

    As part of the IMEY project on youth deradicalization, a September 2005 conference addressed the issue of why young people are drawn to fringe movements and/or to delinquent, self-destructive behavior. An expert discussion forum will continue the discussion begun in September, and a second conference is planned for March 15 - 18, 2007 in Doha, Qatar.

  • DC Consortium for the Support of Liberal Democracy in the Middle East

    A number of groups, foundations, think tanks, organizations and experts in the Washington area are working on the issue of Islamic reformers, liberals and secularists - how to identify them, make them more effective, support them, understand and disseminate their message etc.

  • Examining Best Practices in Muslim Family Law

    Researchers from RAND and the Woodrow Wilson Center compared the constitutions and family law codes of 12 Muslim countries -- Algeria, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Pakistan, Syria, Tunisia, and Turkey -- on topics ranging from issues of marriage and divorce to legal rights and violence against women.

  • Developing a Baseline Understanding of Female Youth in the Middle East

    To improve the condition of young women and girls in the Middle East and measure the impact of reforms, policymakers must understand the current circumstances of this population. This IMEY project creates a baseline overview describing the condition of female youth, looks for positive trends, identifies the policies and circumstances that appear to have made these positive changes possible, pinpoints incongruencies, and identifies areas that require closer study.

  • How Iranian Youth Measure the Merit of Ideological Systems, Governance, and Transformation

    The Islamic Republic came to power on a wave of youthful enthusiasm, but Iranian youths today are beginning to take a hard look at what Islamic fundamentalism promised, versus what it actually delivered and what it has meant to them and the quality of their lives. This project will shed light on what "measure of merit" young people use in evaluating ideological systems, systems of governance and societal transformations. It will also illuminate the range of behaviors, from personal to political, by which young people manifest social disaffect.

  • Sesame Street in Afghanistan: Educating Children Where Formal Schooling Is Impeded

    RAND and the Sesame Workshop developed ten 20-minute shows for Afghan children and media kits for educators, to aid learning in a post-conflict setting where schools remain in disarray. The researchers also hope to explore whether educational messages, including social learning, can transcend cultural differences and be universally relevant.