Intercultural dialogue and the emerging Mediterranean : realigning the Anna Lindh Foundation strategy

Abstract

What has been described as the most important event in the 21st century so far emerged from the Arab street- from Sidi Bouzid to Cairo, Misrata and Homs- where millions of people from diverse social and political backgrounds assembled in public squares and local neighbourhoods at the start of 2011 ready to stake a claim to their future. Many of them were young citizens who had taken inspiration as peers in Tunisia led an extraordinary uprising, exchanging ideas online about everything from tactics for civic mobilisation to tear-gas evasion. ‘Dignity, freedom and democracy’ were words now written in Arabic, displayed on hand-made banners and Facebook walls, and constituting the manifesto of an unprecedented social and political movement emerging across the region.