• LG 211 - US Foreign Policy
• LG 320 - Contemporary Politics of the Middle East and North Africa.
• LG 563 - The Politics of the Arab-Israeli Conflict.
• LG 574 - Political Islam.

Recent Conferences/Lectures: 

“The convergence of governance. Upgrading authoritarianism in the Arab world and downgrading democracy elsewhere?”, 3rd World Congress in Middle East Studies, Barcelona, Spain, July 2010.

(with Emanuela Dalmasso) “The family code in Tunisia and Morocco – The struggle between traditionalism, globalization and democracy”, Eleventh Mediterranean Social and Political Research Meeting, Florence, Italy, March 2010.

“The European Union’s critical engagement with the Syrian Arab Republic in the 2000s”, Johns Hopkins University, Bologna Center, Bologna, Italy, February 2010.

(with Erik Mohns)“Negotiations without end? The EU’s failure in engineering Syrian foreign policy”, Centre for Contemporary Middle East Studies, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark, December 2009.  

"Civil activism in Morocco. Much ado about nothing?", Knowledge Programme, University of Amsterdam, Holland, November 2009.

(with Ellen Lust) Director of ECPR Workshop 2 “Civil society dynamics under authoritarian rule”, ECPR Joint Sessions, Lisbon, Portugal, April 2009.

“Engaging authoritarianism. The European Union, Syria and normative power”, UACES Annual Conference, Edinburgh, Scotland, September 2008.

“Tyrants and Terrorists: Authoritarian Consolidation as Counter-Terrorism. The case of the Middle East and North Africa”, International Studies Association (ISA) Annual Conference, San Francisco, USA, March 2008.

(with Vincent Durac) “Divergence or Convergence? The European Union and the United States security Policies in the Middle East and North Africa”, Panel co-director, Annual Conference of the Middle East Studies Association (MESA), Montreal, Canada, November 2007.

“A Clash of Civilisations within civil society? The failure of pro-democracy policies in North Africa”, Centre for Comparative Integration Studies, University of Aalborg, Denmark, August 2007. 

“Between participation and revolution. The case of the Moroccan Jamiat al-Adl wal-Ihsan”, ECPR Joint Sessions, Helsinki, Finland, May 2007. 

“Divided they stand, divided the fail. Opposition politics in Morocco”, UACES Workshop, Centre for Contemporary Middle East Studies, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark, April 2007. 

(with Azzam Elananza) “Show me the money. The role of western funding for civil society organisations in Jordan and Lebanon”,  Eight Mediterranean Social and Political Research Meeting, Florence, Italy, March 2007.

(with Azzam Elananza) “The power of civil society? Evidence from Algeria, Lebanon and Jordan”, Annual Conference of the British International Studies Association (BISA), Cork, Ireland, December, 2006.

(with Azzam Elananza) “The secular/religious divide within Arab civil society. Evidence from Algeria, Lebanon and Jordan”, Annual Conference of the Middle East Studies Association (MESA), Boston, USA, November 2006.

(with Azzam Elananza) “The Authoritarian nature of Arab civil society? The interactions of secular and religious organisations in Jordan and Lebanon”, Annual Conference of the Political Science Association of Ireland (PSAI), Cork, Ireland, October 2006. 
 

(with Vincent Durac) “Western Democracy Promotion in the Middle East and the War on Terror: The Case of Tunisia”, 2nd World Congress in Middle East Studies, Amman, Jordan, June 2006. 

(with Sylvia Kritzinger and Raj S. Chari), “Spectacular failure or cunning plan? The EU, the Barcelona Process and the case of Morocco”,  XIX Congress of the Società Italiana di Scienza Politica, Cagliari, Italy, September 2005. 

“Civil Society, Islamism and Democratisation. The case of Morocco”, 3rd ECPR General Conference, Budapest, Germany, September 2005.

Director of ECPR Workshop 11 “Post-Cold War Democratisation in the Muslim World: Domestic, Regional and Global Trends”, ECPR Joint Sessions, Granada, Spain, April 2005.

“The War on Terror - Perspectives from Radical Islamic Groups”, Royal Irish Academy, Dublin, Ireland, Novemebr 2004. 

“Civil society, democracy and Islam. The case of Morocco”, Annual Conference of the Political Science Association of Ireland (PSAI), Limerick, Ireland, October 2004. 

(with Sylvia Kritzinger and Raj S. Chari), "Continuities and Change in Party Positions Towards Europe: An Examination of Italian Parties' Euro-Manifestos", APSA Annual Conference, Chicago, USA, September 2004. Presentation delivered by Sylvia Kritzinger.

"Internal-External Linkages in Processes of Democratisation. The Case of Morocco" 2nd ECPR General Conference, Marburg, Germany, September 2003. 

(with Sylvia Kritzinger and Raj S. Chari), "Continuities and Change in Party Positions Towards Europe: An Examination of Italian Parties' Euro-Manifestos" Workshop on The Europeanisation of the Italian Political System, European University Institute, Florence, Italy, June 2003. 

(with Ben Tonra), “Normative foundations in EU foreign, security and defence policy. The case of the Middle East Peace process” ECPR-Joint Sessions, Edinburgh, Scotland, March 2003.

"Constructing an open model of transitions. International variables and the Democratization Process in North Africa”, APSA Annual Conference, Boston, USA, August 2002.

(with Nalini Persram and Shiera el-Malik), "The Clash and 'Civilisation': Policy, populace and international legitimacy", Dept. of Human Rights, Rabat, Morocco, June 2002. 

 “The West and the failed democratization of North Africa: the cases of Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria” to be presented at the Center for International Studies, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA, October 2001. 

“Geopolitical challenges to the success of democracy: the case of the Maghreb”, Royal Irish Academy, Dublin, October 2000.

“The Impact of the International dimension on transitions to democracy…and back: the case of Algeria”,  World Congress of the International Political Science Association, Quebec City, Canada, August 2000. 

“A paradigm under scrutiny: the utility of realism and the myth of a new International order”, Annual Conference of the Political Studies Association of Ireland (PSAI), October 1999.

Personal Interest

• Visit FC Parma's Homepage

• Democratisation and authoritarianism in the Arab world.
• Radical Islamic groups, with a specific focus on Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia.
• The international relations of the Middle East and North Africa; the Arab-Israeli conflict.
• Civil society activism in the Arab world.
• European Union external policy-making.

(with Vincent Durac), Civil Society and Democratisation in the Arab world: the Dynamics of Activism, Routledge, 2010.

(with Vincent Durac, eds.), The foreign policies of the EU and the US in North Africa. Converging or diverging dynamics?, Routledge, 2009.

Democracy Betrayed? The international dimension of the failed Algerian transition, Manchester University Press, 2009. 

(with Frederic Volpi, eds.) Democratization in the Muslim World. Changing Patterns of Power and Authority, Routledge, 2007. 

(with Arantza Gomez Arana) ‘The European Union’s critical engagement with the Syrian Arab Republic’, European Foreign Affairs Review, Vol. 15, No. 5, 2010, pp. 629-644.

(with Michelle Pace) ‘The Post-Normative Turn in European Union (EU)-Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Relations - An Introduction’, European Foreign Affairs Review, Vol. 15, No. 5, 2010, pp. 581-588.

‘The convergence of governance. Upgrading authoritarianism in the Arab world and downgrading democracy elsewhere?’, Middle East Critique, Vol. 19, No. 3, 2010, pp. 217–232.

(with Emanuela Dalmasso) ‘Reforming the Family Code in Tunisia and Morocco – The struggle between religion, globalisation and democracy’, Totalitarian Movements and Political Religions, Vol. 11, No. 2, 2010, pp. 195-210. 

(with Erik Mohns) ‘‘“Yes, he can.” A reappraisal of Syrian foreign policy under Bashar al-Asad’, Mediterranean Politics, Vol. 15, No. 2, 2010, pp. 289-298.

(with Hendrik Kraetzschmar) ‘Bullets over ballots: Islamist groups, the State and election violence in Egypt and Morocco’, Democratization, Vol. 17, No. 2, 2010, pp. 326-349.

(with Robert Elgie) ‘The impact of semi-presidentialism on governance in the Palestinian Authority’ Parliamentary Affairs, Vol. 63, No. 1, 2010, pp. 22-40.

(with Emanuela Dalmasso) ‘Liberal outcomes through undemocratic means. The reform of the Code du Statut Personnel in Morocco’, The Journal of Modern African Studies, Vol. 47, No. 4, 2009, pp. 487-506.

(with Vincent Durac) “Strengthening authoritarian rule through democracy promotion? Examining the paradox of the US and EU security strategies. The case of Tunisia”, British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, Vol. 36, No. 1, 2009, pp. 3-19.

(with Vincent Durac) “The foreign policies of the EU and the US in North Africa. Converging or diverging dynamics?”, Journal f North African Studies, Vol. 14, No. 1, 2009, pp. 1-9.

“Divided they stand, divided they fail. Opposition politics in Morocco”, Democratization, Vol. 16, No. 1, 2009, pp. 137-156. 

(with Peter Seeberg and Michelle Pace), “The EU’s Democratization Agenda in the Mediterranean: a Critical Inside-Out Approach”, Democratization, Vol. 16, No. 1, 2009, pp. 3-19,.

(with Azzam Elananza) “Political opposition in civil society. An analysis of the interactions of secular and religious associations in Algeria and Jordan”, Government and Opposition, Vol. 43, No. 4, 2008, pp. 561-578.

(with Raj Chari, Sylvia Kritzinger and Arantza Gomez), “EU external policy-making: ‘realistically’ dealing with authoritarianism? The case of Morocco”, European Foreign Affairs Review, Vol. 13, No. 3, 2008, pp. 357-376.  

“Civil society, democracy promotion and Islamism on the Southern shores of the Mediterranean”, Mediterranean Politics, Vol. 13, No. 1, 2008, pp. 109-119.

“Alternative Lessons from the Algerian Scenario”, Perspectives on Terrorism, Vol. 2, No. 1, 2008.

(with Ben Tonra), “Normative foundations in EU foreign, security and defence policy: the case of the Middle East Peace Process - A view from the field”, Contemporary Politics, Vol. 13, No. 4, 2007, pp. 349-363. 

“Neither participation nor revolution. The strategy of the Jamiat al-Adl wal-Ihsan”, Mediterranean Politics, Vol. 12, No.3, 2007, pp 379-395. 

“More than repression; strategies of regime survival. The significance of divide et impera in Morocco”, Journal of Contemporary African Studies, Vol. 25, No. 2, 2007, pp. 187-203. 

(with Frederic Volpi), “Forgetting Democratization? Recasting power and authority in a plural Muslim world”, Democratization, Vol. 13, No. 3, May 2006, pp. 363-372. 

“Civil Society, Islamism and Democratisation. The case of Morocco”, The Journal of Modern African Studies, Vol. 44, No. 2, 2006, pp. 203-222.

“The War on Terror - Perspectives from Radical Islamic Groups” Irish Studies in International Affairs, Vol. 16, November 2005, pp. 35-50. 

“The International Context of Morocco's Stalled Democratisation”, Democratization, Vol. 12, No. 4, August 2005, pp.548-566.

(with Sylvia Krtitzinger  and Raj Chari), “Continuities and Change in Party Positions Towards Europe: An Examination of Italian Parties' Euro-Manifestos”, Journal of European Public Policy, Vol. 11, No. 6, December 2004, pp. 954-974. 

(with Eoin O'Malley) “Finding a party and losing some friends: Overcoming the weaknesses of the Prime Ministerial Figure in Italy”, Contemporary Politics, Vol. 10, No. 3, Dec. 2004, pp. 271-286. 

“Constructing an Open Model of Transitions. International Political Economy and the Failed Democratisation of North Africa”, Journal of North African Studies, Vol. 9, No. 3, Autumn 2004, pp. 1-18. 

“Marocco: le contraddizioni di una transizione permanente”, Meridione. Sud e Nord nel Mondo, Vol. 4, No. 4, July 2004, pp. 149-153. 

(with Raj Chari), “The Iraq War: Killing Dreams of a Unified EU?”, European Political Science (EPS), Vol. 3, No. 1, Autumn 2003, pp. 25-29. 

“The Failed Liberalisation of Algeria and the International Context: a Legacy of Stable Authoritarianism”, Journal of North African Studies, Vol. 7, No. 4, Winter 2002, pp. 23-43.

(with Raj Chari), “Economic Actors’ Political Activity in Overlap Issues: privatizations in Spain, France and Ireland and EU State Aid Control”, West European Politics, Vol. 25, No. 4, October 2002, pp. 119-142.

“Geopolitical challenges to the success of democracy in North Africa: Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco”, Democratization, Vol. 8, No. 4, Winter 2001, pp. 175-194.

“The role of the Northern League in Transforming the Italian political system: from economic federalism to ethnic politics and back”, Contemporary Politics, Vol. 7, No.1, March 2001, pp. 27-40.