Issue 10 September 2016 Middle East & North Africa Borders: Lines in the Sand or in the Mind? Hanaa Edwar 13 Tamara Qiblawi 18 Khalid Mouna 49 The Dream of Overcoming all Borders On the Borders of Dreams - Stories from the Borders, Drugs and Migrants in Northern Front Lines of Political Partitions Morocco Contents Editorial 1 Is Partitioning Syria a Solution? 2 Haid Haid The Kurds and the Shifting Borders of the Middle East 6 Bakr Sidki The Dream of Overcoming all Borders 13 Hanaa Edwar On the Borders of Dreams - Stories from the Front Lines of Political Partitions 18 Tamara Qiblawi When Borders are the Problem and the Solution: Palestine Paradigm 22 Wafa’ Abdel Rahman The Myth of Demographic Purity 26 Mohammed Dibo Frontières Fluides 34 Katrin Ströbel & Mohammed Laouli Hungary Successfully Stops Birds’ Attempt to Migrate to Europe 47 Al Hudood Team If Europe is a Fortress, then its Walls are Full of Cracks: the Case of Sub-Saharan Migrants in Morocco 48 Mehdi Alioua Borders, Drugs and Migrants in Northern Morocco 53 Khalid Mouna On More Subtle Borders A Discussion with Author, Director and Performer Sawsan Bou Khaled 58 Abraham Zeitoun Editorial When ISIS announced the establishment of the The Lebanese artists of KnoozRoom con- so-called ‘Islamic State’ it fuelled discussions sider the situation of people in communities as to whether this would herald the ‘end of particularly affected by the drawing of borders – Sykes-Picot’ – borders artificially drawn by the a project featured by one of its creators, Tamara colonial powers at the beginning of the twenti- Qiblawi. eth century. But borders are more than ‘lines in In the case of Palestine borders are the the sand’: they divide. While the privileged few problem and the solution, writes author Wafa’ may cross legitimately by simply presenting Abdel Rahman in her essay. their passport, for most, these borders present Mohammed Dibo discusses the relation- difficult if not insurmountable hurdles. People ship between a virtually shrinking world and fleeing from war, climate change or economic the new challenges globalization poses to iden- hardship, attempt to cross the Mediterranean tity. In a world where some have the chance to but many drown trying. move and others are forced to migrate, peo- Crossing borders legally has become ple become modern nomads; this, at least, is increasingly difficult which leaves many who the approach of Moroccan artist Mohammed are desperate at the mercy of smugglers or Laouli and German Artist Karin Ströbel in their human traffickers; and, in this equation, it is project ‘Frontières Fluides – fluid boundaries’. more often the victims who are prosecuted, Morocco is a transit country for migrants from punished and deported than those who sell Sub-Saharan Africa, and because of the proxim- passage on barely seaworthy vessels. ity of some of its borders to Europe, it is particu- So what is on the map for the region? Syrian larly affected by border regimes. author Haid Haid discusses whether the divi- The Jordanian satirical magazine Al Hudood sion of Syria is an option. This necessarily raises mocks European efforts to seal its borders, the question of the future of the Kurds, a ques- while Moroccan author Mehdi Alioua describes tion that has become even more relevant fol- the ‘Walls of Fortress Europe’ as full of cracks lowing the Turkish intervention in Syria. Bakr that allow for selective and ambivalent trans- Sidki explores whether the issue is autonomy, gressions. In similar fashion, Khalid Mouna federalism, or something entirely different. looks at the city of Tangier and how migration While borders between nations might be and drug trafficking blur the concept of border the best documented, there are plenty of other control as a means to enhance security. lines of division: social, ethnic, religious and Abraham Zeitoun interviews actress Sawsan ideological. How firm or permeable the divi- Bou Khaled on her understanding of the more sions are is subject to change, but any border subtle borders of the body and the arts. is a painful memory of the fact that it is not an Finally, this issue is illustrated by the individual’s choice to define which side he or Lebanese artist Nadine Bekdache with her take she is on. on space, borders and transgression. Hanaa Edwar, a member of the Iraqi com- Permit us a little celebration: with ‘Borders’, munist party, joined the Iraqi resistance, the the Arab Middle East and North Africa offices Peshmerga, in the 1980s. She takes us back to a publish their tenth edition of Perspectives! time when she and her comrades developed a Bente Scheller, Dorothea Rischewski, vision of how to overcome the borders imposed Bettina Marx and Joachim Paul. by ethnicity, religion, class and gender. 2 Is Partitioning Syria a Solution? Is Partitioning Syria a Solution? Haid Haid Over the past few years, talks about partitioning for years to come. Given Syria’s geopolitical Syria as a potential solution to ending the importance and the negative ramifications of conflict have been taking place among its conflict, regionally and internationally, a diplomats and experts; these ideas tend to gain political solution is essential to restoring peace. momentum following significant military shifts Furthermore, the failure of previous attempts to or before high profile political talks. The most find a political solution that all Syrians approve, significant development in this context was the has motivated efforts to think ‘outside the box’, US secretary of state, John Kerry’s, statement to find ways to resolve the conflict and restore about a Plan B that could involve partitioning stability. One group of experts came up with Syria if a planned ceasefire in February 2016 did an obvious solution, divide the country and not work, or if a political transition did not begin create borders between those who are fighting in the coming months.1 each other. Their justification: that the odds of Although Kerry did not advocate partition restoring Syria to a fully functioning state are as a solution and refused to reveal the details of slim, therefore partitioning the country along Plan B, many people interpreted his words as a sectarian and ethnic lines would reassure threat to partition Syria. Some of the supporters groups within Syria and end the fight to control of this proposal justify their position with the the state. de facto division of Syria, as different groups There are differing views on how the country control different areas. Others see it as the should be divided, but there is a common only way to end Syria’s conflict, as all political understanding that it would be divided into attempts have failed, arguing that Syria’s ethnic three regions: an Alawite region in the coastal and religious groups do not want to live together cities, a Kurdish region in the east, and a Sunni anymore. Partitioning Syria is yet another region in the central areas. However, others decontextualized proposal made by people argue that this kind of negotiated partition who are not well informed about the Syrian is unlikely because of the balance of power context and who do not even try to become in Syria. Therefore, they advocate an ethnic/ so. Partitioning Syria is not an option because religious/political partition along unofficial people, locally and regionally, are against it; de facto division lines in Syria. In this scenario, because it lacks the necessary requirements the Assad regime will control what they call and because it has many downsides which will the ‘useful Syria’; the coastal areas and the be discussed here. Lebanese border, Damascus, Aleppo, and the Haid Haid is a Syrian researcher major cities of western, southern, and central who focuses on security policies, What is the Proposal About? Syria, including key energy infrastructures. The conflict resolution, and Kurdish and Islamist movements. Prior to remaining two regions, the Kurdish and Sunni, that, he was programme manager Despite recent military gains by pro-Assad will be organised according to the groups for Syria and Iraq at the Heinrich forces, experts working on Syria agree that within Syria that can be realistically controlled. Böll Stiftung-Middle East Office in Beirut. He has also worked there is no military solution to the war. Assad is The argument is that the country is already as a senior community services unlikely to regain control over all territories in divided on the ground but that the fight could protection assistant at UNHCR’s Syria, but even if he succeeded, it could easily be halted by formalizing the de facto partition, Damascus office. He has an MA in social development and a BA in lead to a long and violent guerilla war, which thereby appeasing all parties. Sociology. means that the armed conflict might continue Is Partitioning Syria a Solution? 3 Lack of National and said in a conference call with reporters on 8 Regional Support March 2016.4 Seventy opposition armed groups signed a statement rejecting the federal system Despite the deep divisions between Syrians and vowing to resist any ideas that could lead all of them, at least in public, agree that to the partition of Syria.5 The Kurdish National partitioning Syria is not an option. The Syrian Council, one of the Syrian opposition blocs, conflict began in March 2011 as a peaceful also denounced the PYD’s declaration and revolution calling for basic rights and political claimed that the declaration would ‘undermine reform, and, despite the ongoing atrocities the Syrian Kurds’ struggle and their national against civilians for which Assad is largely and patriotic aspirations.’6 Furthermore, the responsible, Syrians did not call for partition as Syrian Foreign Ministry rejected talks about a a solution.