Levant Letters

The Levant Letters is a series of expert articles based on scholarly research, written in an accessible style and focusing on topics related to the Middle East. The series presents Finnish research on the Middle East. Its aim is to go beyond surface-level and to offer carefully analysed and well-considered views on the region. The articles address both contemporary and historical themes—topics that are part of the activities of the Finnish Institute in the Middle East.

The Finnish issues of Levant Letters can be found on the institutes Finnish webpage.

The series was discontinued in 2019.

Seeking better life: Palestinian refugees’ narratives on emigration

And human rights [in Europe]. Here, you don’t have human rights here. (H, al-Bass camp) In Europe everything is good. […]

30.1.2018

Islam Unfettered, Control Retained: The 2012 Educational Reform in Turkey

Reforms in 2012 extended the role of Islam in Turkey’s educational system, but the state’s control over religion was […]

7.2.2016

Justice Agenda in the MENA Regime Change

The MENA is in a flux of regime changes. The Justice deficit is both a driver of change and […]

18.2.2013

Military Orientalism: Observing the East at War

“The Oriental tradition, however, had not been eliminated…On September 11, 2001 it returned in an absolutely traditional form. Arabs, […]

25.3.2012

Women’s NGOs and the rise of political Islam in Morocco

Morocco experienced the Arab Spring relatively peacefully and without major violence. Large demonstrations began in February 2011 after the […]

28.1.2012

The Dilemma on the Special Tribunal for Lebanon

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) was established by the UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1757 (2007) to investigate […]

28.2.2011

The Reverse Side of Globalisation? Thoughts About the Revolutionary Movements in Arabic Countries

During the past months, several Arab countries have experienced revolutionary movements. These events, which sometimes seem chaotic when viewed […]

28.1.2011