Directors Statement

 The Academic Alliance for Reconciliation in the Middle East and North Africa (AARMENA)

AARMENA emerged from research conducted by Professor. Dr. Martin Leiner head of the scientific board and the executive and research director Dr. Iyad AlDajani . The research was approached through the question, "How to plant seeds of reconciliation in the Middle East and North Africa?" ​​(MENA) region. 

The initiative started with Professor Martin Leiner and co-assistant Dr. Iyad AlDajani, by visiting different universities in the Middle East and North Africa. They started to travel to Jordan, Palestine, Egypt, and Qatar, to develop cooperation with different universities. After signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with different universities in the Middle East and North Africa, other universities wanted to be part of the reconciliation peace studies research. Positive responses were received from the University of Qatar - Ibn Khaldun center for social science research, Tanta University, Assuite University, and Mohammad, the first University of Oujda in Morocco. By the end of that first visit, Professor Martin Leiner and Dr. Iyad AlDajani had understood that there was potential to develop research on reconciliation studies on the academic level in the Middle East and North Africa. 

AARMENA consisted of professors, scholars, and researchers from Middle Eastern institutions and international non-governmental organizations. Today's academic alliance has over forty-five academic institutions as members from different universities in the MENA region.

AARMENA focuses on promoting dialogue and scientific research between university scholars in the MENA region and European University scholars, including international reconciliation and peace researchers and institutions, and integrating the research into developing an academic degree at the master's or doctoral level. 

• Scientific Board Director: Prof. Dr. Martin Leiner 
• Research & Executive Director Dr.phil. Iyad Muhsen AlDajani