The Renaissance Strategic Center (RSC) is an independent think tank based in Jordan that operates within the organizational framework of the Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD). RSC was established in 2018 to promote new thinking and policy initiatives to address the challenges confronting the contemporary Arab world. The center is a house of knowledge that enables and hosts inclusive dialogue on various issues pertinent to the Arab world to stimulate innovative social solutions.
The Center is not affiliated with any government or political movement. It stands for systems of government committed to the elimination of poverty and inequality, for governance that is inclusive and free of discrimination, and that promotes the rights of marginalized and vulnerable groups. The Center is committed to a region free of external domination, a just resolution of the Question of Palestine, which remains a central concern of the Arab world, the peaceful resolution of all other conflicts, and policies that effectively address the climate emergency. The Center envisages an Arab world in which the rule of law is fully respected and applied to all who reside within it, with an emphasis on the individual rights of citizenship and participation, and the collective right to self-determination.
Our Aims
The RSC is committed to addressing and meeting the region’s needs, interests, and The Renaissance Dialogue Strategic Center priorities by:
- Localizing and increasing opportunities for knowledge production in the Arab world.
- Enhancing access to information and encouraging collective thinking and collective action based on research.
- Mobilizing national, regional, and international resources and expertise.
- Utilizing diverse networks to build bridges between states and societies in the Arab world, and between the Arab world and other geographic regions.
- Engaging with all relevant stakeholders, and working with the public and private sectors, popular, community-based, and marginalized groups, as well as with international organizations and agencies.
- Providing a free and open forum for dialogue and debate, thus contributing to boosting freedom of speech, opinion, and participation.
- Promoting a holistic approach to transformation through inclusive participation in its programs.
- Participating in the education and training of the next generation of Arab leaders, professionals, and practitioners.
Our approach
The center´s various programs collectively promote its organizational objectives through the following activities:
- Localized research and publications in both Arabic and English on themes and issues where there is a gap in data and analysis.
- Direct engagement, advocacy, and campaigning.
- Networking and entering partnerships that establish and expand communities of participation in the public sphere and can function as catalysts for new initiatives and joint action.
- Provision of a convening space for discussion, dialogue, and debate.
- Education, capacity building, and raising awareness in the center’s fields of expertise.
- Youth empowerment and leadership development, including mentoring junior scholars, professionals, and practitioners.
Al Nahda Guide
ARDD and The American University of Beirut signed a Memorandum of Understanding to increase outreach among interested readers about Al-Nahda. The Al-Nahda (Arabic Renaissance) Guide was created to help those interested in the study of the Arabic Renaissance that began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The bilingual guide (Arabic and English) includes resources about the pioneers of al-Nahda, publications, books by al-Nahda writers as well as those about al-Nahda, societies from the time period, and the Feminist Renaissance. Great thinkers and intellectuals of the Arabic Renaissance, from Rafi’a al-Tahtawi to Abd al-Rahman al-Kawakibi, provide the inspirational basis for ARDD’s mission. By making their works, impacts, and personalities known, their legacy lives on and so that we can pick up where they left off.
