In November 2014, UMAM D&R and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung brought together individuals from 13 different MENA countries at a conference titled "States of Transition: Emerging Memory Challenges in in Conflict and Post-Conflict Countries." The discussions of this conference focused on issues related to transitional justice, power changes, and legacies of past and present violence. Often times discussions of such topics take a broad view, relying upon stale perspectives that ignore the nuance of an immensely complicated region.

During the conference, divergent viewpoints and varied experiences helped deconstruct the issues related to transitional justice and expanded narrow thinking that attempts to offer simple explanations for complex problems. Given the certainty that the few instances of peaceful transition will likely remain just that – the few – honest dialogue and discussion is needed.