Debating Arab Authoritarianism

Debating Arab Authoritarianism
Author: Oliver Schlumberger
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Total Pages: 361
Release: 2007-11-20
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0804779619

This volume inquires into the working mechanisms, the inner logic, and the durability of authoritarian rule in Arab countries. Written by leading American, European, and Arab experts, the collected essays explore the ongoing political dynamics of the region and show how Arab regimes retain power despite ongoing transformations on regional, national, and international levels and in societal, political, and economic spheres. The findings of this book strongly suggest that democratization remains off the agenda in any Arab country for the foreseeable future. Domestic political protests, international pressure toward more liberal governance, and "reform-oriented" regimes notwithstanding, Debating Arab Authoritarianism indicates that while the impetus for political change is strong, it is in the direction of an adaptation to changed circumstances and may even be a revitalization or consolidation of authoritarian rule rather than a systemic transition to democracy.

Modern Middle East Authoritarianism

Modern Middle East Authoritarianism
Author: Noureddine Jebnoun
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 320
Release: 2013-07-31
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1135007314

While the Arab uprisings have overturned the idea of Arab "exceptionalism," or the acceptance of authoritarianism, better analysis of authoritarianism’s resilience in pre- and post-uprising scenarios is still needed. Modern Middle East Authoritarianism: Roots, Ramifications, and Crisis undertakes this task by addressing not only the mechanisms that allowed Middle Eastern regimes to survive and adapt for decades, but also the obstacles that certain countries face in their current transition to democracy. This volume analyzes the role of ruling elites, Islamists, and others, as well as variables such as bureaucracy, patronage, the strength of security apparatuses, and ideological legitimacy to ascertain regimes’ life expectancies and these factors’ post-uprisings repercussions. Discussing not only the paradigms through which the region has been analyzed, but also providing in-depth case studies of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Iran, the authors arrive at critical conclusions about dictatorship and possibilities for its transformation. Employing diverse research methods, including interviews, participant observation, and theoretical discussions of authoritarianism and political transition, this book is essential reading for scholars of Middle East Studies, Islamic Studies and those with an interest in the governance and politics of the Middle East.

Democracy and Authoritarianism in the Arab World

Democracy and Authoritarianism in the Arab World
Author: Nicola Pratt
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2022
Genre: POLITICAL SCIENCE
ISBN: 9781626377394

What explains the enduring rule of authoritarian regimes in the Arab world? Nicola Pratt offers an innovative approach to this recurring question, shedding light on the failure of democratization by examining both the broad dynamics of authoritarianism in the region and the particular role of civil society. Pratt appraises the part that civil society actors played in the normalization of authoritarianism in the Middle East, the challenges that new organized groups now pose to entrenched Arab regimes, and the varying ways in which those regimes are responding. She also explores the diversity of conceptions of democracy among nonstate actors. Arguing against the idea that Arab culture is inherently incompatible with democracy--the concept of Middle East "exceptionalism"--she assesses the realistic potential for democratization in the region.

Islam, Authoritarianism, and Underdevelopment

Islam, Authoritarianism, and Underdevelopment
Author: Ahmet T. Kuru
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 323
Release: 2019-08
Genre: History
ISBN: 1108419097

Analyzes Muslim countries' contemporary problems, particularly violence, authoritarianism, and underdevelopment, comparing their historical levels of development with Western Europe.

The Lure of Authoritarianism

The Lure of Authoritarianism
Author: Stephen J. King
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Total Pages: 365
Release: 2019-04-04
Genre: History
ISBN: 0253040892

The works collected in The Lure of Authoritarianism consider the normative appeal of authoritarianism in light of the 2011 popular uprisings in the Middle East. Despite what seemed to be a popular revolution in favor of more democratic politics, there has instead been a slide back toward authoritarian regimes that merely gesture toward notions of democracy. In the chaos that followed the Arab Spring, societies were lured by the prospect of strong leaders with firm guiding hands. The shift toward normalizing these regimes seems sudden, but the works collected in this volume document a gradual shift toward support for authoritarianism over democracy that stretches back decades in North Africa. Contributors consider the ideological, socioeconomic, and security-based justifications of authoritarianism as well as the surprising and vigorous reestablishment of authoritarianism in these regions. With careful attention to local variations and differences in political strategies, the volume provides a nuanced and sweeping consideration of the changes in the Middle East in the past and what they mean for the future.

Democracy, Reform and Authoritarianism in the Arab World

Democracy, Reform and Authoritarianism in the Arab World
Author: Gerd Nonneman
Publisher:
Total Pages: 1800
Release: 2009
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9780415469159

SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY PRICE! (Valid until 3 months after publication) The potential for reform in the pattern of persistent authoritarianism in the Arab world has been the subject of interest for policymakers, the informed general public, and scholars alike, particularly since the end of the Cold War and again after the events of 11 September 2001. It is also one that has generated much debate within the Arab world itself, both in this period and, less prominently, but at times very acutely, throughout much of the twentieth century. Such debates and investigations have been carried out at the popular, political, intelligentsia, and scholarly levels, producing a varied array of commentary, analysis, and policy prescription. The subject ties in to questions of the relationship between Islam and politics, and, in a comparative context of democratization studies, the role of political culture, the nature of civil society and the middle class, the role of external powers, and the links—if any—between economic development and economic liberalization on the one hand, and political liberalization and democratization on the other. In exploring the chances of, and conditions for, liberalization and democratization, much of the relevant scholarly literature has also had to focus on the other side of the coin: what has sustained and may continue to sustain authoritarian rule? Findings and arguments about these questions are of direct relevance for Arabs themselves, policymakers with an interest in the region, and scholars both of the Arab world and of wider democratization studies: the wider field and the area-specific expertise have much to contribute to each other in this regard. Yet the significant array of scholarly literature relating to these questions remains widely dispersed in a bewildering range of different outlets, important parts of which are unexplored by, or inaccessible to, large sections of the potentially interested audience. This new four-volume collection from Routledge meets the need for an authoritative reference work to make sense of the subject’s vast literature and the continuing explosion in research output.

Democratization and Authoritarianism in the Arab World

Democratization and Authoritarianism in the Arab World
Author: Larry Diamond
Publisher: JHU Press
Total Pages: 423
Release: 2014-04-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1421414171

Three years after the first mass protests of the Arab Spring, senior scholars weigh in on how democracy is faring. Beginning in December 2010, a series of uprisings swept the Arab world, toppling four longtime leaders and creating an apparent political opening in a region long impervious to the “third wave” of democratization. Despite the initial euphoria, the legacies of authoritarianism—polarized societies, politicized militaries, state-centric economies, and pervasive clientelism—have proven stubborn obstacles to the fashioning of new political and social contracts. Meanwhile, the strong electoral performance of political Islamists and the ensuing backlash in Egypt have rekindled arguments about the compatibility of democracy and political Islam. Even though progress toward democracy has been halting at best, the region’s political environment today bears little resemblance to what it was before the uprisings. In Democratization and Authoritarianism in the Arab World, leading scholars address the questions posed by this period of historic change in the Middle East and North Africa. This volume includes chapters examining several broad themes: the region’s shifting political culture, the relationship between democracy and political Islam, the legacy of authoritarian ruling arrangements, the strengths and vulnerabilities of remaining autocracies, and the lessons learned from transitions to democracy in other parts of the world. It also features chapters analyzing the political development of individual countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Yemen, and the monarchies of the Gulf. Contributors Hicham Ben Abdallah El Alaoui April Longley Alley Zoltan Barany Ahmed Benchemsi Mieczysław P. Boduszyński Nathan J. Brown Jason Brownlee Daniel Brumberg John M. Carey Michele Dunne Abdou Filali-Ansary Hillel Fradkin F. Gregory Gause III Husain Haqqani Steven Heydemann Philip N. Howard Muzammil M. Hussain Amaney Jamal Stéphane Lacroix Juan J. Linz Tarek Masoud Marc F. Plattner Tarek Radwan Hamadi Redissi Andrew Reynolds Michael Robbins Olivier Roy Peter J. Schraeder Alfred Stepan Mark Tessler Frédéric Volpi Lucan Way Frederic Wehrey Sean L. Yom

Arabic Thought Against the Authoritarian Age

Arabic Thought Against the Authoritarian Age
Author: Jens Hanssen
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 457
Release: 2018-02-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 1107193389

Cutting-edge scholarship on post-war Arab intellectual history that challenges conventional thinking about authoritarianism, religion and revolution in the modern Middle East.

Middle East Authoritarianisms

Middle East Authoritarianisms
Author: Steven Heydemann
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Total Pages: 313
Release: 2013-01-09
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0804784353

The developments of early 2011 changes the political landscape of the Middle East. But even as urgent struggles continue, it remains clear that authoritarianism will survive this transformational moment. The study of authoritarian governance, therefore, remains essential for our understanding of the political dynamics and inner workings of regimes across the region. This volume considers the Syrian and Iranian regimes—what they share in common and what distinguishes them. Too frequently, authoritarianism has been assumed to be a generic descriptor of the region and differences among regimes have been overlooked. But as the political trajectories of Middle Eastern states diverge in years ahead, with some perhaps consolidating democratic gains while others remaining under distinct and resilient forms of authoritarian rule, understanding variations in modes of authoritarian governance and the attributes that promote regime resilience becomes an increasingly urgent priority.

Constructing International Relations in the Arab World

Constructing International Relations in the Arab World
Author: Fred Lawson
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Total Pages: 236
Release: 2006
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9780804768023

This book explores the emergence of an anarchic states-system in the twentieth-century Arab world. Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, Arab nationalist movements first considered establishing a unified regional arrangement to take the empire's place and present a common front to outside powers. But over time different Arab leaderships abandoned this project and instead adopted policies characteristic of self-interested, territorially limited states. In his explanation of this phenomenon, the author shifts attention away from older debates about the origins and development of Arab nationalism and analyzes instead how different nationalist leaderships changed the ways that they carried on diplomatic and strategic relations. He situates this shift in the context of influential sociological theories of state formation, while showing how labor movements and other forms of popular mobilization shaped the origins of the regional states-system.