Available:*
Library | Item Barcode | Call Number | Material Type | Item Category 1 | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... | 30000010321866 | JQ1850.A58 B49 2012 | Open Access Book | Book | Searching... |
On Order
Summary
Summary
For years the authoritarian regimes of the Arab world displayed remarkable persistence. Then, beginning in December 2010, much of the region underwent rapid and remarkable political change. This volume explores the precursors, nature, and trajectory of the dynamics unleashed by the Arab Spring.
The authors focus on the complex forces that have sustained authoritarianism in the region, as well as the roots of popular mobilisation and regime overthrow. They also examine the possibilities for democratic reform--and, where it has occurred, relapse. Their work offers a comprehensive assessment, at once sophisticated and accessible, of current developments and trends in the countries of the Arab Middle East and North Africa.
Author Notes
Rex Brynen is professor of political science at McGill University. His numerous publications on the Middle East include A Very Political Economy: Peacebuilding and Foreign Aid in the West Bank and Gaza and, as co-editor, the two-volume Political Liberalization and Democratization in the Arab World.
Pete W. Moore is associate professor of political science at Case Western Reserve University. He is author of Doing Business in the Middle East: Politics and Economic Crisis in Jordan and Kuwait.
Bassel F. Salloukh is associate professor of political science at the Lebanese American University in Beirut. He is co-author of Mapping the Political Landscape: An Introduction to Political Science and co-editor of Persistent Permeability: Regionalism, Localism, and Globalization in the Middle East.
Marie-Joëlle Zahar is associate professor of political science at the University of Montreal. She is co-editor of Intra-State Conflict, Government and Security: Dilemmas of Deterrence and Assurance.
Reviews 2
Choice Review
Designed as an introduction to Arab politics, Beyond the Arab Spring is divided into two parts. The first part is descriptive country studies; the second explores thematic issues such as political culture, varieties of Islamism, elections, oil rents, economic as well as political liberalization, the new Arab media, and regional and international interactions. Still rooted in the traditional political science binary of authoritarianism versus democracy, the authors analyze the various interlocking factors that contributed to and continue to shape the uprising of 2011, without arriving at any definitive conclusions about directions of political change. They also note how new media are fashioning a fresh "polyphonic and expansive Arab identity" that amplifies public awakenings. There are divisions within the region among competing Islamisms, be they inclusive or exclusive, and between Islamists and other more liberal "revolutionaries," not to mention those forces opposed to all putative revolutions or political transitions. Well documented in the recent literature about persistent authoritarianism and social movements for change, this undergraduate introduction may also serve as a useful reference for more advanced scholars and professionals. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate, graduate, research, and professional collections. C. M. Henry American University in Cairo
Library Journal Review
The popular uprisings that shook the Arab world in 2011 were remarkable both in their scope and in their intensity. They unleashed decades of frustration by popular forces and average citizens who had been thwarted in the realization of their sociopolitical and economic aspirations by brutal dictatorial regimes, many of which were staunch allies of the West. Appeals for dignity, justice, and accountability were common themes of all of these uprisings. In countries like Tunisia and Egypt, Western-supported dictatorships were overthrown mostly by peaceful means, while in Libya and Yemen regime change came through violence. Arab monarchies in the Gulf, such as Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, have so far withstood popular uprisings among their own populations by resorting to violence and brute force. In this book, the four coauthors, political scientists with expertise in the Arab world, provide a well-researched and theoretically sound analysis of the causes and consequences of the challenges that the Arab world has been experiencing. VERDICT Scholars of contemporary Arab politics and policymakers will benefit from the book's rigorous and multidimensional approach to authoritarianism and democracy in the Arab world.-Nader Entessar, Univ. of Southern Alabama, Mobile (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
