Democratization and authoritarianism in the Arab world

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

Author Notes

Larry Diamond is senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and at Stanford's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, where he directs the Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law.
Marc F. Plattner is vice president for research and studies at the National Endowment for Democracy. Plattner and Diamond are co-editors of the Journal of Democracy.

Larry Diamond and Marc F. Plattner and Nate GrubmanAbdou Filali-AnsaryOlivier RoyHillel FradkinOlivier RoyHusain HaqqaniMark Tessler and Amaney Jamal and Michael RobbinsHicham Ben Abdallah El AlaouiAlfred Stepan and Juan J. LinzDaniel BrumbergSean L. Yom and F. Gregory Gause IIIJason Brownlee and Tarek Masoud and Andrew ReynoldsMarc F. PlannerLucan WayZoltan BaranyJohn M. Carey and Andrew ReynoldsPhilip N. Howard and Muzammil M. HussainPeter J. Schraeder and Hamadi RedissiAlfred StepanTarek MasoudMichele Dunne and Tarek RadwanNathan J. BrownApril Longley AlleyMieczyslaw P. Boduszynski and Duncan PickardSteven HeydemannFrederic WehreyFrédéric VolpiAhmed BenchemsiSean L. YomStéphane Lacroix

Acknowledgments	p. vii
Introduction	p. xi
I Thematic Essays
1 The Languages of the Arab Revolutions	p. 3
2 The Transformation of the Arab World	p. 15
3 Arab Democracy or Islamist Revolution?	p. 29
4 There Will Be No Islamist Revolution	p. 38
5 Islamists and Democracy: Cautions from Pakistan	p. 44
6 New Findings on Arabs and Democracy	p. 54
7 The Split in Arab Culture	p. 69
8 Democratization Theory and the "Arab Spring"	p. 81
9 Transforming the Arab World's Protection-Racket Polities	p. 96
10 Resilient Royals: How Arab Monarchies Hang On	p. 112
11 Why the Modest Harvest?	p. 127
12 The Global Context	p. 143
13 The Lessons of 1989	p. 151
14 The Role of the Military	p. 162
15 The Impact of Election Systems	p. 174
16 The Role of Digital Media	p. 186
II Country Studies
17 Ben Ali's Fall	p. 203
18 Tunisia's Transition and the "Twin Tolerations"	p. 218
19 The Road to (and from) Liberation Square	p. 233
20 Egypt: Why Liberalism Still Matters	p. 248
21 Egypt's Failed Transition	p. 263
22 Yemen Changes Everything ... and Nothing	p. 277
23 Libya Starts from Scratch	p. 289
24 Syria and the Future of Authoritarianism	p. 300
25 Bahrain's Decade of Discontent	p. 315
26 Algeria versus the Arab Spring	p. 326
27 Morocco: Outfoxing the Opposition	p. 338
28 Jordan: The Ruse of Reform	p. 351
29 Is Saudi Arabia Immune?	p. 364
Index	p. 377

Available:*

On Order

Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Table of Contents