The Lure of Authoritarianism: The Maghreb after the Arab Spring

by Stephen J. King (Editor), Abdeslam Maghraoui (Editor)

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780253040855
Publisher:	Indiana University Press
Publication date:	04/04/2019
Series:	Middle East Studies
Pages:	358
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Stephen J. King is Associate Professor of Government at Georgetown University. He is author of Liberalization against Democracy: The Local Politics of Economic Reform in Tunisia and The New Authoritarianism in the Middle East and North Africa.

Abdeslam M. Maghraoui is Associate Professor of Political Science at Duke University. He is author of Liberalism without Democracy: Nationhood and Citizenship in Egypt, 1922 - 1936.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Lure of Authoritarianism Abdeslam M. Maghraoui 1

Part I Authoritarian Trends

1 Religious Conservativism, Religious Extremism, and Secular Civil Society in North Africa Marina Ottaway 15

2 Do Political and Economic Grievances Foster Support for Political Islam in the Post-Arab Spring Maghreb? Mark Tessler 42

3 Demographic Pressure, Social Demands, and Instability in the Maghreb Wai Mun Hong 68

4 Shifting Courses: Economies of the Maghreb after 2011 Karen Pfeifer 94

5 Geopolitical Evolutions in North Africa after the Arab Spring Pierre Razoux 137

6 Jihadism in the Post-Arab Spring Maghreb Daveed Gartenstein-Ross 161

Part II Case Studies

Introduction to Part II: Case Studies Stephen J. King 189

7 Elections before and after the Arab Spring in North Africa Stephen J. King 191

8 Tunisia Triggers the Arab Spring Stephen J. King 210

9 Social and External Origins of State Collapse, the Crisis of Transition, and Strategies for Political and Institutional Reconstruction in Libya Ali Abdullatif Ahmida 236

10 From Authoritarian Pluralism to Centralized Autocracy in Morocco Abdeslam M. Maghraoui 264

11 The Politics of Mauritania's Arab Uprising and Aftermath Matt Buehler Mehdi Ayari 283

12 Algeria: Economic Austerity, Political Stagnation, and the Gathering Storm Azzedine Layachi 308

Afterword Hicham Alaoui 334

Index 341

Editorial Reviews

This is a highly valued contribution to the study of Middle Eastern politics for scholars and students.

Choice

"This is a highly valued contribution to the study of Middle Eastern politics for scholars and students."—Choice

From the Publisher