After the Arab uprisings : progress and stagnation in the Middle East and North Africa

Why were some, but not all the Arab mass social protests of 2011 accompanied by relatively quick and nonviolent outcomes in the direction of regime change, democracy, and social transformation? Why was a democratic transition limited to Tunisia, and why did region-wide democratization not occur? After the Arab Uprisings offers an explanatory framework to answer these central questions, based on four key themes: state and regime type, civil society, gender relations and women's mobilizations, and external influence. Applying these to seven cases: Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco, Bahrain, Libya, Syria, and Yemen, Valentine M. Moghadam and Shamiran Mako highlight the salience of domestic and external factors and forces, uniquely presenting women's legal status, social positions, and organizational capacity, along with the presence or absence of external intervention, as key elements in explaining the divergent outcomes of the Arab Spring uprisings, and extending the analysis to the present day. "The Arab uprisings that engulfed the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) produced domestic shocks to a regional state system known for its authoritarian durability and resistance to democracy. Beginning in Tunisia in late 2010 and quickly spreading to Egypt, Morocco, Bahrain, Libya, Syria, and Yemen, the uprisings differed in degree and scope, resulting in divergent outcomes for the people and places of the region. As the uprisings grew, state responses varied significantly. Some regimes were overthrown following decades of rule while others acquiesced to citizen demands by engaging in various concessionmaking processes. Several states repressed the protest movements to sustain their hold on power, and Egypt's authoritarianism reemerged following regime change. Only Tunisia embarked on a procedural and consensual democratic transition that won international accolades and a 2015 Nobel Peace Prize for four civil society organizations called the National Dialogue Quartet"-- Provided by publisher Contents 5 Figures 5 Maps 6 Tables 7 Acknowledgments 9 Abbreviations 10 1 Introduction and Overview 16 2 Pathways to Democratization 41 3 States and Political Institutions 70 4 Civil Society 112 5 Gender Relations and Women’s Mobilizations 153 6 International Connections and Intervention 197 7 Findings and Conclusions 231 References 251 Index 290