Understanding Tahrir Square: What Transitions Elsewhere Can Teach Us about the Prospects for Arab Democracy (Saban Center at the Brookings Institution Books)

Amid The Current Turmoil In The Middle East, Understanding Tahrir Square Sounds A Rare Optimistic Note. Surveying Countries In Other Parts Of The World During Their Transitions To Democracy, Author Stephen Grand Argues That The Long-term Prospects In Many Parts Of The Arab World Are Actually Quite Positive. If The Current Polarization And Political Violence In The Region Can Be Overcome, Democracy Will Eventually Take Root. The Key To This Change Will Likely Be Ordinary Citizens {u2014}foremost Among Them The Young Protestors Of The Arab Spring Who Have Filled The Region's Public Spaces {u2014}most Famously, Egypt's Tahrir Square. The Book Puts The Arab Spring In Comparative Perspective. It Reveals How Globalization And Other Changes Are Upending The Expectations Of Citizens Everywhere About The Relationship Between Citizen And State. Separate Chapters Examine The Experiences Of Countries In The Former Eastern Bloc, In The Muslim-majority States Of Asia, In Latin America, And In Sub-saharan Africa During The Recent Third Wave Of Democratization. What These Cases Show Is That, At The End Of The Day, Democracy Requires Democrats. Many Complex Factors Go Into Making A Democracy Successful, Such As The Caliber Of Its Political Leaders, The Quality Of Its Constitution, And The Design Of Its Political Institutions. But Unless There Is Clear Public Demand For New Institutions To Function As Intended, Political Leaders Are Unlikely To Abide By The Limits Those Institutions Impose. If American Policymakers Want To Support The Brave Activists Struggling To Bring Democracy To The Arab World, Helping Them Cultivate An Effective Political Constituency For Democracy {u2014}in Essence, Growing The Tahrir Square Base {u2014}should Be The Lodestar Of U.s. Assistance. --provided By Publisher. Wither The Arab Spring? -- Democracy's Long Arc -- The Former Eastern Bloc -- Muslim-majority Asia -- Latin America -- Sub-saharan Africa -- The Nature Of Democratic Transitions -- The Strategic Challenges Of The Arab Spring -- Policy Recommendations. Stephen R. Grand. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 219-236) And Index. " Amid the current turmoil in the Middle East, Understanding Tahrir Square sounds a rare optimistic note. Surveying countries in other parts of the world during their transitions to democracy, author Stephen Grand argues that the long-term prospects in many parts of the Arab world are actually quite positive. If the current polarization and political violence in the region can be overcome, democracy will eventually take root. The key to this change will likely be ordinary citizensforemost among them the young protestors of the Arab Spring who have filled the region's public spacesmost famously, Egypt's Tahrir Square. The book puts the Arab Spring in comparative perspective. It reveals how globalization and other changes are upending the expectations of citizens everywhere about the relationship between citizen and state. Separate chapters examine the experiences of countries in the former Eastern bloc, in the Muslim-majority states of Asia, in Latin America, and in Sub-Saharan Africa during the recent Third Wave of democratization. What these cases show is that, at the end of the day, democracy requires democrats. Many complex factors go into making a democracy successful, such as the caliber of its political leaders, the quality of its constitution, and the design of its political institutions. But unless there is clear public demand for new institutions to function as intended, political leaders are unlikely to abide by the limits those institutions impose. If American policymakers want to support the brave activists struggling to bring democracy to the Arab world, helping them cultivate an effective political constituency for democracyin essence, growing the Tahrir Square baseshould be the lodestar of U.S. assistance. " It is a hard time to be an optimist about the Arab Spring. What started with the self-immolation of a Tunisian street vendor frustrated by the injustice and ineptitude of his country's corrupt leaders and then mushroomed into massive public demonstrations across the Arab world now seems to have degenerated into violence, instability, and chaos. Syria has been ripped apart by civil war. Bahrain's government continues its crackdown on its Shiite majority. Al Qaeda's presence in Yemen appears to be growing, as are secessionist pressures in the south of the country. Libya still grapples with lawlessness two years after the end of its civil war. Tensions between Islamists and secularists in Tunisia reached a boiling point in 2013. And, of course, following nationwide antigovernment protests in Egypt, a military-controlled transitional government has replaced the country's first democratically elected one.This book nonetheless presents an optimistic assessment of the long-term prospects for the democratization of Arab countries. Drawing on the recent experience of a broad range of countries elsewhere in the world that embarked on their transition to democracy during what is known as the “Third Wave” of democratization,1 this book seeks to show that the trials and tribulations of the Arab Spring are neither entirely new nor unique. They are instead part and parcel of the struggles often faced by countries in transition to democracy. And from those countries’ experiences, it seeks to illuminate a path forward for the countries of the Arab Spring. Surveying countries in other parts of the world during their transitions to democracy, this book argues that the long-term prospects in many parts of the Arab world are actually quite positive. It puts the Arab Spring in comparative perspective.