Theories of Authoritarianism in the Middle East and North Africa

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Issue Date
2017-08-28
Language
en
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Abstract
The Middle East started to modernize in the 1950s. Western scholars expected the Middle East to democratize as well. Large parts of Africa and Asia had both modernized and democratized. It seemed only logical to assume that the Middle East would democratize as well. However, the Middle East never really did democratize. Various theories were developed to explain the sustenance of Arab authoritarianism. An overview of the historical development of the various theories has not been written until now. It is the purpose of this study to give such an overview and offer an analysis of the various theories. The research question is therefore: How has the debate regarding authoritarian resilience in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) developed over the years? The research question will be answered using the historical method. This study finds that the debate has developed from theories espousing cultural / religious explanations to the rentier state theory and at last turned into the authoritarian resilience theory. The different theories find that the legitimacy of a regime is the key to the sustenance of its authoritarianism. The various theories describe these different strategies and show how Middle Eastern authoritarianism could be sustained for so long.
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Faculteit der Filosofie, Theologie en Religiewetenschappen
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