MEI Affiliate Books

Contesting Authoritarianism: Labor Challenges to the State in Egypt

Dina Bishara, MEI Research Fellow, 2015-2016; Assistant Professor of International and Comparative Labor, Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS, AUGUST 2018

Dissident unionists have challenged the Egyptian state monopoly on organized labor in recent years, despite the political and economic disincentives of dissent. In Contesting Authoritarianism, Dina Bishara explores the agency of trade union members to challenge authoritarian practices, despite the loyalty of trade union leaders to the Egyptian state. In this way, Bishara highlights how and when dissidents catalyze political change from below and contest institutions designed for authoritarian control.

Modern Egypt: What Everyone Needs to Know

Bruce K. Rutherford, MEI Research Fellow, 2018-2019; Associate Professor of Political Science, Colgate University, with Jeannie Sowers OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS, OCTOBER 2018

Long regarded as a pivotal state in the Middle East, Egypt possesses the region’s largest population, a formidable military, and considerable soft power. In Modern Egypt, Rutherford and Sowers introduce readers to this influential country, beginning with the 2011 uprising that captured the world’s attention. The book then analyzes domestic trends, including deepening authoritarianism, unemployment, poverty, pollution, and rapid population growth. Moving beyond the domestic, the authors explore relations with the U.S., Israel, Arab states, and other powers, before concluding with suggested strategies for addressing the country’s ongoing challenges.

Why Alliances Fail: Islamist and Leftist Coalitions in North Africa

Matt Buehler, MEI Research Fellow, 2018; Global Security Fellow, Senator Howard H. Baker Center for Public Policy; Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Tennessee SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY PRESS, NOVEMBER 2018

Despite political upheaval in numerous Arab states since 2011, only Tunisia, where opposition parties formed a stable alliance, has completed the transition from authoritarian to democratic governance. In Why Alliances Fail, Matt Buehler analyzes alliances between Islamist and leftist groups in North Africa to present the conditions under which opposition parties form durable coalitions to contest authoritarianism. Buehler explains how party bases shape the nature of alliances between opposition parties, and he explores the social forces that perpetuate authoritarianism in Arab states in the present day.

Winning Hearts and Votes: Social Services and the Islamist Political Advantage

Steven T. Brooke, MEI Research Fellow, 2015-2016; Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Wisconsin CORNELL UNIVERSITY PRESS, JANUARY 2019

In Winning Hearts and Votes, Steven T. Brooke analyzes the conditions under which authoritarian regimes permit the activism of non-state organizations and the circumstances in which these services mobilize welfare recipients against the state. In particular, Brooke examines the case of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood to forge new insights on authoritarianism, clientelism, and the relationship between social service provision and electoral victories.

Disciples of the State? Religion and State-Building in the Former Ottoman World

Kristin Fabbe, MEI Faculty Affiliate and Assistant Professor of Business Administration, Business, Government, and International Economy Unit, and Hellman Faculty Fellow, Harvard Business School CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS, MAY 2019

In Disciples of the State, Kristin Fabbe problematizes the divergence between state and religious power structures in the Middle East and Balkans after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Fabbe examines how state-builders in former Ottoman lands engaged religion and religious elites, and she explores the impact of state and religious linkages in the post-Ottoman era on long term, liberal democratic consolidation in both regions.

Crony Capitalism in the Middle East: Business and Politics from Liberalization to the Arab Spring

Ishac Diwan, MEI Associate, 2018-2019 and Visiting Scholar, 2016-17; Chair Monde Arabe, Paris Sciences et Lettres; Visiting Professor, Columbia University, with Adeel Malik and Izak Atiyas OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS, JULY 2019

While widely considered a rebuke of dictatorship, the Arab Spring also served as a rebuke of the widespread practices of crony capitalism. In Crony Capitalism in the Middle East, Diwan, Malik, and Atiyas discuss business cronies in the Middle East, the sectors and mechanisms that privilege them, and the ways in which cronyism has impacted development in the region. Using empirical evidence and comparative analyses, the authors provide fresh insight on the presence and scope of politically connected entrepreneurs in the Middle East.

Promoting Democracy: The Force of Political Settlements in Uncertain Times

Manal Jamal, MEI Research Fellow, 2014-2015; Associate Professor of Political Science, James Madison University NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS, AUGUST 2019

While many states highlight democracy promotion as an important tenet of foreign
policy, funding from Western donor states often leads to mixed results. Studying the cases of the Palestinian territories and El Salvador, Promoting Democracy brings into focus the perspectives of the activists and political leaders impacted by funding for democracy promotion. Jamal addresses how political settlements guide democracy promotion projects and discusses how donors can maximize democratic outcomes in different regions of the world.

The Caliphate of Man: Popular Sovereignty in Modern Islamic Thought

Andrew March, MEI Visiting Scholar, 2018-2019; Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst HARVARD UNIVERSITY PRESS, SEPTEMBER 2019

In political Islam, the doctrine of the caliphate of man states that God has appointed the community of believers as His vicegerents. Andrew March argues that political Islamists across the Middle East have developed a democratic theory supported by this doctrine, envisioning a virtuous, Islamic republic in which the people have authority over state and religious leaders. Exploring the context of the Arab Spring, however, March considers whether this vision of popular sovereignty has the potential for realization or whether it will remain strictly theory.