Middle East authoritarianisms
Subtitle: governance, contestation, and regime resilience in Syria and Iran
By: edited by Steven Heydemann and Reinoud Leenders
Series: Stanford studies in Middle Eastern and Islamic societies and cultures
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Published: 2012
Language: eng
Number of pages: 292
ISBN-13: 9780804783019
Copyright date: 2013
Subjects: Politics and government; Authoritarianism
Description: The developments of early 2011 have left the political landscape of the Middle East changed but recognizable. Even as urgent struggles continue, it remains clear that authoritarianism will survive this transformational moment. The study of authoritarian governance, therefore, remains essential for our understanding of the political dynamics and inner workings of regimes across the region. The contributors to this volume consider the Syrian and Iranian regimes--what they share in common and what distinguishes them. Too frequently, authoritarianism has been assumed to be a generic descriptor of the region, and differences among regimes have been overlooked. But as the political trajectories of Middle Eastern states diverge in years ahead, with some perhaps consolidating democratic gains while others remaining under distinct and resilient forms of authoritarian rule, understanding variations in modes of authoritarian governance and the attributes that promote regime resilience becomes an increasingly urgent priority.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Authoritarian governance in Syria and Iran : challenged, reconfiguring and resilient / Steven Heydemann and Reinoud Leenders; title: The economics of authoritarian upgrading in Syria : liberalization and the reconfiguration of economic networks / Caroline Donati; title: A martyrs' welfare state and its contradictions : regime resilience and limits through the lens of social policy in Iran / Kevan Harris; title: The state management of religion in Syria : the end of "indirect rule"? / Thomas Pierret; title: Islamic social movements and the Syrian authoritarian regime : shifting patterns of control and accommodation / Teije Hidde Donker; title: Contesting governance : authority, protest, and rights talk in postrepublican Iran / Arzoo Osanloo; title: Who laughs last : literary transformations of Syrian authoritarianism / Max Weiss; title: Prosecuting political dissent : courts and the resilience of authoritarianism in Syria / Reinoud Leenders; title: Democratic struggles and authoritarian responses in Iran in comparative perspective / Güneş Murat Tezcür; title: Authoritarian resilience and international linkages in Iran and Syria / Anush Ehteshami, Raymond Hinnebusch, Heidi Huuhtanen, Paola Raunio, Maaike Warnaar, and Tina Zintl.