Of empires and citizens
Subtitle: pro-American democracy or no democracy at all?
By: Amaney A. Jamal
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: 2012
Place of publication: Princeton, N.J
Language: eng
Number of pages: 296
ISBN-13: 9780691149646; 9780691149653
Subjects: Politics and government; Democratization; Government policy; Anti-Americanism; Islam and politics; Foreign relations
Description: In the post-Cold War era, why has democratization been slow to arrive in the Arab world? Jamal argues that to understand support for the authoritarian status quo in parts of this region, and the willingness of its citizens to compromise on core democratic principles, one must factor in how a strong U.S. presence and popular anti-Americanism weakens democratic voices. By examining such countries as Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Palestine, and Saudi Arabia, Jamal explores how Arab citizens decide whether to back existing regimes, regime transitions, and democratization projects, and how the global position of Arab states shapes people's attitudes toward their governments. From publisher description.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction: pro-American democracy or no democracy at all? : the U.S. strategic approach to democracy; title: Becoming Jordan and Kuwait: the making and consolidating of U.S. client regimes; title: Islamist momentum in the Arab world: Jordan's Islamic Action Front and Kuwait's Islamic Constitutional Movement; title: Engaging the regime through the lens of the United States: citizens' political preferences; title: Support for democracy and authoritarianism: the geostrategic utility of cooperative leadership; title: Morocco: support for the status quo; title: Palestine and Saudi Arabia and the limits of democracy; title: The influence of international context on domestic-level models of regime transition and democratic consolidation.