A program of the Center for Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL), focusing on Arab World affairs. CDDRL is a research center at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies.
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Filter results CloseDemocracy and Autocracy, Volume 19(2), September 2021
September 2021 issue of the Democracy and Autocracy newsletter, dedicated to the theme "The International Aftermath of the Arab Spring."
POMEPS Studies 43: Digital Activism and Authoritarian Adaptation in the Middle East
The Project on Middle East Political Science partnered with Stanford University’s Center for Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law and its Global Digital Policy Incubator for an innovative two week online seminar to explore the issues surrounding digital activism and authoritarianism. This workshop was built upon more than a decade of our collaboration on issues related to the internet and politics in the Middle East, beginning in 2011 with a series of workshops in the “Blogs and Bullets” project supported by the United States Institute for Peace and the PeaceTech Lab. This new collaboration brought together more than a dozen scholars and practitioners with deep experience in digital policy and activism, some focused on the Middle East and others offering a global and comparative perspective. POMEPS STUDIES 43 collects essays from that workshop, shaped by two weeks of public and private discussion.
From the State of Vanguards to the House of Kofta: Reflections on Egypt’s Authoritarian Impasse
Reforming the Entrepreneurship Ecosystem in Post-Revolutionary Egypt and Tunisia
Ongoing upheaval in Egypt and Tunisia since the 2011 revolutions indicates high levels of dissatisfaction with the political order, and expresses a deep desire for a drastic remodeling of the economic system. Well-educated young men and women still find themselves marginalized and excluded from the political and economic order in their countries. Their initial demands for freedom and social justice have hitherto gone unheeded.
Personnel Change or Personal Change? Rethinking Libya’s Political Isolation Law
Nearly three years after the fall of the Qaddafi regime, Libya’s revolution has stalled. Militias continue to run rampant as the government struggles to perform basic functions. Theoretically to protect the revolution, Libya passed its Political Isolation Law (PIL) in May 2013, effectively banning anyone involved in Qaddafi’s regime from the new government. The law has raised serious questions: Does it contribute to effective governance and reconciliation? Does it respect human rights and further transitional justice?
Understanding the Entrepreneurship Ecosystem in Tunisia and Egypt
Why has private entrepreneurship in Egypt and Tunisia remained underdeveloped despite decades of economic liberalization and private sector-friendly incentives and reforms? And how can the entrepreneurship ecosystem in the two countries develop in order to meet the people’s high expectations of having a productive and just socio-economic order? These are the research questions that will be addressed by the CIPE/Stanford upcoming joint report "Reforming entrepreneurship ecosystems in post-revolutionary Egypt and Tunisia.
Myopic Solutions to Chronic Problems: The Need for Aid Effectiveness in Yemen
This paper offers a close analysis of the key challenges facing the foreign aid sector in Yemen, and presents recommendations to the government of Yemen and the international donor community to make aid to Yemen more effective.
Syrian Minorities between Underprivileged Protection and Due Political Representation
This paper addresses the future of the political representation of minorities in Syria following the 2011 uprising and the ensuing period of unrest.
Yemen’s Transition: Electoral Challenges and Opportunities for Reform
This paper addresses electoral reform in Yemen in the transitional period following the 2011 uprising.
Yemeni Women in Transition: Challenges and Opportunities
This paper addresses the role of women in the political process in Yemen during the transitional period following the 2011 revolution.
Sectarianism and Political Participation in Iraq
This short paper addresses the relationship between sectarianism and political participation in Iraq.
The Copts, the Nation, and the Revolution
This paper addresses the position of Copts in Egypt during the transition period in 2013.
Reforming the Yemen Security Sector
This paper reviews the process of security sector reform taking place in Yemen during the transitional period after the 2011 uprising.
Political Participation and Democratic Transition in the Arab Word
A paper released by CDDRL Arab Reform and Democracy Program Manager, Lina Khatib addresses the challenges and opportunities for political participation in Tunisia and Egypt post-Arab Spring. Published in the University of Pennsylvania Journal of International Law, Khatib argues that while there are challenges following the democratic transitions a new opening for political parties and civil society in the Arab world is in the making.
Qatar's Foreign Policy: The Limits of Pragmatism
Qatar has become an Arab country with a high international profile and an ambitious foreign policy, particularly as a result of its role in the Arab Spring. It has cultivated a reputation as a political mediator and a key source of foreign aid. Following the Libyan uprising, Qatar demonstrated further political adaptability in leading regional action against the Gaddafi regime.
اصلاح القطاع الأمني في مصر: المعضلات والتحديات
التصويت من أجل التغيير: المخاطر والاحتمالات التي تواجه أول انتخابات التحولات العربية
تقدم أول انتخابات بعد سقوط الأنظمة السلطوية فرصة مهمة للجهات الفاعلة على الصعيدين المحلي والدولي لتعزيز العمليات الانتقالية. تبحث هذه الورقة أفضل السبل لدعم الممارسات الديمقراطية في الانتخابات القادمة، بناء على الدروس التي قدمتها تجربتا مصر وتونس.
ريادة الأعمال الإجتماعية: لماذا هي مهمة بعد الربيع العربي؟
تعلق هذه الورقة على التحديات والفرص التي تواجه ريادة الأعمال الاجتماعية في العالم العربي بعد الربيع العربي، مع توصيات السياسة العامة لتنمية المجتمع. وتحلل الورقة النتائج التي توصلت إليها
صياغة دستور مصر: هل يمكن لاطار قانوني أن يعيد إحياء عملية الانتقال؟
تم إصدار أول ورقة بحثية ضمن "مشروع مركز بروكنجز الدوحة و جامعة ستانفورد للتحولات لعربية" للدكتور/ تامر مصطفى - الباحث بجامعة سيمون فريزر بكندا، وهي بعنوان: "صياغة دستور مصر: هل يمكن لاطار قانوني أن يعيد إحياء عملية الانتقال؟" من خلال التركيز على الحالة المصرية، يلقي الدكتور/ تامر مصطفى الضوء على بعض القصور الذي شاب عملية صياغة الدستور في مصر وذلك لتقديم الدروس المستفادة من هذه الحالة إلى الدول العربية الأخرى التى على وشك البدء في عملية صياغة الدستور.
Public Diplomacy 2.0
Morocco: Outfoxing the Opposition
Morocco was not immune to the 2011 upheavals in the Arab world, but the country’s monarchy deftly managed the crisis through cosmetic constitutional reform.
Social Entrepreneurship: Why is It Important Post Arab Spring?
This white paper comments on the challenges and opportunities facing social entrepreneurship in the Arab world after the Arab Spring, with policy recommendations for the development community. The paper analyzes findings by an online survey conducted by Bayt.com and YouGov Siraj in December 2011-January 2012 and with over 12,000 respondents from across the Arab region.
Crisis, Coercion, and Authoritarian Durability: Explaining Diverging Responses to Anti-Regime Protest in Egypt and Iran
Focusing on Iran in 2009 and Egypt in 2011, this paper examines the role of the coercive apparatus in responding to crises triggered by mass anti-regime protest. We argue that the divergent outcomes of the two crises – authoritarian resilience in Iran and regime breakdown in Egypt – can be traced to the regimes’ distinct origins.
From Bad Cop to Good Cop: The Challenge of Security Sector Reform in Egypt
Democracy, Political Parties, and Reform: A Review of Public Opinion in Yemen
“Democracy, Political Parties and Reform: A Review of Public Opinion in Yemen,” by Chris Miller, Hafez al-Bukari and Olga Aymerich provides a rare glimpse into Yemeni public opinion. The survey data presented in the paper paints a picture of a population that is overwhelmingly supportive and enthusiastic about democracy as a mode of governance. At the same time, it highlights a lack of knowledge of basic electoral rights as well as options for institutional change.