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.
Tunisia
Scholarly Publications
Political Participation and Democratic Transition in the Arab Word
April 2013
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....
Authoritarian State Building in the Middle East: From Durability to Revolution
February 2011
What accounts for variation in the durability of authoritarian regimes in the post-colonial Middle East? This working paper presents a new explanation that underscores how the geopolitical...
Filming the Modern Middle East: Politics in the Cinemas of Hollywood and the Arab World
November 2006
This book examines the cinematic depictions of major political issues, from the Arab-Israeli conflict to the Gulf War, to Islamic fundamentalism, looking at films made in the US, in Egypt, Tunisia...
Other Publications
Reforming the Entrepreneurship Ecosystem in Post-Revolutionary Egypt and Tunisia
April 2014
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...
Understanding the Entrepreneurship Ecosystem in Tunisia and Egypt
December 2013
Why has private entrepreneurship in Egypt and Tunisia remained underdeveloped despite decades of economic liberalization and private sector-friendly incentives and reforms?
Voting for Change: The Pitfalls and Possibilities of First Elections in Arab Transitions
May 2012
The first elections after the fall of authoritarian regimes present an important opportunity for both local and international actors to strengthen transitional processes.
News
ARD Conference Examines Authoritarian Upgrading, Popular Uprisings and Foreign Interventions in the Middle East
October 2019
CDDRL’s Program on Arab Reform and Democracy held its annual conference at Stanford University on October 11 and 12, titled “The Struggle for Political Change in the Arab World.” The conference is...
Georgetown Scholar Analyzes Tunisia's "Vital Election" [VIDEO]
October 2019
In a talk dated October 7, 2019, Georgetown University Associate Professor of Government Daniel Brumberg analyzed the outcome of Tunisia’s legislative election and its implications for democratic...
Failed Dream of Political Islam
November 2018
Islamism has imitated, or colluded with, the state autocracies it claims to oppose.
Events
The United States: From Reluctant Democracy Support in the Middle East to Authoritarian Enabler
April 13, 2020
ABSTRACTDemocracy promotion has been a longstanding goal of US foreign policy in the Middle East and elsewhere. President George W.
Political Contestation and New Social Forces in the Middle East and North Africa
March 9, 2018
Please note: Registration for the conference is open only to Stanford University affiliates. A valid SUNet ID is required to register. Click here to register.
Tunisia: An Arab Anomaly
February 12, 2018
This event is co-sponsored with The Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies. ABSTRACTThe Arab Spring began and ended with Tunisia.
Projects
Entrepreneurship After the Arab Spring
The project “Entrepreneurship after the Arab Spring” addresses a number of questions on the entrepreneurship ecosystem that comprises the legal, institutional, regulatory, and policy frameworks...
English
Iron Fists in Silk Gloves: Building Political Regimes in the Middle East - Project completed 2010
This book manuscript explores the historical development of authoritarian regimes in the Middle East over the past century, arguing that we cannot understand the varying durability of these...
English
Multimedia
Former Minister of Industry of Tunisia Discusses Country's Democratic Transition
March 2016
As part of a talk titled "Tunisia's Pathway to Democracy," former Tunisian Ministry of Industry, Energy, and Mines Kamel Ben Naceur spoke at the Program on Arab Reform and Democracy on March 2, 2016 about his experience in the 2014 technocratic...
The Tunisian Transition and the Challenge of Youth Alienation
April 2015
AbstractSocial and economic grievances of Tunisian youth played a major role in igniting the uprising in Tunisia, and more generally, the so-called Arab Spring.