The I.B. Tauris Handbook of Authoritarianism in the Arab World

This open access handbook provides an overview of Arab authoritarianism and how it has evolved in the face of a global decade of protest, democratic decline, and surging conflict. The chapters in this volume highlight the specificities of authoritarianism in the Arab world while also placing the region in the context of global trends. Contributions combine fresh theoretical analysis with rich case study information on actors, movements, communities, and dynamics that are often ignored in our understanding of this region. With an emphasis on voices from the region, the contributions in this volume span a wide range of disciplinary approaches and address the following areas: strategies and practices of authoritarianism, international and transnational trends, the political economy of authoritarianism, identity, ideology, and resistance. Addressing these issues not only illuminate the persistence of authoritarianism in the Arab world, but also what Arab authoritarianism teaches us about global politics and trends. The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by the University of Richmond.

List of contents

List of Contributors
Acknowledgments

Introduction to the Handbook, Dana El Kurd

Section 1: Strategies, Practices, and Institutions
The International Dimension of "Arab Authoritarianism, Benjamin Schuetze, Elia El-Khazen, Charlotte Mueller, and Philipp Wagner
Authoritarian Entanglements with Settler Colonialism: Exploring Dynamics of Moroccan-Israeli Normalization and the Palestine-Western Sahara Connection, Abdulla Moaswes and Meriem Naïli
Rule and Networks in the Middle East and North Africa, Ammar Shamaileh
The Dynamics of Kuwait's Hybrid Political System Luai Allarakia
Post-2003 Iraq: Between Authoritarian Practices and Democratizing Tendencies Fanar Haddad
Youth and the Reinvention of State-Managed Politics in Sisi's Egypt Hesham Sallam
Egypt's Repressive Apparatus in the Age of Counterrevolution Hossam El-Hamalawy

Section 2: International, Transnational, and Transregional Trends
Two-tiered Digital Authoritarianism: Archiving the Gaza Genocide on Instagram Alexei Abrahams
The Regional Politics of Authoritarian Resilience in the Arab WorldSalam Alsaadi
The U.S. Security Approach to Gulf Monarchies Alexandra Stark
China's Role in the Middle East: Authoritarian Practices and Their Transregional Diffusion Julia Gulor-Haller
Actually Existing Multipolarity Elia Ayoub

Section 3: Political Economy of Authoritarianism
National Transformation Schemes: Saudi Arabia and Vision 2030 Andrew Leber
The Facade of Sustainability: Neoliberal Authoritarianism in Renewable Energy Development Projects in the SWANA Region Khaoula Bengezi
Taxation in Arab States Moritz Schmoll
Informal Authoritarian Bargains Max Gallien
Arab Youth: Education, Employment, and Political Participation Rawan Nuseibeh
Global Actors, Local Autocrats: Unveiling the Resilience of Arab Authoritarianism Evrim Görmüs

Section 4: Identity
Gendered Disinformation and Authoritarianism in the Middle East and North Africa Anwar Mhajne
Authoritarian Co-optation of Religious Minorities: The Case of Christians in Egypt and Syria Miray Phillips
Race, Xenophobia, and Populist Authoritarianism: The Case of Violence Against Sub-Saharan Migrants in Kais Saied's Tunisia Shreya Parikh

Section 5: Ideology
Authoritarian Populism in the Arab World: From Nasser to Saied Abdelkarim Amengay
Utilization of Tolerance, Coexistence, and Moderate Islam in Emirati National Identity and UAE Foreign Policy Hamdullah Baycar
State of "Assad's Syria": The Uniqueness of the Model Between Past and Present Yassin al-Haj Saleh

Section 6: Resistance
Protest Dynamics and Authoritarian Repression in the Arab World: What Do We Know a Decade After the Arab Spring? Amir Abdul Reda and Youssef Assarssah
Feeling Revolution: Affect and the Afterlives of the Arab Uprisings Yasmeen Mekawy
Political Mobilization in Arab Countries: Grievances, Efficacy, and Identity Miquel Pellicer and Tareq Sydiq
Gender, Oppression, and Women's Resistance in Occupied Western Sahara Joanna Allan

About the author

Dana El Kurd is Associate Professor at the University of Richmond, US, and a Senior Non-Resident Fellow at the Arab Center in Washington, US. She is author of Polarized and Demobilized: Legacies of Authoritarianism in Palestine (2020). El Kurd is an expert on Arab and Palestinian politics, and regularly writes for outlets such as The Guardian, The Washington Post, Foreign Policy, and more, as well as appears on media such as the BBC, Aljazeera, and others.

Product details

• Authors: Dana El-Kurd, Dana El Kurd
• Assisted by: Dana El-Kurd (Editor), Dana El Kurd (Editor)
• Publisher: Tauris, I.B.
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 25.06.2026
• EAN: 9780755655359
• ISBN: 978-0-7556-5535-9
• No. of pages: 480
• Series: I B Tauris Handbooks
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political science and political education; POLITICAL SCIENCE / International Relations / Diplomacy, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Comparative Politics, POLITICAL SCIENCE / World / Middle Eastern, International Relations, Middle East, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Politics & government, Political leaders & leadership, Comparative Politics, Diplomacy, North Africa, Political, Socio-Economic & Strategic Groupings, Political leaders and leadership, Other Geographical Groupings, Oceans & Seas, United Arab Emirates, Arab world / Arab League