Middle East Authoritarianisms

Governance, Contestation, and Regime Resilience in Syria and Iran

Steven Heydemann, Reinoud Leenders

Edited by Steven Heydemann and Reinoud Leenders

Stanford Studies in Middle Eastern and Islamic Societies and Cultures

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About the Book

The developments of early 2011 changes the political landscape of the Middle East. But 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.

This volume considers 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.

Author

Steven Heydemann is Senior Adviser for Middle East Initiatives at the United States Institute of Peace and Research Associate Professor at Georgetown University. Reinoud Leenders is Reader in International Relations and Middle East Studies in the Department of War Studies at King's College London.

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