Of Empires and Citizens

Pro-American Democracy or No Democracy at All?
Erscheinungsjahr 2012
ISBN: 978-0-691-14965-3
Verlag: Princeton University Press

Buch, Englisch, 296 Seiten, Format (B × H): 155 mm x 231 mm, Gewicht: 431 g

In the post-Cold War era, why has democratization been slow to arrive in the Arab world? This book 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. Examining such countries as Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Palestine, and Saudi Arabia, Amaney 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. While the Cold War's end reduced superpower hegemony in much of the developing world, the Arab region witnessed an increased security and economic dependence on the United States. As a result, the preferences of the United States matter greatly to middle-class Arab citizens, not just the elite, and citizens will restrain their pursuit of democratization, rationalizing their backing for the status quo because of U.S. geostrategic priorities. Demonstrating how the preferences of an international patron serve as a constraint or an opportunity to push for democracy, Jamal questions bottom-up approaches to democratization, which assume that states are autonomous units in the world order. Jamal contends that even now, with the overthrow of some autocratic Arab regimes, the future course of Arab democratization will be influenced by the perception of American reactions. Concurrently, the United States must address the troubling sources of the region's rising anti-Americanism.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Jamal, Amaney A

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Systeme Vergleichende Politikwissenschaft
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Systeme Transformationsprozesse (Politikwiss.)
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Systeme Demokratie
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politikwissenschaft Allgemein Politische Studien zu einzelnen Ländern und Gebieten
• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften Interdisziplinär Regionalwissenschaften, Regionalstudien
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Geschichte einzelner Länder Naher & Mittlerer Osten

Inhaltsverzeichnis

List of Tables and Figures ix

Preface xi

Acknowledgments xiii

A Note on Transliteration xv

CHAPTER ONE

Introduction: Pro- American Democracy or No Democracy at All? 1

     The U.S. Strategic Approach to Democracy 3

     Revisiting the Classical Models: Theoretical Limitations 12

     Newer Democratization Debates 12

     Revisiting State and Society Relations in Clientelistic Settings: Real Congruence
     versus Contrived Congruence 19

     Empirical Realities: Jordan and Kuwait 21

     U.S. Dominance in the Arab World 23

     Anti-Americanism as the Independent Variable: Jordan and Kuwait 29

     Scope Condition, Case- Selection Strategy, Data, and Evidence 34

     Appendix: Human Development Index Scores and Jordan's Gross
Domestic Product
     Growth Rate 36
CHAPTER TWO

Becoming Jordan and Kuwait: The Making and Consolidating of U.S. Client Regimes 38

     Jordan's History of Clientelistic Dependence 41

     Post?World War II: Full Independence for Jordan but Continued Reliance on
     the British 43

     Economic Devastation after the First Gulf War 46

     Economic Progress and the Jordan- Israeli Peace Treaty, 1994 48

     Continued Military and Economic Assistance: Increased Dependency 52

     Kuwait's History of Clientelistic Dependence 54

     The Iraqi Occupation of Kuwait and the Limits of Pan-Arabism 57
CHAPTER THREE

Islamist Momentum in the Arab World: Jordan's Islamic Action Front and Kuwait's Islamic Constitutional Movement 63

     Islamists and Anti- American Positions across the Arab World 64

     The IAF and its Anti-American Positions 66

     IAF Support 69

     The 1994 Peace Treaty with Israel 73

     Other Islamist Forces in Jordan 78

     Regime- IAF Relations: Democracy in Retreat 79

     U.S. Policy and Islamists: Pro- American Democracy or No Democracy at All? 86

     Kuwait's Islamist Movement: A Pro-American Force 89

     Islamists and Their Positions: Democratic Deepening in Kuwait 92

     Democratic Successes and Advancements: Female Suffrage, Redistricting, and      Succession 94

     Regime- Islamist Relations in Kuwait 100
CHAPTER FOUR

Engaging the Regime through the Lens of the United States: Citizens' Political Preferences 103

     Causal Logics Citizens Employ When Engaging Possibilities of Regime
Change 104

     Support for the Monarchy and U.S. Clientelism: Jordan 106

     Support for the Monarchy and U.S. Clientelism: Kuwait 113

     Supporting the Regime versus Supporting Democracy: Jordan 116

     Supporting the Regime versus Supporting Democracy: Kuwait 121

     The Geopolitics of Support for Shari'a: Different Islamic Worldviews in Jordan and      Kuwait 128

     Exploring Alternative Explanations 134

     Conclusion 136

     Appendix: Open- Ended Questionnaire Administered in Jordan, Kuwait,
and
     Morocco 137
CHAPTER FIVE

Support for Democracy and Authoritarianism: The Geostrategic Utility of Cooperative Leadership 142

     Jordanian and Kuwaiti Engagements with Security, Democracy, and
     Authoritarianism 144

     Main Argument: Given Dependence on the United States, Opposition Opinion and      Mobilization Strategies Matter 147

     Islamism and Anti-Americanism 153

     Anti Americanism and Support for Democracy or Authoritarianism 155

     Appendix: Macro-micro Synthesis? The Relationship between Attitudes
and Regime      Outcomes 166
CHAPTER SIX

Morocco: Support for the Status Quo 174

     Moroccan International Clientelism 175

     Islamist Positions in Morocco 177

     Anti-American Sentiment 178

     Islamist Popularity and Positions 180

     Voices from within: Political Engagement and the Regime in Morocco 182

     U.S. Responses to the Islamists in Morocco 190
CHAPTER SEVEN

Palestine and Saudi Arabia and the Limits of Democracy 191

     Fatah's Decline and the Victory of Hamas 193

     The U.S. Response to Hamas 198

     Why Did the Palestinians Vote for Hamas? 199

     Saudi Arabia and Its Status Quo Advantage 203

     Islamist Positions in Saudi Arabia 208

     Regime Responses, the Reform Movement, and the United States 211

     The Role of the United States 214

     Conclusion 219

     Appendix: Questions from the PSR Poll 220
CHAPTER EIGHT

The Influence of International Context on Domestic- Level Models of Regime Transition and Democratic Consolidation 221

     Theorizing about Nonclient Regimes 223

     Egypt's Future Democratic Consolidation 224

     The Clash of Civilizations and the Search for Liberal and Secular Democrats 227

     Iran's Influence 231

     Possible Paths Forward 232

     Ignoring Arab Public Opinion and the Islamist Response 233

     The Lesson of Latin America 238

     Reassessing U.S. Policies in the Arab World 239

     From Bush to Obama 241

     Where Do We Go Next? 242
Bibliography 245

Index 267

Über Autor(innen)

Jamal, Amaney A
Amaney A. Jamal is associate professor of politics at Princeton University and the author of "Barriers to Democracy" (Princeton).

Amaney A. Jamal is associate professor of politics at Princeton University and the author of "Barriers to Democracy" (Princeton).