ABSTRACT

This comprehensive Handbook analyses the political parties and party systems across the Middle East and North Africa. Providing an in-depth, empirically grounded and novel study of political parties, the volume focuses on a region where they have been traditionally and often erroneously dismissed.

The book is divided into five sections, examining:

  • the trajectories of Islamist, Salafi, leftist, liberal, nationalist and personalistic parties drawing from different countries
  • the role political parties play in authoritarian and semi-authoritarian countries
  • the centrality of political parties in democratic or democratising settings
  • the relationship between parties and specific social constituencies, ranging from women to youth to tribes and sects
  • the policy positions of parties on a number of issues, including neo-liberal economics, identity, foreign policy and the role of violence.

This wide-ranging and systematic analysis is a key resource for students and scholars interested in party politics, democratization and authoritarianism and the Middle East and North Africa.

Notes on contributors  1. Political parties in the MENA: an Introduction Raymond Hinnebusch, Francesco Cavatorta and Lise Storm  Part 1: Party Families  2. The Rise and Fall of the Arab Left Idriss Jebari  3. The Establishment and Success of Islamist Parties Tahir Kilavuz  4. New Kids on the Block: Salafi Parties Massimo Ramaioli  5. Inheriting the Past: Trajectories of Single Parties in Arab Republics Kevin Koehler  6. Liberal-secular Parties in Arab Political Systems Inmaculada Szmolka  7. Personalism in MENA Politics: the Case of Tunisia Giulia Cimini  Part 2: Political parties in authoritarian settings  8. Political Parties under Competitive Authoritarianism Lise Storm  9. Political Intermediation in the Arabian peninsula: Partisan Organisations, Elections and Representation in Bahrain, Kuwait and Yemen Hendrik Kraetzschmar  10. Pawns in the Army’s Hands: Political Parties in Military-dominated Regimes Jan Claudius Völkel  11. Party Politics in the Islamic Republic of Iran Paola Rivetti  12. Coping with Occupation: Hamas and Governing Gaza Martin Kear  Part 3: Political parties in democratic settings  13. The Delegitimation of Political Parties in Democratic Tunisia Maryam Ben Salem  14. Consociationalism and Political Parties in the Middle East: the Case of Lebanon Tamirace Fakhoury and Fidaa al Fakih  15. Dominance and democratic backsliding under AKP rule in Turkey Sebnem Gumuscu  16. ‘Convention ad Excludendum’: Palestinian Parties in Israel Isaias Barreñada  17. Party Politics in Quasi-states: Iraqi Kurdistan Irene Costantini and Dylan O’Driscoll  Part 4: Political Parties and Social Constituencies  18. Youth Activism and Political Parties Kressen Thyen  19. Tribes and Political Parties in the Contemporary Arab World Eleanor Gao  20. The Role of Women in Arab Political Parties Lindsay Benstead  21. Shi’a Islamist Parties in Iraq: From Opposition to Governance Harith Hasan  22. Armenian Political Parties in Lebanon: Functions and Survival Strategies Daria Vorobyeva  23. The Workers and the Left are not one Hand: Insights from Algeria Gianni Del Panta  24. Urban Bias, Rural Embeddedness: Using the Rural-urban Divide to Explain Political Party Organizational and Ideological Development in the MENA Matt Buehler and Allison Critcher  Part 5: Political parties and policy positions  25. Political Parties and Neo-liberal Economics Samir Amghar  26. ‘The Terminal’: Political Parties and Identity Issues in the Arab World Valeria Resta  27. Islamist Political Parties, International Relations and Foreign Policy: Historical Overview and Theoretical Insights Mohamed-Ali Adraoui  28. Between the Battlefield and the Ballot Box: Armed Political Parties in the Middle East Marina Calculli