Why did Islamists respond so differently to the Arab Spring? What do these different responses tell us about Islamists' ideological commitment and resilience, or the contexts within which they were functioning? This book is based on fieldwork on Islamists in eight Middle Eastern countries: Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Morocco, Yemen, Jordan, Kuwait and Syria. The contributors trace the transformation of the Islamists' ideology, behaviour, and strategy since the beginning of the Arab Spring. The aim of the book is to show that Islamists necessarily have an interactive and dialectical relationship with the environments in which they find themselves, and that their behaviour and political calculations are based on a wide range of local, regional and global factors. They take into account the impact of the different contexts the groups found themselves in from authoritarian to open and reformist, and contexts of armed conflict and civil war. An interdisciplinary project, the book captures the ongoing transformation of Islamist parties to explain the reasons why some movements could adapt and make shifts in their discourse and strategy, maintaining organizational coherence and unity, while others fell short and suffered major splits and schisms. The robust theoretical findings update existing literature on Islamism and advance the state of the field.

Examines why Islamist parties across the Middle East reacted so differently to the Arab Spring

About the Author
Khalil al-Anani is Associate Professor of Political Science and the Chair of Politics and International Relations Program at Doha Institute for Graduate Studies in Qatar. He has previously taught at Johns Hopkins University, Georgetown University, George Washington University, and George Mason University, USA.

Reviews
A useful, and well-written, snapshot of the current state of Islamist politics in the Middle East, dealing with the opportunities, challenges, and limitations faced by a wide range of Islamist parties in the Arab Spring and its aftermath -- Sean Burns, Visiting Assistant Professor at the College of William and Mary in Virginia
'This is an expert and judicious review of the manifold ways that Islamists have responded to the Arab Spring and the subject has been studied. It dispassionately interrogates conventional assumptions, investigates the effects of both inclusion and repression, and powerfully scrutinises an Islamism that is as resilient as it is protean. In addition to the informed country reviews, readers will benefit from the skilful elucidation of a post-revolutionary political Islam and guidance on how to think about it.' * James Piscatori, Durham University, UK *



Book Information
ISBN 9781838606282
Author Khalil al-Anani
Format Paperback
Page Count 184
Imprint Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC