Of empires and citizens : pro-American democracy or no democracy at all? / Amaney A. Jamal.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Jamal, Amaney A., 1970-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Democratization--Arab countries.

Democratization.

Islam and politics--Arab countries.

Islam and politics.

Anti-Americanism.

Democratization--Government policy.

Arab countries.

Democratization--Government policy--United States.

United States--Foreign relations--Arab countries.

United States.

International relations.

Arab countries--Foreign relations--United States.

Anti-Americanism--Arab countries.

Arab countries--Politics and government--1945-.

Politics and government.

Physical Description:

xiv, 276 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, [2012]

Summary:

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 coward their governments.

While the Cold War's end reduced super-power 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. As a result, the preferences of the 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. Book jacket.

Contents:

Introduction: pro-American democracy or no democracy at all? : the U.S. strategic approach to democracy

Becoming Jordan and Kuwait: the making and consolidating of U.S. client regimes

Islamist momentum in the Arab world: Jordan's Islamic Action Front and Kuwait's Islamic Constitutional Movement

Engaging the regime through the lens of the United States: citizens' political preferences

Support for democracy and authoritarianism: the geostrategic utility of cooperative leadership

Morocco: support for the status quo

Palestine and Saudi Arabia and the limits of democracy

The influence of international context on domestic-level models of regime transition and democratic consolidation.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780691149646

069114964X

9780691149653

0691149658

OCLC:

780063855