Beyond the Arab Spring: The Evolving Ruling Bargain in the Middle East

The Arab Spring occurred within the context of the unraveling of the dominant 'ruling bargain' that emerged across the Middle East in the 1950s. This is being replaced by a new and in- choate system that redefines sources of author- ity and legitimacy through various devices (such as constitutions), experiences, and processes (mass protests, civil wars, and elections), by reassessing the roles, functions, and at times the structures of institutions (political parties and organisations, the armed forces, the executive); and by the initiative of key personalities and actors (agency). Across the Arab world and the Middle East, 'authority' and 'political legitimacy' are in flux. Where power will ultimately reside depends largely on the shape, voracity, and staying power of these new, emerging conceptions of authority. The contributors to this book examine the nature and evolution of ruling bargains, the politi- cal systems to which they gave rise, the steady unraveling of the old systems and the structural consequences thereof, and the uprisings that have engulfed much of the Middle East since December 2010.

About the Author :
Mehran Kamrava is Professor and Director of the Center for International and Regional Studies at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service in Qatar. He is the author of a number of books, including, most recently, The Modern Middle East: A Political History Since the First World War; Qatar: Small State, Big Politics; and Iran's Intellectual Revolution.

Review :
The authors of this wide-ranging collection - deeply steeped in history and skilled in political analysis - walk us through the past 'bargains' imposed by rulers of the Middle East on their own peoples. In doing so, they expertly convey how those bargains are now being renegotiated in a process that is sometimes exhilarating but also contentious (even violent), confusing, and prone to breakdown, distrust, and even bad faith. 'Beyond the Arab Spring' adds new dimensions and considerable depth to our understanding of the extraordinary events in the region since the first days of 2011. From the exploration of an array of institutions and social forces underpinning the uprisings to the examination of particularities of country cases, this volume covers a lot of ground while providing readers with much to think about. An important contribution to the literature.