Democracy and Reform in the Middle East and Asia: Social Protest and Authoritarian Rule After the Arab Spring

The protests that swept across the Middle East and North Africa in late 2010 and 2011 confounded long-time observers of the region, in both the media and academia. After addressing the conditions in the Middle East and North Africa that produced these attempts at revolution, Amin Saikal and Amitav Acharya explore the global impact of the protests, both in terms of their ideological influence on opposition groups and the prospects for democratic transition in a variety of authoritarian and semi-authoritarian governments. Examining states at the heart of the uprisings, such as Egypt, Tunisia and Libya in addition to other Middle Easter states, like Iran, as well the Asian states of China, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, this book concentrates upon 'democratization' as the central theme. Did the protests have a galvanizing effect of democratization processes throughout Asia? And if not, why? Touching on perennial issues in politics – for example, democracy, authoritarian rule and social protest – this book is vital for researchers of politics and international relations.