Democracy or Authoritarianism

Islamist Governments in Turkey, Egypt, and Tunisia
Erscheinungsjahr 2025
ISBN: 978-1-009-17824-2
Verlag: Cambridge University Press

Buch, Englisch, 311 Seiten, Format (B × H): 229 mm x 151 mm, Gewicht: 452 g

The first Islamist parties to come to power through democratic means in the Muslim world were those in Turkey, Tunisia, and Egypt. The Justice and Development Party (AKP) won the 2002 election in Turkey, and Ennahda (Renaissance Party) in Tunisia and the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt were both elected in the wake of the Arab uprisings of 2010/11. Yet only Ennahda could be said to have fulfilled its democratic promise, with both the Turkish and Egyptian governments reverting to authoritarianism. Drawing upon extensive fieldwork in three countries, Sebnem Gumuscu explains why some Islamist governments adhered to democratic principles and others took an authoritarian turn following electoral success. Using accessible language, Gumuscu clearly introduces key theories and considers how intra-party affairs impacted each party's commitment to democracy. Through a comparative lens, Gumuscu identifies broader trends in Islamist governments and explains the complex web of internal dynamics that led political parties either to advance or subvert democracy.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Gumuscu, Sebnem

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Ideologien Theokratische und religiöse Ideologien
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Geschichte einzelner Länder Naher & Mittlerer Osten
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Systeme Vergleichende Politikwissenschaft

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction; 1. Modernization, inclusion, and power: explaining Islamist parties' democratic commitments; 2. A theory of intra-party politics: resources and coalitions; 3. The AKP's pivot from liberal democracy to electoral Islamism; 4. Electoral Islamism and killing the dream of a democratic Muslim brotherhood; 5. Ennahda's path towards liberal Islamism; Conclusion.

Über Autor(innen)

Gumuscu, Sebnem
Sebnem Gumuscu is Associate Professor of political science at Middlebury College. She has done extensive fieldwork in the Middle East and published widely on Islamist parties, democracy, and authoritarianism in prestigious journals. She has previously published Democracy, Identity, and Foreign Policy in Turkey: Hegemony through Transformation (co-author, 2014).