The Political Science of the Middle East The Political Science of the Middle East Theory and Research Since the Arab Uprisings Edited by MARC LYNCH, JILLIAN SCHWEDLER, AND SEAN YOM Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University Press in the UK and certain other countries. Published in the United States of America by Oxford University Press 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, United States of America. © Oxford University Press 2022 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted by law, by license, or under terms agreed with the appropriate reproduction rights organization. Inquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the address above. You must not circulate this work in any other form and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Lynch, Marc, 1969– editor. | Schwedler, Jillian, editor. | Yom, Sean L., editor. Title: The political science of the Middle East : theory and research since the Arab uprisings / edited by Marc Lynch, Jillian Schwedler, and Sean Yom. Description: New York, NY : Oxford University Press, 2022. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2022003362 (print) | LCCN 2022003363 (ebook) | ISBN 9780197640050 (paperback) | ISBN 9780197640043 (hardback) | ISBN 9780197640067 (epub) | ISBN 9780197640081 Subjects: LCSH: Middle East—Politics and government—21st century. | Political culture—Middle East. | Political science—Research—Middle East. Classification: LCC JQ 1758 . A 58 P654 2022 (print) | LCC JQ 1758 . A 58 (ebook) | DDC 320.956—dc23/eng/20220401 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022003362 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022003363 DOI: 10.1093/ oso/ 9780197640043.001.0001 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 Paperback printed by Lakeside Book Company, United States of America Hardback printed by Bridgeport National Bindery, Inc., United States of America Contents Preface and Acknowledgments vii List of Contributors ix 1. I ntroduction: The Project of Middle East Political Science: Research Agendas for a Maturing Field 1 Marc Lynch 2. A uthoritarianism Reconfigured: Evolving Forms of Political Control 35 André Bank, Eva Bellin, Michael Herb, Lisa Wedeen, Sean Yom, and Saloua Zerhouni 3. B etween Two Uprisings: The Study of Protest in the Middle East, 2010–2 0 62 Nermin Allam, Chantal Berman, Killian Clarke, and Jillian Schwedler 4. I nternational Relations and Regional (In)security 86 May Darwich, F. Gregory Gause III, Waleed Hazbun, Curtis Ryan, and Morten Valbjørn 5. M ilitaries, Militias, and Violence 108 Holger Albrecht, Kevin Koehler, Devorah Manekin, and Ora Szekely 6. P olitical Economy and Development 132 Ferdinand Eibl, Shimaa Hatab, and Steffen Hertog 7. I slam and Islamism 156 Tarek Masoud, Khalil al- Anani, Courtney Freer, and Quinn Mecham 8. T he Politics of Identity and Sectarianism 182 Fanar Haddad, Lisel Hintz, Rima Majed, Toby Matthiesen, Bassel F. Salloukh, and Alexandra A. Siegel 9. P ublic Opinion 206 Lindsay J. Benstead, Justin Gengler, and Michael Robbins vi Contents 10. M igration and Displacement 232 Rawan Arar, Laurie Brand, Rana B. Khoury, Noora Lori, Lama Mourad, and Wendy Pearlman 11. T oward a Relational Approach to Local Politics 256 Janine A. Clark, Sarah El- Kazaz, Mona Harb, and Lana Salman 12. T riumph over Adversity: Reflections on the Practice of Middle East Political Science 281 Lisa Anderson Index 299 Preface and Acknowledgments This ambitious volume is the work of a sprawling academic community. By highlighting the flurry of pathbreaking research conducted by political scientists of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) over the past decade, it achieves three goals. First, it illustrates how the Arab uprisings of 2011–1 2 sparked vital new directions in the study of comparative politics and inter- national relations across the region. The uprisings constituted a generational event, if a poorly understood one, and recast how scholars approached the core issues girding political science: political governance, social forces, eco- nomic dynamics, and institutional order, among others. Second, the book proves the immense theoretical payoff of cultivating regional expertise within political science. MENA researchers during the 2010s quickly pivoted from cataloging the Arab uprisings to explaining their ripple effects for comparative politics and international relations. Intimate understandings of regional politics enabled them to push back against ex- isting theories and raise daring questions, question old assumptions, pos- tulate creative hypotheses, and collect new data in their quest to explain puzzling outcomes within states and societies. The chapters that follow sig- nify that for many topics in political science, regional knowledge gained through close- range study and linguistic expertise can greatly advance the frontiers of disciplinary knowledge. Finally, this work is testimony to the importance of intellectual collabora- tion. The study of MENA politics has become a truly global undertaking, and our authors reflect an authentic slice of that pluralism and diversity. Nearly fifty scholars— at various stages of their careers and spread across several continents and dozens of institutions— contributed to the twelve chapters that follow. Our emphasis lies not in picking winners and losers within on- going debates but in taking stock of those debates by highlighting points of consensus as well as disagreements. Coordinating this convergent effort would be complicated even in normal times; that the project overlapped with the COVID-1 9 pandemic made it an- ything but. Yet we stand proudly by the fruits of our collective action. We pre- sent this book as a definitive statement of MENA political science, including viii Preface and Acknowledgments its critical progress over the past decade, the lessons it has taught the rest of political science, and the cauldron of new ideas still animating regional studies. We have designed the volume for flexible use in various settings, in- cluding as a disciplinary reader for MENA specialists, a reference guide for non- MENA scholars, and a graduate text for advanced courses and training on MENA politics. The editors are deeply grateful to all the contributors who participated in this generational endeavor, particularly as the coronavirus pandemic made in- person conferences nearly impossible. Every chapter encapsulates an ex- pansive field of research inquiry, and each could constitute an encyclopedic volume in its own right. In authoring, editing, and revising the chapters, we came to absorb an immense body of knowledge ourselves, making us even more impressed with the rapid advancements and theoretical sophistication that now typify the political science of the Middle East. Beyond our contributors, we thank two anonymous reviewers who pro- vided feedback and praise that helped usher the volume into production. David McBride at Oxford University Press and his editorial team deserve special thanks for ensuring a smooth progression from drafting to publica- tion. Hillary Wiesner and the Carnegie Corporation of New York and Toby Volkman of the Henry R. Luce Foundation have been unflagging in their support for the Project on Middle East Political Science. Finally, we wish to thank the broader community of scholars who study the MENA region, who as friends, colleagues, and peers have tirelessly worked to further our understanding of the region throughout our careers. This community is eclectic. It stretches across multiple subfields in po- litical science and pursues diverse methodological and epistemological commitments. Being members of this community ourselves, we know that its spirit of open- mindedness, intellectual curiosity, and personal generosity have made MENA politics one of the most supportive and collaborative areas within political science. This volume is a testament to this. Contributors Editors Marc Lynch is a professor of political science and the director of the Middle East Studies Program at The George Washington University. Jillian Schwedler is a professor of political science at Hunter College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Sean Yom is an associate professor of political science at Temple University. Contributors Khalil al-A nani is an associate professor of political science at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies. Holger Albrecht is a professor of political science at the University of Alabama. Nermin Allam is an assistant professor of political science at Rutgers University, Newark. Lisa Anderson is a former president of the American University of Cairo and the Shotwell Professor Emerita in Political Science in the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. Rawan Arar is an assistant professor in the Department of Law, Societies, and Justice at the University of Washington. André Bank is a senior research fellow at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies in Hamburg. Eva Bellin is the Myra and Robert Kraft Professor of Arab Politics at Brandeis University. Lindsay J. Benstead is an associate professor of political science and the director of the Middle East Studies Center at Portland State University. Chantal Berman is an assistant professor in the Department of Government at Georgetown University.