From Tunisia to Egypt and from Israel to Iran, the debates surrounding the concept of democracy in the Middle East are never straightforward. This has been particularly evident since the events of 2009 in Iran and the uprisings across the Arab world in late 2010 and 2011. Against this backdrop, Democratic Peace across the Middle East critically analyses the prospects for democracy throughout the region, specifically asking whether political and social modernisation are absolute preconditions for democratic peace to take hold in the region, or whether democracy without modernisation might be enough. It explores the dynamics between neo-patriarchy and Islam on the one hand, and democratisation and modernisation on the other, and also considers the prospect of the political accommodation of opposition groups. Incorporating an analysis of a variety of key dynamics which affect each Middle Eastern country in turn, such as tribal and sectarian identity, Islamism and the structure of political party systems, this book will appeal to those researching the Middle East and its patterns of rule.

"... this volume is a highly valuable contribution to our understanding of the relation between democracy and peace in the Middle East, as well as in international politics in general.... this book will continue to be of value and interest for some time to come." --The Historian "This book is a useful collection of essays on Middle East politics and international relations presented in a reader-friendly interdisciplinary fashion." --Israel Studies Bulletin "... this is an important collection of challenging papers." --Studies in Contemporary Jewry "... one of the first books that specifically focuses on the possible links between democracy and peace in the region. It is entertaining and highly useful." --MESA Bulletin What are the prospects for continued movement toward democracy in the Arab world, and what form is democracy likely to take? What impact will democratization have on war and peace in the Middle East? Scholars explore these issues in this timely book.

Part I. Democratic peace, conflict prevention, and the United Nations. Part II. Secularization and democracy. Part III. National and regional experiences.

From Tunisia to Egypt and from Israel to Iran, the debates surrounding the concept of democracy in the Middle East are never straightforward. This has been particularly evident since the events of 2009 in Iran and the uprisings across the Arab world in late 2010 and 2011. Against this backdrop, Democratic Peace across the Middle East critically analyses the prospects for democracy throughout the region, specifically asking whether political and social modernisation are absolute preconditions for democratic peace to take hold in the region, or whether democracy without modernisation might be enough. It explores the dynamics between neo-patriarchy and Islam on the one hand, and democratisation and modernisation on the other, and also considers the prospect of the political accommodation of opposition groups. Incorporating an analysis of a variety of key dynamics which affect each Middle Eastern country in turn, such as tribal and sectarian identity, Islamism and the structure of political party systems, this book will appeal to those researching the Middle East and its patterns of rule.

As the recent revolutions in the Middle East have demonstrated, civil society in this part of the world is on the move. The increasingly important role of non-state actors – a phenomenon of globalization- has characterized developments throughout the region, affecting the struggle for democracy and for peace. This volume brings together scholars primarily form the region to analyse the varied activities and contributions of NGOs, the private sector and the new media, from Morocco to Iran, along with the involvement of diaspora groups. The chapter on facebook in the recent Egyptian revolution captures the role of this new media while the study on similar technology in Iran outlines the barriers raised by the authorities in the current struggles there. Even the fledgling process of democratization in Saudi Arabia is driven by non-state actors while the veteran women's movements in the Maghreb serve as an example for the post-Arab spring era in those countries. Providing one of the first assessments of the role of non-state actors in the Middle East, this book will be essential reading for students of Political Science, Sociology and Civil Society, amongst others.

Does the spread of democracy really contribute to international peace? Successive U. S. administrations have justified various policies intended to promote democracy not only by arguing that democracy is intrinsically good but by pointing to a wide range of research concluding that democracies rarely, if ever, go to war with one another. To promote democracy, the United States has provided economic assistance, political support, and technical advice to emerging democracies in Eastern and Central Europe, and it has attempted to remove undemocratic regimes through political pressure, economic sanctions, and military force. In Electing to Fight, Edward Mansfield and Jack Snyder challenge the widely accepted basis of these policies by arguing that states in the early phases of transitions to democracy are more likely than other states to become involved in war. Drawing on both qualitative and quantitative analysis, Mansfield and Snyder show that emerging democracies with weak political institutions are especially likely to go to war. Leaders of these countries attempt to rally support by invoking external threats and resorting to belligerent, nationalist rhetoric. Mansfield and Snyder point to this pattern in cases ranging from revolutionary France to contemporary Russia. Because the risk of a state's being involved in violent conflict is high until democracy is fully consolidated, Mansfield and Snyder argue, the best way to promote democracy is to begin by building the institutions that democracy requires—such as the rule of law—and only then encouraging mass political participation and elections. Readers will find this argument particularly relevant to prevailing concerns about the transitional government in Iraq. Electing to Fight also calls into question the wisdom of urging early elections elsewhere in the Islamic world and in China.