Islam and Democracy: The Failure of Dialogue in Algeria

Frederick Volpi

ISBN 10: 0745319777 / ISBN 13: 9780745319773

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No dustcover. Top of spine is bumped, sticker on back cover. Clean, crisp, unmarked pages. Your book will be securely packaged, and promptly dispatched. During the late twentieth century, many authoritarian Islamic states underwent a dramatic transition to democracy. This book examines the process of democratic reform in Islamic countries, the problems it throws up and the cultural ideas and practices that prevail. Concentrating in particular on Algeria, and based on extensive on-the-ground research, Volpi offers a unique insight into the political history of the Algerian conflict and raises serious questions about the relationship between Islam and democracy on an international level. Addressing the problem of the radicalisation of political Islam in the region, he suggests possible solutions to the security and foreign policy dilemmas linked to international terrorism.A bitter battle has been faught between the civil state and the Islamic fundamentalists in Algeria since the 1980s. It's a paradigmatic clash of civilisations for some, whilst for others it's a distorted and local crisis in which democratisation was introduced in a deeply authoritarian context. Looking in particular at the role of oil resources, which give Algeria great international geo-strategic and economic importance, Volpi explores Algeria's political transition -- a story which continues to have immense potential significance for other non-democratic Muslim countries. Quantity Available: 1. Category: Politics & Government; ISBN: 0745319777. ISBN/EAN: 9780745319773. Pictures of this item not already displayed here available upon request. Inventory No: 50-428G-FNYI. Seller Inventory # 50-428G-FNYI

Bibliographic Details

Title: Islam and Democracy: The Failure of Dialogue...

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Very Good

Dust Jacket Condition: No Dust Jacket

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Synopsis:

During the late twentieth century, many authoritarian Islamic states underwent a dramatic transition to democracy. This book examines the process of democratic reform in Islamic countries, the problems it throws up and the cultural ideas and practices that prevail. Concentrating in particular on Algeria, and based on extensive on-the-ground research, Volpi offers a unique insight into the political history of the Algerian conflict and raises serious questions about the relationship between Islam and democracy on an international level. Addressing the problem of the radicalisation of political Islam in the region, he suggests possible solutions to the security and foreign policy dilemmas linked to international terrorism.

A bitter battle has been faught between the civil state and the Islamic fundamentalists in Algeria since the 1980s. It's a paradigmatic ‘clash of civilisations’ for some, whilst for others it's a distorted and local crisis in which ‘democratisation’ was introduced in a deeply authoritarian context. Looking in particular at the role of oil resources, which give Algeria great international geo-strategic and economic importance, Volpi explores Algeria's political transition -- a story which continues to have immense potential significance for other non-democratic Muslim countries.

Review:

There could hardly be a more inflammatory political topic at present ... Volpi [has produced] a really valuable work on the subject. (Professor John Dunn, Cambridge University)

Frédéric Volpi’s account of Algerian politics masterfully situates the obstacles to democratisation in the local negative understandings of elite responsibilities and citizen rights. Military hardliners and Islamic radicals emerge as both the products and agents of an autocratic civic culture, with pragmatic Islamists like FIS caught in between ... this work takes us well beyond the case of Algeria and persuasively highlights the no less uncertain predicament of Muslim societies elsewhere. (James Piscatori, Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies)