Understanding Tahrir Square: What Transitions Elsewhere Can Teach Us About the Prospects for Arab Democracy
Language: English
Published by Brookings Institution, 2014
- Softcover
- New

Seller: Bill & Ben Books, Faringdon, United KingdomBill & Ben Books
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Amid the current turmoil in the Middle East, Understanding Tahrir Square sounds a rare optimistic note. Surveying countries in other parts of the world during their transitions to democracy, author Stephen Grand argues that the long-term prospects in many parts of the Arab world are actually quite positive. If the current polarization and political violence in the region can be overcome, democracy will eventually take root. The key to this change will likely be ordinary citizens - foremost among them the young protestors of the Arab Spring who have filled the region's public spaces - most famously, Egypt's Tahrir Square.The book puts the Arab Spring in comparative perspective. It reveals how globalization and other changes are upending the expectations of citizens everywhere about the relationship between citizen and state. Separate chapters examine the experiences of countries in the former Eastern bloc, in the Muslim-majority states of Asia, in Latin America, and in Sub-Saharan Africa during the recent Third Wave of democratization. What these cases show is that, at the end of the day, democracy requires democrats.Many complex factors go into making a democracy successful, such as the caliber of its political leaders, the quality of its constitution, and the design of its political institutions. But unless there is clear public demand for new institutions to function as intended, political leaders are unlikely to abide by the limits those institutions impose. If American policymakers want to support the brave activists struggling to bring democracy to the Arab world, helping them cultivate an effective political constituency for democracy - in essence, growing the Tahrir Square base - should be the lodestar of U.S. assistance.…
Seller Inventory # 0076506
- Title
- Understanding Tahrir Square: What Transitions Elsewhere Can Teach Us About the Prospects for Arab Democracy
- Author
- Stephen R. Grand
- Publisher
- Brookings Institution
- Publication year
- 2014
- Condition
- New
- Binding
- Paperback
- Language
- English
- ISBN 10
- 0815725167
- ISBN 13
- 9780815725169
In the early days of the Arab Spring, the world looked on breathlessly as democracy movements swept across a part of the world long considered a bastion of authoritarianism. Tunisia. Then Egypt. And Libya. Optimists saw a democratic wave gathering steam, becoming an inexorable force for greater freedom and political participation. But achieving democratic change is never easy. Both Tunisia and Egypt seem paralyzed by disputes between Islamists and secularists. Instability continues to plague Libya and Yemen. And longstanding dictatorships such as the Assad regime in Syria are not conceding easily. Where do things go from here?
In Understanding Tahrir Square, Brookings scholar Stephen R. Grand looks at the experience of Third Wave democratizers elsewhere around the globe, in order to improve our understanding of the prospects for Arab democracy. The title refers to Tahrir Square, the Cairo public space that became a focal point in the Egyptian Revolution. At one time, it seemed as if that name would take on the same resonance as the fall of the Berlin Wall did more than two decades ago, but the promise of Tahrir has faded as democracy's march seems to have stalled in the region. Unrest continues to shake Egypt, and rebels are stymied in Syria. Is this to be expected? Based on past experiences elsewhere, how is democracy eventually won? What can the United States and other democracies do to help?
Grand includes instructive chapters on democracy movements in Latin America, the former East bloc, Africa, and Asia. For each region, Grand provides a series of case studies that ground the discussion. In order of appearance, they are Chile, Argentina, Venezuela, Bolivia, Slovakia, Serbia, Belarus, Ukraine, Ghana, Zambia, Nigeria, Uganda, Turkey, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Pakistan. He examines how democracy came to each region, the particular challenges posed, and how each region fared. Two final chapters summarize the lessons learned and the policy implications for Arab Spring nations.
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Bill & Ben Books
Faringdon, United Kingdom
AbeBooks seller since March 3, 2025
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