5,033 research outputs found
The European Union and Morocco. Security through authoritarianism? IHS Political Science Series: 2006, No. 110
Get PDFRecent international events sparked renewed academic interest for the European Union’s Common Foreign and Security Policy, particularly towards the Arab world. Usually, much is made of the normative power of the Union and of its role in exporting the values of democratic governance and human rights. It follows that the policies of the Union in specific regions are judged according to the parameters of liberal idealism. This paper challenges such an assumption and argues that a structural realist interpretation of the Union’s tentative foreign policy makes a decisive contribution to better understand and evaluate what the Union ‘does’ abroad. The paper is specifically concerned with the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership and how, contrary to the liberal idealist values of CFSP, it helps securitising the Mediterranean through the promotion and support of political authoritarianism in the partner countries. The case of Morocco is discussed in detail
IPS784225_French_and_Spanish_abstract – Supplemental material for Revisiting the Islamist–Secular divide: Parties and voters in the Arab world
No full textSupplemental material, IPS784225_French_and_Spanish_abstract for Revisiting the Islamist–Secular divide: Parties and voters in the Arab world by Eva Wegner and Francesco Cavatorta in International Political Science Review</p
WegnerCavatorta_Appendix29March_Msed – Supplemental material for Revisiting the Islamist–Secular divide: Parties and voters in the Arab world
No full textSupplemental material, WegnerCavatorta_Appendix29March_Msed for Revisiting the Islamist–Secular divide: Parties and voters in the Arab world by Eva Wegner and Francesco Cavatorta in International Political Science Review</p
Reseña de Francesco CAVATORTA, Lise STORM and Valeria RESTA (eds.) (2021): Routledge Handbook on Political Parties in the Middle East and North Africa. Routledge, London & New York.
No full textReview of Francesco CAVATORTA, Lise STORM and Valeria RESTA (eds.) (2021): Routledge Handbook on Political Parties in the Middle East and North Africa. Routledge, London & New York.Reseña de Francesco CAVATORTA, Lise STORM and Valeria RESTA (eds.) (2021): Routledge Handbook on Political Parties in the Middle East and North Africa. Routledge, London & New York
'Divided they stand, divided they fail': opposition politics in Morocco
Get PDFThe literature on democratization emphasises how authoritarian constraints usually lead genuine opposition parties and movements to form alliances in order to make demands for reform to the authoritarian regime. There is significant empirical evidence to support this theoretical point. While this trend is partly visible in the Middle East and North Africa, such coalitions are usually short-lived and limited to a single issue, never reaching the stage of formal and organic alliances. This article, using the case of Morocco, seeks to explain this puzzle by focusing on ideological and strategic differences that exist between the Islamist and the secular/liberal sectors of civil society, where significant opposition politics occurs. In addition, this article also aims to explain how pro-democracy strategies of the European Union further widen this divide, functioning as a key obstacle to democratic reforms
Civil society, Islamism and democratisation: the case of Morocco
Get PDFThe positive role that an active civil society plays in processes of democratisation is often highlighted in the literature. However, when it comes to the Middle East and North Africa, such activism is considered to be detrimental to democratisation because the predominant role is played by Islamist groups. The explanation for this rests with the perceived ‘uncivil’ and undemocratic Islamist ethos of such groups. This paper challenges this assumption and argues that Islamist associations can be a potential force for democratisation for three reasons. First, they are capable of political learning; secondly, they generate secular civil society activism as a response to their activities, increasing the number of actors in the political and social system; and finally, they can cooperate with other civil society groups on a number of issues, given that they are all subject to the same authoritarian constraints. The paper focuses in particular on the case of Morocco and the Islamist group Jamiat al-Adl wal-Ihsan
Liberal outcomes through undemocratic means: the reform of the Code de statut personnel in Morocco
Get PDFThe 2004 reform of the family code in Morocco has been held as one of the most significant liberal reforms undertaken in the country, and has led scholars and policy makers to argue that this demonstrates the democratic progress Morocco and the King are making. At the same time, the role of the women's movement in getting the reform approved has seemingly confirmed that associational life is crucial in promoting democratisation. This paper, building on theoretical work questioning the linkage between a strong civil society and democratic outcomes, argues that civil society activism does not necessarily lead to democratisation, and may reinforce authoritarian practices. Far from demonstrating the centrality of civil society, the process through which the new family code was passed highlights the crucial institutional role of the monarch, whose individual decision-making power has driven the whole process. Authoritarianism finds itself strengthened in Morocco despite the liberal nature and outcome of the reform
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