Abstract
After a sustained period of autocratic rule in the Arab region following the independence of the Arab countries in the wake of World War II, the successful Tunisian uprising of December 2010 has ushered in what seems to be a new political phase — the beginnings of the unravelling of Arab autocracy. However, more than four years later, this trajectory is yet to take hold region-wide and, for the foreseeable future, its eventual outcome remains uncertain. Of four countries where the uprisings managed to overthrow the incumbent regime (namely, Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen), and one where this attempt has been ongoing for the past four years (Syria), only Tunisia appears to be moving in the direction of a genuine democracy, as attested by its approved constitution of January 2014, the parliamentary elections of 26 October and the presidential elections on 21 December of the same year, as well as the generally and relatively peaceful transfer of power among its major political contestants.
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Makdisi, S. (2016). The Unravelling of Arab Autocracy: Socioeconomic Factors in Context. In: Kadri, A. (eds) Development Challenges and Solutions after the Arab Spring. Rethinking International Development Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137541406_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137541406_4
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