The Dialogue
Abstract
The Middle East has been notably absent from the wave of democratization and failed to adapt to globalization since the 1990s. In the Middle Eastern countries, the economy has largely stagnated and the political system has remained authoritarian despite popular revolts during the Arab Spring. Earlier literature often emphasized the cultural and religious differences between the Middle East and the rest of the world. However, the Arab Spring proved that the Middle East could be a part of the democratization wave. More recent literature attempts to explain this surge of public response to the regime and explores how the authoritarian regime resists and/ or adapts to the push of globalization. It highlights weak private sectors, intra-state regional fragmentation, and trade protectionism. Authoritarian leaders use concentrated political power, economic control, and cultural rhetoric to implement policies. We explore how to explain the different responses of authoritarian regimes in the Middle East to globalization by comparing past explanations in the literature. We illustrate patterns of adaptation to globalization by focusing on institutionalized vested interests involving military and civil society. We primarily compare Egypt and Tunisia, but also discuss Saudi Arabia to explore the implications of oil endowment and Lebanon to explore the implications of fractured democracy.
Recommended Citation
Eid, Lexi
(2025)
"Race to Robustness: Adaptation to Globalization in Authoritarian Regimes of the Middle East,"
The Dialogue: Vol. 10:
Iss.
1, Article 4.
Available at:
https://scholar.smu.edu/thedialogue/vol10/iss1/4
