Description
Book SynopsisIn 1989, Francis Fukuyama famously declared that we had reached the end of history, and that liberal democracy would be the reigning ideology from now on. But Fukuyama failed to reckon with the idea of illiberal democracy. What if majorities, working through the democratic process, decide they would rather not accept gender equality and other human rights norms that Western democracies take for granted? Nowhere have such considerations become more relevant than in the Middle East, where the Arab uprisings of 2011 swept the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist parties into power. Since then, one question has been on everyone''s mind: what do Islamists really want?In Temptations of Power, noted Brookings scholar Shadi Hamid draws on hundreds of interviews with Islamist leaders and rank-and-file activists to offer an in-depth look at the past, present, and future of Islamist parties across the Arab world. The oldest and most influential of these groups, the Muslim Brotherhood, initially
Trade ReviewAn Egyptian colleague of mine recently suggested that Hamid, who has emerged as a prominent commentator on the Muslim Brotherhood in recent years, had been duped by the organization. My colleague should read Hamids book; so should others. Many observers have explored the question of whether Islamist moderation is tactical or sincere. Hamids answer is clear: it is tactical. Hamid has extensively researched the Brotherhoods branches in Egypt, Jordan, and Tunisia. * John Waterbury, Book of the year 2014, Foreign Affairs *
An important and fresh contribution to our understanding of political Islam, Temptations of Power offers an insider and intimate perspective on Islamic movements and the rationale behind their leadership and survival. Drawing from many interviews with Islamists in the Middle East, the book uncovers aspects of political Islam that can sound counterintuitive to general audiences. * Reza Akhlaghi, Book of the year 2014, Foreign Policy Association *
Table of Contents1. Islamists in Transition ; 2. Democrats Before Democracy ; 3. The Promise of Politics ; 4. The Turn to Repression ; 5. Learning to Lose ; 6. Temptations of Power ; 7. Illiberal Democracy ; 8. A Tunisian Exception? ; 9. The Past and Future of Political Islam
