In this piece with Yasir Kouti, we argue Trump's policy toward Iraq's government formation re Noori al-Maliki's nomination creates diplomatic and strategic hazards & offer paths for recalibrating US posture toward Iraq while avoiding foreign meddling in electoral outcomes
Compelling piece from @bulaw.bsky.social colleagues on how AI is built to tear down civic institutions-the bedrock of any democracy and rule of law.
Democratic theorists hold that voting contributes to some political good: individual and collective autonomy, equality, justice, pluralism, stability, better policies, and many others. But elections are common under authoritarianism, and empirical research finds that holding elections can stabilize authoritarian regimes. This creates what we term the democrat’s dilemma, where citizens who vote in authoritarian elections may bolster the regimes they wish to unseat, even when they cast a vote for the opposition. We identify three major ways of thinking about the democratic value of electoral participation—justice-based, epistemic, and proceduralist approaches—and use them to examine the complex moral considerations that confront voters in authoritarian regimes. We contend that authoritarian elections’ residual democratic value can justify voting, even when doing so could further entrench the autocrat. Our argument also implies that the democratic principles that justify voting in authoritarian elections oblige citizens to choose the most democratic alternative.
You should vote, even if your vote won't change the outcome, because this is how we uphold the democratic principles that underlie our republican ideals.
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Excited to be co-leading the MENA Development group for early career scholars at APSA's annual meeting in Boston this year with @shalaby12.bsky.social & @aklawrence.bsky.social. APSA travel grant will cover accommodation & travel up $1000. See call below:
urldefense.com/v3/__http://...
Checkout this fantastic collection of papers from @pomeps.bsky.social with contributions from scholars doing important and grounded work on Syria's transition and statebuilding after Assad's ouster
NEXT WEEK: Join us online on 11/12, 11 AM, the day after parliamentary elections in #Iraq, for a conversation with Alissa Walter & Marsin Alshamary on how ordinary Iraqis negotiate with state officials, militias, & political parties to survive & assert their rights. Register now:
POMEPS is pleased to announce a Call for Papers: Islamic Politics in North Africa and the Sahel after the Arab Uprisings. The deadline to apply is Monday, Nov. 3rd. For more information on how to apply: pomeps.org/pomeps-islam...
So happy to see this out! We caution against excessive optimism that the opposition will restore countries back to their democratic trajectories after electoral victory. Weakened institutions and the memory of repression makes it tempting to continue rather than buck the trend of autocratization.
Glad to see this important volume come to fruition- kudos to @lisablaydes.bsky.social & @samuelhelfont.bsky.social for putting us all in conversation with each other. Thrilled to have co-authored a critical chapter with @marsin.bsky.social on archival access & hierarchies of knowledge production
The @pomeps.bsky.social junior scholar book development workshop is an incredible opportunity to receive substantive feedback on first book projects relating broadly to Middle East politics. I'm on the committee and happy to answer any questions: smako@bu.edu
POMEPS Call for Papers: Syria after Assad Workshop. We seek papers on topics related to understanding Syria today that will be discussed at a virtual workshop on Sept. 19th. The deadline to apply is July 21st. For more info on how to apply: pomeps.org/call-for-pap...
More important things going on, but I have a new article out in @comppol.bsky.social on how ideology shapes rebels' wartime institutions, carrying over to postvictory statebuilding & governance approaches, w/original evidence from Nicaragua, Liberia, & Uganda www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cuny...
Pleased to have contributed to the APSA MENA Newsletter Thanks to the editors @dbgreenwald.bsky.social @sebnemgumuscu.bsky.social @samershehata.bsky.social for putting together such an amazing collection!
My piece: zenodo.org/records/1533...
The Issue: zenodo.org/records/1538...
Our article on legislative cooptation and opposition in the Kuwait National Assembly is finally out at @bjpols.bsky.social!
Key findings: bsky.app/profile/dani...
Article link: doi.org/10.1017/S000...
What is the Middle East? I’m thrilled to announce the publication- and free download - of my new, hopefully provocative Cambridge Element on the theory and practice of regions and area studies. Get it now and let me know what you think!
abuaardvark.substack.com/p/what-is-th...
How do autocrats stay in power?
Our new research dives into the strategies of political control—repression, co-optation, and indoctrination—used across 229 autocracies from 1946 to 2010. What we found will change the way you think about authoritarian resilience. 🧵👇
#menasky It's award nomination time for the 2024-2025 year! Please send your nominations our way for Best Book, Best Article, Best Dissertation, & Best Paper on MENA politics!
You can find all the details of eligibility & submission below.
Deadline is February 1, so spread the word!
If you are a post doc or faculty member please apply or reshare!
New policy brief for the Crown Center, in which I detail the Houthis' devastating campaign this summer against Yemeni CSOs and INGOs. Tldr; it's both a cause and a consequence of regime consolidation and it's really bad for our understanding of Yemen if knowledge-producers are in prison or exile.
Our book Making Sense of the Arab State is published today - open access to boot!
abuaardvark.substack.com/p/seeing-lik...
Thank you!
