Islam and Democratization: Lessons Learned from the Arab Spring

June 20-21, 2012
Location: National Defense University

Since September 11, 2001, interest in the compatibility of Islam and secular democracies has become an object of political concern and military strategy. A decade later, with the death of Osama bin Laden and the unfolding of the Arab Spring, this question is more relevant than ever as the number of Middle Eastern countries of strategic concern expands beyond just Afghanistan and Iraq. Over the last 18 months of research for the Minerva Initiative, Jocelyne Cesari has addressed the strategic impacts of social and cultural changes in the Muslim world, focusing particularly on the state-society interactions and how they influence the politicization of Islam in Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. This conference presented the main findings of this research and discussed it with scholars of Middle Eastern politics, as well as with policymakers working on countries and topics related to the Arab Spring.

Panel One: State-Society Relations and Consequences of Regime Change 

  • Jocelyne Cesari, National Defense University, "Strategic Impacts of Social and Cultural Changes in Muslim-Majority Countries: Egypt, Tunisia, Turkey"​
  • William Lawrence, ICG/North Africa Project, "Morocco and Algeria: Opposite State Management of Religion?"
  • Eric Davis, Rutgers University, "Risk of Sectarian Divides: Iraq"

Panel Two: Why and How Do Authoritarian Regimes Persist?

  • Stephen King, Georgetown University, "Syria "​
  • F. Gregory Gause, University of Vermont, "Saudi Arabia"
  • Robert Springborg, Naval Postgraduate School, "Civil-Military Relations in a Comparative Perspective"
  • Melani Cammett, Brown University, "Assessing the Economic Variable" 

Panel Three: Islamic Political Parties and the Transition to Democracy – Is it an Oxymoron? Part I

  • Carrie Wickham, Emory University, "The Muslim Brotherhood"​
  • Omar Ashour, Brookings Institution, "Libya"
  • Mokhtar Benabdallaoui, National Endowment for Democracy, "Morocco"

Panel Four: Islamic Political Parties and the Transition to Democracy – Is it an Oxymoron? Part II

  • Michele Angrist, Union College, "Tunisia"​
  • Haim Malka, Center for Strategic and International Studies, "Hamas and Palestine"
  • Kilic Kanat, SETA, "Turkey"

Panel Five: Reshuffling the Cards – Regional Actors and the Arab Spring

  • Michael Eisenstadt, Washington Institute, "Israel"​
  • Suzanne Maloney, Brookings Institution, "Iran"
  • Kadir Ustun, SETA, "Turkey"
  • Thomas W. Lippman, Council on Foreign Relations, "Saudi Arabia"

Panel Six: The Arab Spring and the West

  • Daniel Brumberg, Georgetown University, "Europe"​
  • Donald Jensen, Center for Transatlantic Relations, "Russia"
  • Michael Doran, Brookings Institution, "USA"

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