As an oft-static region of the world erupted in protests this past winter and spring, onlookers might have had fair reason to ask what had changed. Hosni Mubarak had ruled Egypt since 1981, his party undefeated since its founding. Yet in a matter of weeks, the “Pharaoh-for-Life” relinquished office, a man without supporters. Even more … Read more
The revolution was the easy part. In the wake of the various governmental transitions in Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, and other nations across the Middle East, the idea of democracy in the region is once more in full swing. With the death of the traditional autocracies, reformers dream of a new wave of representative, constitutional government. … Read more
The idea that demand for oil may affect American foreign policy is neither a new nor particularly novel thesis. Many commentators from Pat Buchanan to Thomas Friedman have argued that the United States counteracts its own interests through its purchases from authoritarian regimes in the Middle East. Less examined, but equally potent, however, may be … Read more
Democracy is a messy business. As the ongoing conflicts throughout the Middle East illustrate, the pendulum of social upheaval often swings wildly and in unpredictable directions. Since 2006, Thailand has found itself in the throes of political uncertainty, punctuated by outbreaks of anti-government protests and violent repression. The pattern may seem deserving of a “revolutionary” … Read more
As citizens and policymakers alike wait to see where the 2011 Egyptian revolution will head, the anxiety may come with understandable sense of déjà-vu. Some 59 years ago, in fact, British colonialists faced similar turmoil, following a 1952 coup in which the Free Officers, a group of junior military officers led by Gamal Nasser, deposed … Read more