Modes of State Evolution and Crisis Management in Arab Countries

About

Ruling elites in a number of Arab countries faced with deepening financial and economic crises are responding to the loss of the resources they previously used to maintain rentier governing systems and social control by deploying twin strategies to ensure their survival. First, abdication of state responsibility for the delivery of key capacities: the ability to accomplish policy goals, regulate markets and collect taxes, enforce law and order, and provide other public goods. Second, managing their crises “as if waging war:”sidestepping the governance vacuum through polarizing politics so as to retain the loyalty of core social constituencies, while capturing revenue streams, mobilizing military assets, and asserting the territorial boundaries of rival communities. This course will draw on trends in Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Palestine, Syria, Sudan, and Yemen in particular, with consideration of Tunisia and possibly Algeria, so as to gain comparative insight from their convergences and divergences. This will additionally highlight the varying impact of external actors, while also allowing an examination of similarities and differences in the strategies and outcomes pursued in more stable Arab countries where ruling elites may be characterized as shifting from the role of “stewards of states” to that of “management committees of family-owned businesses.”

Course leader

Yezid Sayigh (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace)

Target group

The Barcelona Summer School of the Mediterranean and the Middle East is a joint initiative of IBEI, Blanquerna, DIPLOCAT and IEMED.

The 2023 edition of the School will consist of a number of interactive courses on the politics and international relations of the Mediterranean and the Middle East, taught by experts of international reputation. These will be complemented by various panel discussions, field trips and cultural events such as visits to the Union for the Mediterranean, La Pedrera-Casa Milà, FC Barcelona Museum and a movie afternoon, among others. This integrated structure will enable the programme to cater to the needs of both students and practitioners. The events will be free for all registered participants.

Course aim

Ruling elites in a number of Arab countries faced with deepening financial and economic crises are responding to the loss of the resources they previously used to maintain rentier governing systems and social control by deploying twin strategies to ensure their survival. First, abdication of state responsibility for the delivery of key capacities: the ability to accomplish policy goals, regulate markets and collect taxes, enforce law and order, and provide other public goods. Second, managing their crises “as if waging war:”sidestepping the governance vacuum through polarizing politics so as to retain the loyalty of core social constituencies, while capturing revenue streams, mobilizing military assets, and asserting the territorial boundaries of rival communities. This course will draw on trends in Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Palestine, Syria, Sudan, and Yemen in particular, with consideration of Tunisia and possibly Algeria, so as to gain comparative insight from their convergences and divergences. This will additionally highlight the varying impact of external actors, while also allowing an examination of similarities and differences in the strategies and outcomes pursued in more stable Arab countries where ruling elites may be characterized as shifting from the role of “stewards of states” to that of “management committees of family-owned businesses.”

Fee info