Publication

This paper discusses the so-called “Arab exception”, which refers to the alleged inability of Arab societies to transition from authoritarian to democratic political systems. The author first looks at explanations given for this phenomenon, which fall into two categories: 1) religious and cultural constraints that are difficult to change; and 2) economic and geopolitical factors. He then makes the argument that economic and geopolitical factors have hindered democracy in the Arab world and that geopolitics decisively shaped the evolution of the Arab Spring.