- Paperback: 256 pages
- Publisher: Zed Books (August 2003)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1842771612
- ISBN-13: 978-1842771617
- Product Dimensions: 22 x 13.9 x 1.2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 286 g
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #2,157,875 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Details |
Product Description
Review
"The painstaking research, rigorous analysis and clearly defined conclusions make this book an excellent teaching tool, widely relevant beyond Tunisia and the Maghreb." -- Clovis Demers, President, Human Rights Internet
"One of the best investigations ever offered on the three countries that make up the Maghreb: Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia." -- Robert Menard, Director, Reporters Sans Frontieres
"a thought-provoking work." -- Jacques Zylberg, Laval University, Canada
"One of the best investigations ever offered on the three countries that make up the Maghreb: Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia." -- Robert Menard, Director, Reporters Sans Frontieres
"a thought-provoking work." -- Jacques Zylberg, Laval University, Canada
Product Description
This is an up-to-date and insightful account of modern politics in three crucial North African countries--Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco, known together as the Maghreb. It examines the ways in which the outward forms of democratic governance can be emptied of content, specifically through a conjunction of a power-hungry leader and a quiescent civil society that allows him to wield this power.
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4.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review)
4.0 out of 5 stars
Rather interesting given the presence of recent North African revolutions, April 12 2011
By Hamza - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Dangerous Alliances: Civil Society, the Media and Democratic Transition in North Africa (Paperback)
I bought this book, which one should note was published in 2003, with a view to acquire some scholarly background information about what has been happening in North Africa over recent months (i.e. the revolutions of early 2011). The book concentrates mainly on Tunisia but also includes commentary on Algeria and Morocco. I was thankful that the author did not attempt to preach a given form of democracy but rather simply focused on exploring various state sanctioned behaviors that were inconsistent with core democratic principles (e.g. the absence of a free press). Certainly, I am of the opinion that the people of North Africa should approach democracy in their own way, integrating the religious and cultural principles that they see fit. The book emphasizes that the transition to democracy is not a novel concept in North Africa and in the past has been particularly vulnerable to being hijacked (something that current revolutionaries should keep at the forefront of their mind). Garon introduces the concept of Tunisian muteness syndrome to explain why well intentioned people end up interfering with the drive for democratic change and supporting authoritarianism. This concept was particularly interesting; perhaps even groundbreaking (especially from a psychological point of view), and it is disappointing that it appears to have received little scholarly or popular attention. The book also emphasizes the extent to which seemingly democracy friendly Islamic political parties/groups/networks have been repressed or used as scapegoats in countries such as Tunisia and Algeria. In doing so, the book inadvertently supports the notion that a unified Islamic movement is perhaps the most significant threat to authoritarianism. The commentary on Morocco ultimately demonstrates that Islam and democracy do not have to operate in separate universes. Whilst the authors decision to frequently draw on metaphors from ancient Greece felt a little inappropriate, I have to say that overall, this book was very good. I liked that it was very focused and empirically driven rather than opinion orientated.
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