The International Dimensions of Democratization in Egypt: The Limits of Externally-Induced Change

Authors

Gamal M. Selim, The British University in EgyptFollow

Document Type

Book

Publication Date

2015

Abstract

During the second half of the twentieth century, the mainstream scholarship presented the democratization process as the outcome of domestic conditions not significantly influenced by actors outside the nation-state. With the end of the Cold War, this perspective was challenged as a result of the third wave of democratization and the subsequent growth of the “good governance” discourse on the agenda of the international development establishment. The new perspective attached a more significant role to external factors in the democratization process than was originally conceptualized.

This book purports to examine the international dimensions of the democratization process in Egypt in the post Cold War era; a theme which acquired significance at the academic and policy-oriented levels in light of the growing internationalization of reform arrangements in the Arab world in post 9/11 and the greater involvement of external powers in Arab politics following the Arab Spring uprisings.

Comments

• Develops a conceptual framework which, based on theories of international relations, delineates the set of external factors with democratizing effects.
• Critically evaluates the role of external factors in the democratization process in Egypt, an important domain that has not adequately been addressed to date.
• The findings raise significant issues for external programmes to promote democracy in the Arab world.

Recommended Citation

Gamal M. Selim, 'The International Dimensions of Democratization in Egypt: The Limits of Externally-Induced Change.' Hexagon Series on Human and Environmental Security and Peace, Vol. 11 (New York – London: Springer International Publishing, 2015)