Understanding Political Islam
Since 9/11, the thrust of Western foreign and security policy toward the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has aimed at containing radical forms of Islam
The Arab Spring started a wave of revolutionary fervor, and over a three-year period starting in 2010, regimes throughout the MENA region fell. The electoral success of Islamist parties in many of these countries reinvigorated concerns. The recent kangaroo courts in Egypt and rise of ISIS in Iraq have further brought radical Islamism into the spotlight.
In a new study, Cato policy analyst Dalibor Rohac examines the roots of political Islam, the policy implications of its rise, and the longer term prospects for secular liberal democracy in the region. According to Rohac, the electoral successes of Islamists in Arab Spring countries have relatively little to do with religion but rather with the organizational characteristics of Islamic political groups.
“The electoral success of Islamists is a natural result of the political environment, which can be mitigated only by an increase in the credibility of alternative political groups,” writes Rohac. “The electoral advantage enjoyed by Islamic parties can be expected to dissipate…as competing political groups establish channels of communication, promise verification for their voters, and build reputation over time.”
