North African Politics by Zoubir, Yahia H.; White, Gregory;

Short description:

North African Politics: Change and continuity brings together experts to explore these questions, providing in-depth analyses of important developments in the region, which build upon and complement the 2008 companion volume, North Africa: Politics, Region and the Limits of Transformation. This 21-chapter volume is a key contribution that responds to the need in the Anglo-American sphere for sustained, critical studies on North Africa and examines political, economic, security, social and military aspects of the region. Focused studies on individual countries allow detailed discussion of regional factors. The book also examines extrinsic, trans-regional dynamics, such as North Africa’s influential interdependencies with the Levant and the Gulf, Europe, Sahelian and sub-Saharan Africa, and North America. Its innovative approach provides new perspectives on North Africa, extending its research scope to include Egypt and exploring China’s evolving role in the region.

Long description:

In the aftermath of the turmoil that shook North Africa in late 2010 and early 2011, commentators and analysts have sought explanations to the factors that triggered the uprisings and to understand why a region, seemingly characterized by relative stability for decades, would suddenly erupt in convulsions. Had an underlying dynamism in the region overwhelmed what were ostensibly stable authoritarian regimes? What were the connections to events and dynamics beyond the region, such as countries in the Middle East, international commodity markets, and environmental factors, amongst others? Why had allies abetted authoritarianism for so long, and what were the implications for such alliances?

North African Politics: Change and continuity brings together experts to explore these questions, providing in-depth analyses of important developments in the region, which build upon and complement the 2008 companion volume, North Africa: Politics, Region and the Limits of Transformation. This 21-chapter volume is a key contribution that responds to the need in the Anglo-American sphere for sustained, critical studies on North Africa and examines political, economic, security, social and military aspects of the region. Focused studies on individual countries allow detailed discussion of regional factors. The book also examines extrinsic, trans-regional dynamics, such as North Africa’s influential interdependencies with the Levant and the Gulf, Europe, Sahelian and sub-Saharan Africa, and North America. Its innovative approach provides new perspectives on North Africa, extending its research scope to include Egypt and exploring China’s evolving role in the region.

Providing an important contribution in the assessment of the ever-shifting political and social tectonics within and beyond North Africa, North African Politics is an essential resource for students, scholars and policy makers in Middle Eastern and North African Studies, and beyond.

'The 20 essays are generally of excellent quality, loosely organized around the three themes of “drivers of change,” including West Sahara, the internal dynamics of the six states in the region, including manipulations of Amazigh (Berber) identity, and their international relations. Of particular interest are relations with the US; China; the Gulf Cooperation Council, notably Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates; and international oil companies.'

C. M. Henry, retired from the University of Texas at Austin, USA, CHOICE

Table of Contents:

Preface and Introduction Yahia H. Zoubir and Gregory White PART I: DRIVERS OF CHANGE IN CONTEMPORARY NORTH AFRICA A Political Economy Perspective on North African Transitions Gonzalo Escribano Maghrebi Youth in the Wake of the Arab Spring: General Observations and Evidence from Tunisia and Algeria Mark Tessler and Jennifer Miller-Gonzalez Civil-Military Relations in Algeria and Egypt: A Comparative Analysis Miloud Chennoufi Security Sector Reforms in North Africa Eduard Soler i Lecha Berbers in an Arab Spring: The Politics of Amazigh Identity and the North African Uprisings Michael J. Willis Civil Insurrections in North Africa: History and Prospects Stephen Zunes Social Media and Mobilization in the Arab Spring and Beyond Lina Khatib Western Sahara: Change Under the Radar Alice Wilson PART II: INTERNAL DYNAMICS OF NORTH AFRICAN STATES Algeria: Reforms without Change? Ahmed Aghrout and Yahia Zoubir Revolution and Change in Egypt Ibrahim Awad Libya: From Reform to Revolution Alison Pargeter Mauritania: Where Did the Spring Go? Abdoulaye Diagana Morocco: Keeping Revolution at Bay with an Enhanced Status Quo Azzedine Layachi From Democratic Consensus to a Struggle for Power: The Fragility of Transition in Tunisia Emma Murphy PART III: NORTH AFRICA IN WORLD AFFAIRS The Evolving Foreign Policies of North African States (2011-2014): New Trends in Constraints, Political Processes and Behavior Miguel Hernando de Larramendi and Irene Fernández Molina US and North Africa Yahia Zoubir and Stephen Zunes Barcelona, Twenty Years On George Joffe China in North Africa: A Strategic Partnership Imen Belhadj and Degang Sun – with the collaboration of Yahia Zoubir The Role of the GCC in North Africa in Light of the Arab Spring Elena Maestri North Africa’s Energy Challenges Hakim Darbouche and John Hamilton