| ID | 163762 |
| Title Proper | Politics of consensus: al-Nahda and the stability of the Tunisian transition |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | McCarthy, Rory |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Tunisia&s transition away from authoritarianism has been shaped by a politics of consensus, which has brought together representatives of the former regime with their historic adversary, the Islamist movement al-Nahda. This article argues that consensus politics was a legacy of the authoritarian regime that was re-produced during a democratizing transition. The politics of consensus was encouraged and enabled by al-Nahda, which prioritized its inclusion within this elite settlement to provide political security for itself and the broader transition. However, this came at a cost, engineering a conservative transition, which did not pursue significant social or economic reform. The Tunisian case shows that historical legacies, such as consensus politics, can shape a transition as much as contingent, pragmatic decisions by political leaders. |
| `In' analytical Note | Middle Eastern Studies Vol. 55, No.2; Mar 2019: p.261-275 |
| Journal Source | Middle Eastern Studies Vol: 55 No 2 |
| Key Words | Islamism ; Democratization ; Tunisia ; Consensus ; Al-Nahda |