The New Authoritarianism in The Middle East and North Africa.

• Author: Sinha, Akshay
• Position: Brief article - Book review

THE NEW AUTHORITARIANISM IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA

Stephen J. King

(Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2009), 288 pages.

Given the shifting political sands in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Syria caused by the Arab Spring, Stephen J. King's book is as timely as it is relevant. For each country, King exposes the elite-controlled regimes that hijacked the political process under the guise of economic liberalization and political democratization.

In both the old and new authoritarianism, the state controls all economic activity and public services, minimizing the role of the majority of citizens in the nation's economic and social life and preventing weak political parties and opposition coalitions from overtaking the ruling party. By contrast, free-market systems and multi-party electoral institutions have been unique components of the new authoritarianism, and economists and political scientists should take note.

The author directs us to lessons learned about the adoption of destabilizing free-market policy recommendations, which have exacerbated inequality, created...