Transforming Civil-Security Relations in the Middle East

This volume examines the role of the security sector in the Arab Spring and its role in the subsequent process of democratization.

It argues that in the new Millennium, some Arab militaries have begun to adopt a new role as ‘democracy managers’ rather than as protectors of authoritarian regimes, and that the existence of informal webs necessitates an approach that focuses on the security sector rather than the regular armies, and that the region is subjected to a strong external pressure for socialization. These effects are identified and informed by experiences from the Arab Spring. The revolts in 2011, the so-called Arab Spring, provide opportunities for new insights in the relationship between society and armed forces in the region. It has become possible to test existing theories and hypotheses, develop new concepts in order to analyze the development, and to gain access to more sources. The changes have so far produced a greater openness, and new information about the past and present has become available. The purpose of this work is to examine conceptual and empirical challenges arising from the Arab Spring, particularly in respect to three questions: first, is the conception of civil-military relations adequate when analyzing societal balances in the Middle East? Second, is the military in societies in transition in the 21st century able to develop a role different from the ones envisaged in the classic literature on civil-military relations? Third, to what extent does a perspective that emphasizes external variables hold explanatory power? The popular uprisings confronted authoritarian regimes that all relied on the military – which were beforehand anticipated to protect the regimes and function as a bulwark against profound political change. Different outcomes, however, were the result: in some of the states, the military contributed to initiate processes of democratization.

This book will be of much interest to students of Middle Eastern politics, civil-military relations, security sector reform, war and conflict studies and IR in general.