The stabilising effect of turbulence in authoritarian regimes how the Moroccan Monarchy ducked the Arab Spring

The sudden collapse of a handful of Arab regimes during the Arab Spring has ignited the debate about authoritarian endurance in the Middle East and North Africa region. While monarchies confront similar political, social and economic challenges as the republics, only republican regimes collapsed in the face of popular protests. This paper investigates what might explain this difference of outcome in the case of Morocco. The paper argues that previous explanations of authoritarian durability have neglected the political experience that regimes muster during decades of political turbulence or instability. Authoritarian regimes that seem strong and stable may be less resilient than shaky but tested regimes.

Duke Scholars

Author Abdeslam E. M. Maghraoui Political Science