Authoritarian Regime Learning: Comparative Insights from the Arab Uprisings

Abstract

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Clubs of autocrats: Regional organizations and authoritarian survival

“…Previous experiences of autocratic replacements in regionally proximate states actually decrease the hazard of experiencing a similar event over time. This might point to learning effects stressed by the recent literature on authoritarian collaboration, whereby late-risers during waves of instability might learn from earlier examples, and adapt their strategies accordingly to prevent breakdowns (Ambrosio, 2010;Bank & Edel, 2015;Vanderhill, 2013).…”

Legitimation in post‐revolutionary Egypt: Al‐Sisi and the renewal of authoritarianism

“…In the period following the Arab uprisings, studies dealing with the resilience of authoritarianism have continued to explore the effects of authoritarian learning and the transnational dissemination of authoritarian practices, thus unraveling the mechanisms through which authoritarian regimes upgrade their institutional practices to cope with the challenges created by the mass 2011 uprisings. Some studies have pointed to a significant shift in elites’ perceptions regarding the threat presented to the stability of government by mobilized societies and the measures taken to ensure their survival (Bank & Edel, 2015; Stacher, 2012). Heydemann and Leenders (2014) have dubbed these attributes “recombinant authoritarianism,” which denotes a system(s) of rule that possesses the capacity to reorder and reconfigure existing instruments and strategies of governance in order to create recognizable but nonetheless distinctive solutions to shifting configurations of challenges.…”

Do they know something we don’t? Diffusion of repression in authoritarian regimes

“…4 More generally, there is an extensive literature on policy diffusion that shows that political actors, governments or non-state groups, follow each other’s decisions and actions (Gilardi, 2010; Bamert, Gilardi & Wasserfallen, 2015; Böhmelt, Ruggeri & Pilster, 2017; Braithwaite, Maves Braithwaite & Kucik, 2015; Neumayer, Plümper & Epifanio, 2014). For example, the inspiration for Jordan’s constitutional reforms came from the politically similar, geographically distant monarchy of Morocco to prevent experiencing mass protests during the Arab Spring (Bank & Edel, 2015). If dissent and policy choices diffuse between countries, it seems quite unrealistic that governments’ repressive strategies would not.…”

“…For example, Syria, while geographically distant from Libya, but sharing a history of a divided society with a minority ruling coalition (Bank & Edel, 2015), paid close attention to Gaddafi’s tactics. The Syrian regime feared a similar fate to the Libyan regime since their political and institutional environment was very similar.…”