In the 15 years since the protests that shocked the world, the Middle East and North Africa remains one of the least democratic regions of the globe. Though longstanding rulers were toppled in several countries, new forms of autocratic rule often emerged in their place, as in Egypt and eventually Tunisia, even as other governments remain deeply undemocratic. 

How have the dynamics of Arab authoritarianism evolved in recent years, and how have citizens pushed back? What are the consequences of entrenched authoritarianism for economic and social outcomes in the region? What place is there in U.S. foreign policy for promoting civil liberties and political freedoms within the region, even amid potential democratic backsliding at home?  

Join the Carnegie Middle East Program for a panel discussion examining these questions and the new edited volume, Authoritarianism in the Arab World, featuring volume editor and contributor Dana El Kurd, an associate professor at the University of Richmond; Mai El-Sadany, executive director of the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy; and Sarah Yerkes, acting co-director and senior fellow in the Carnegie Middle East Program. The discussion will be moderated by Andrew Leber, assistant professor of political science at Tulane University and non-resident fellow with the Carnegie Middle East Program.