• Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Global logoCarnegie lettermark logo
DemocracyIran
  • Donate
{
  "authors": [
    "Marc Lynch",
    "Nathan J. Brown",
    "Jocelyne Cesari",
    "Peter Mandaville"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [
    "Arab Awakening"
  ],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "menaTransitions",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "MEP",
  "programs": [
    "Middle East"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "Middle East",
    "North Africa"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Political Reform",
    "Democracy",
    "Civil Society"
  ]
}

Source: Getty

In The Media

Arguing Islam After the Revival of Arab Politics: Book Discussion With Nathan Brown

Polarization in the Arab world may be the result of political systems that have opened themselves up to political debate, but not given healthy ways in which to translate political debate into political outcomes.

Link Copied
By Marc Lynch, Nathan J. Brown, Jocelyne Cesari, Peter Mandaville
Published on Nov 16, 2016
Program mobile hero image

Program

Middle East

The Middle East Program in Washington combines in-depth regional knowledge with incisive comparative analysis to provide deeply informed recommendations. With expertise in the Gulf, North Africa, Iran, and Israel/Palestine, we examine crosscutting themes of political, economic, and social change in both English and Arabic.

Learn More

Source: Project on Middle East Political Science

Speaking with the Project on Middle East Political Science, Carnegie’s Nathan J. Brown discussed his latest book, Arguing Islam after the Revival of Arab Politics, with Jocelyne Cesari, a senior fellow at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs, Peter Mandaville, a senior advisor to the special representative for religion and global affairs at the U.S. Department of State, and Carnegie’s Marc Lynch. He argued that “the polarization we see so deeply entrenched in the Arab world . . . may not be so much the disease as the symptom. That is to say, not so much the cause but is as an effect very much of political systems that have opened themselves up to political debate, but not given very healthy ways in which to translate political debate into political outcomes.”

This discussion was originally broadcast by the Project on Middle East Political Science.

About the Authors

Marc Lynch

Former Nonresident Senior Fellow, Middle East Program

Marc Lynch was a nonresident senior fellow in Carnegie’s Middle East Program where his work focuses on the politics of the Arab world.

Nathan J. Brown

Nonresident Senior Fellow, Middle East Program

Nathan J. Brown, a professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University, is a distinguished scholar and author of nine books on Arab politics and governance, as well as editor of five books.

Jocelyne Cesari

Peter Mandaville

Moderator: Peter Mandaville is a professor of international affairs in the Schar School of Policy and Government and co-director of the Ali Vural Ak Center for Global Islamic Studies at George Mason University.

Authors

Marc Lynch
Former Nonresident Senior Fellow, Middle East Program
Marc Lynch
Nathan J. Brown
Nonresident Senior Fellow, Middle East Program
Nathan J. Brown
Jocelyne Cesari
Peter Mandaville

Moderator: Peter Mandaville is a professor of international affairs in the Schar School of Policy and Government and co-director of the Ali Vural Ak Center for Global Islamic Studies at George Mason University.

Political ReformDemocracyCivil SocietyMiddle EastNorth Africa

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

  • Heavily armed security personnel standing atop an armored vehicle
    Commentary
    Emissary
    When Do Mass Protests Topple Autocrats?

    The recent record of citizen uprisings in autocracies spells caution for the hope that a new wave of Iranian protests may break the regime’s hold on power.

      • McKenzie Carrier

      Thomas Carothers, McKenzie Carrier

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    The EU Needs a Third Way in Iran

    European reactions to the war in Iran have lost sight of wider political dynamics. The EU must position itself for the next phase of the crisis without giving up on its principles.

      Richard Youngs

  • High-tech data center with server racks
    Article
    The Architecture of Digital Repression

    Internet service providers can facilitate internet access but also draconian control.

      Irene Poetranto

  • Crowds holding Iranian flags and photos of the late Khamenei
    Commentary
    Emissary
    Who Will Be Iran’s Next Supreme Leader?

    If the succession process can be carried out as Khamenei intended, it will likely bring a hardliner into power.

      • Eric Lob

      Eric Lob

  • people watching smoke rising at sunrise from rooftops
    Commentary
    Emissary
    Bombing Campaigns Do Not Bring About Democracy. Nor Does Regime Change Without a Plan.

    Just look at Iraq in 1991.

      Marwan Muasher

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Carnegie global logo, stacked
1779 Massachusetts Avenue NWWashington, DC, 20036-2103Phone: 202 483 7600Fax: 202 483 1840
  • Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
  • Donate
  • Programs
  • Events
  • Blogs
  • Podcasts
  • Contact
  • Annual Reports
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
  • Government Resources
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.