• Research
  • Politika
  • About
Carnegie Russia Eurasia center logoCarnegie lettermark logo
  • 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

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 Russia Eurasia Center

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Parliamentary Elections in Occupied Ukraine Risk Backfiring for the Kremlin

    Despite unhappiness on the ground, Moscow is determined to use both carrot and stick to ensure there is record support for United Russia in occupied Ukraine.

      Konstantin Skorkin

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Moldova’s Ruling Party PAS Must Graduate From Crisis Management to State Governance

    Whether PAS can refocus on the unfinished business of state-building may ultimately prove more consequential for Moldova’s European future than the pace of its accession negotiations.

      Balázs Jarábik

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Snubbed by United Russia as Elections Loom, Medvedev Looks Condemned to Eternal Obscurity

    Medvedev’s defeat in the battle for the position of speaker appears to signal that the long process of his marginalization in Russian politics has passed the point of no return.

      Andrey Pertsev

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Kremlin Struggles to Solve a VPN Problem of Its Own Making

    With its scattershot approach to enforcing internet censorship, the Russian regime risks losing a battle against the many Russians who have learned to evade online restrictions.

      Maria Kolomychenko

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Could Ukraine Succeed in Torpedoing Putin’s Approval Ratings?

    It is not a phenomenon unique to Russia that the public of a country at war (even the aggressor) enduring airstrikes will not overturn its government but rather show solidarity with it and blame its woes on the enemy.

      Vladislav Gorin

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center
Carnegie Russia Eurasia logo, white
  • Research
  • Politika
  • About
  • Experts
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • For Media
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.