Political Theology and Competitive Authoritarianism in the Middle East

• In Event: Poster Session: Religion and Politics & Political Networks
  In Poster Session: Poster Session: Religion and the State

Abstract

The polarization of the Arab Gulf countries to the Saudi/UAE coalition and the Qatar-based opposition provides an interesting case-study in the authoritarian competition among the Arab monarchical regimes. Each of the two camps roots its legitimacy within an Islam-based discourse of political obedience, which dates back to the classical age of Islam. The paper argues that, in absence of modern constitutional rules, each monarchical regime depends on pre-modern justifications for its legitimacy. These regimes demand obedience from their populations under the pre-modern contractual rule which trades general political stability for acquiescence. The paper studies two institutions, the Doha-based Center for Islamic Ethics and Legislation (CILE), and the Abu Dhabi-based Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies. Based on main publications and pronouncements issues by these two centers, in Arabic and English, the paper identifies various discursive instruments that are used in constructing political theology of obedience that perpetuates and deepens authoritarian institutions in the Arab monarchical regimes. It further analyzes how these discourses create competitive authoritarianism within a single regime-type (monarchy). Situated at the intersection of normative political theory and comparative politics, the paper enhances our understanding of the resilience of authoritarian structures in the Middle East, what Eva Bellin called the “robustness of authoritarianism.” (Bellin, 2004; Bellin, 2012)

Author

• Ermin Sinanovic, Shenandoah University