The Iron Cage of Liberalism: International Politics and Unarmed Revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa

289 Pages·2015·1.82 MB·English

by  Daniel Ritter

The Iron Cage of Liberalism

The Iron Cage of Liberalism
International Politics and Unarmed
Revolutions in the Middle East and
North Africa
Daniel P. Ritter
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1
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First Edition published in 2015
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contained in any third party website referenced in this work.
To my parents, Sonja and George
In memory of my grandparents, Guta, Joel, Trude, and Holger

Acknowledgments
The journey represented by this book has taken me to three different aca-
demic institutions. In each one of them I have had the privilege of receiv-
ing the help and support of numerous friends and colleagues. While I have
undoubtedly forgotten to mention some here, each of them has had a hand
in all that may be good about this book, while I alone am responsible for any
and all of its shortcomings.
As a doctoral student in the Department of Sociology at the University of
Texas at Austin I benefited—and continue to benefit—from the guidance,
support, and friendship of Mounira Maya Charrad. My greatest scholarly debt
is to her. Jack Goldstone, whom Maya convinced to act as an outside mem-
ber on my dissertation committee, has shown me the kind of intellectual
generosity that I have learned to only expect from truly great scholars. For
that—as well as his helpful comments on this manuscript—I thank him. Ari
Adut, Kamran Scot Aghaie, Lester Kurtz, and Michael Young are formidable
teachers whose service on my dissertation committee has greatly influenced
the shape of this book.
“The Arab Spring,” which features prominently in this book, occurred
during my tenure as a postdoctoral fellow in the Max Weber Programme
at the European University Institute. I gratefully acknowledge the support
I received from the Programme and its terrific staff. My faculty mentor at
the EUI, Donatella della Porta, welcomed me to Florence with open arms
and supported me for an additional, fruitful year in the hills of Tuscany. In
addition, Donatella has been an attentive reader of this manuscript and has
engaged with its ideas for several years. The final product has been greatly
improved by her suggestions and insights. Alexander Trechsel always believed
in this project and encouraged my work, especially when my own confidence
in it wavered. For this—and his friendship—I am very thankful. I also find
myself indebted to several other members—past and current—of the EUI’s
vibrant Department of Political and Social Sciences, including Donagh Davis,
Hanspeter Kriesi, Kevin Köhler, and Ben Wagner, whose engagement with my
work helped improve it.
I completed this manuscript at Stockholm University, where the Department
of Sociology generously offered me a two-year fellowship that allowed me
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Acknowledgments
to focus fully on this book. In Stockholm I have enjoyed the encourage-
ment and friendship of a number of colleagues, including Vanessa Barker,
Karin Bergmark, Sunnee Billingsley, Sven Drefahl, Juho Härkönen, Michele
Micheletti, Eleonora Mussino, Ognjen Obućina, Jens Rydgren, and Kirk Scott.
A number of friends and colleagues generously agreed to read various parts
of the manuscript. Maryann Bylander and Chris Pieper went well beyond
the call of duty and provided highly detailed comments on the entire manu-
script. Matt Flynn, Henrik Frykberg, Jørgen Johansen, Ryan Masters, Sharon
Erickson Nepstad, Majken Jul Sørensen, Stellan Vinthagen, and Michael
Young offered more general—but equally important—feedback that has
helped sharpen the argument presented in this book.
In addition to those named above, I gratefully recognize all of those who
have engaged my ideas over the past few years—audiences and participants
at workshops and invited presentations in Berlin, Florence, Istanbul, London,
Stockholm, and Zurich, as well as countless colleagues at slightly less count-
less conferences. I have also had the great fortune to discuss my work face
to face with leading scholars of revolutions and social movements and have
benefited from their collective wealth of knowledge. I thank John Foran,
Jeff Goodwin, Doug McAdam, Eric Selbin, and Sid Tarrow for their time and
scholarly generosity.
Dominic Byatt at OUP believed in this project before it even existed. I am
indebted to him for his faith in my abilities and his patience with my inade-
quacies. Olivia Wells guided the manuscript through production and Joanna
North provided expert copyediting. I am also grateful for the helpful com-
ments provided by two anonymous reviewers.
My family has always encouraged me in all of my endeavors, even when my
pursuits took me far away from them. This book is dedicated to my parents,
Sonja and George, and in memory of my grandparents, Guta and Joel Orzolek
and Trude and Holger Ritter. My brothers and sisters, Benny, Jonathan,
Rebecca, and Cecilia, helped me remain grounded throughout this process
by reminding me that writing a book does not constitute the meaning of life.
My uncle Steffe gladly and repeatedly engaged my ideas over long dinners at
the kitchen table. Finally, the amazing Jenifer Ruiz Valenzuela provided limit-
less love and support to reduce the anxiety and multiply the excitement that
comes with a project like this. She, more than anyone else, is to be credited
with this project coming to completion. In addition, she enthusiastically read
the book and provided crucial comments that have greatly enhanced it.
DR
Stockholm
June 2014
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Contents
List of Figures and Tables xi
Part I. Introduction
1. Toward a Theory of Unarmed Revolution 3
Puzzles and Definitions 5
Theorizing Unarmed Revolutions: Between Revolution and
Civil Resistance 9
The Argument 16
Explaining the Emergence of Unarmed Revolution:
The World-Historical Context 23
Method and Research Design 24
Looking Ahead 26
Part II. International Relations
2. Friendly International Relations: Benefit or Burden? 31
Iran: America’s Unconditional Ally 32
Tunisia: Europe’s Star Pupil 42
Egypt: Guarantor of Regional Peace 52
Conclusion 60
3. Façade Democracy: Managing Authoritarianism 62
Hail to the Chief: Iran, the Shah, and the Presidents 63
In Europe’s Image: Tunisia and the Human Rights Dilemma 73
With Freedom on the Agenda: Egypt and the Democracy Discourse 83
Conclusion 94
Part III. Domestic Politics
4. Survival of the Fittest: Challenging Façade Democracies 99
Iran: Students as Teachers of Revolution 100
Tunisia: An Extraordinary League of Advocates 110
Egypt: Democracy, Rights, Freedom, and Change 121
Conclusion 132
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