Islamist Terrorism and Democracy in the Middle East

A newly published USIP-funded study explores the relationship between Islamist extremism and the absence of democracy in the Middle East, testing the assumption that the there is a causal relationship between the two.

Based on detailed research into the activities of both radical and moderate organizations across the Middle East, such as the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, Hizbullah, and the Armed Islamic Group (GIA), and on interviews with key personnel, the book investigates whether repression and political exclusion pushed Islamist entities to adopt terrorist tactics. Katerina Dalacoura explores whether inclusion in the political process had the opposite effect of encouraging Islamist groups toward moderation and ideological pragmatism. 

In a challenge to the conventional wisdom, she concludes that Islamist terrorism is not a direct consequence of authoritarianism in the Middle East, and that there are many other political, strategic, and social factors that generate radicalism or inspire moderation.