Some governments of the Middle East have taken steps toward political reform. Are these meaningful changes, or empty attempts to pacify domestic and international public opinion? How do we distinguish reforms that alter the character of the political system from those that are only window dressing? Beyond the Façade evaluates the changes that are taking place in the region and explores the potential for further reform. The essays provide careful, detailed examinations of ten countries, highlighting the diversity of processes and problems. Contributors: Nathan Brown, Julia Choucair-Vizoso, Michele Dunne, Amr Hamzawy, Ellen Lust-Okar, Marina Ottaway, Sarah Phillips, Meredith Riley, Hugh Roberts, and Paul Salem. “A significant and needed contribution.”—Robert Springborg, SOAS, University of London “Superb . . . coherent, concise, and consistently insightful.”—Foreign Affairs
Beyond the Façade
Political Reform in the Arab World
Edited by
Marina Ottaway
Julia Choucair-Vizoso
304 pp.
15X23cm
ISBN 9789774162381
For sale only in the Middle East
$29.95
Related products

Civil Society Exposed
The Politics of NGOs in Egypt
Maha Abdelrahman
$27.50
Buy Now
Civil Society Exposed
The Politics of NGOs in Egypt
Maha AbdelrahmanIs the concept of civil society relevant to social and political change? What is the role of its most well-known agents, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), in promoting emancipatory projects? Maha Abdelrahman analyses the empirical case of Egyptian ‘civil society’ in order to ascertain whether the experience of civil society organisations, and of NGOs in particular, validates the contention prevalent in academic and policy circles that civil society is the main engine for social and political transformation. The author concludes that civil society, far from constituting this engine, is a politically contested terrain characterised by authoritarian and repressive tendencies.
...read more
Paperback
256 pp.11 tables
15X23cm
$27.50

Beyond the Victim
The Politics and Ethics of Empowering Cairo’s Street Children
Kamal Fahmi
$29.95
Buy Now
Beyond the Victim
The Politics and Ethics of Empowering Cairo’s Street Children
Kamal FahmiStreet children—abandoned or runaway children living on their own—can be found in cities all over the world, and their numbers are growing despite numerous international programs aimed at helping them. All too frequently, these children are viewed solely as victims or deviants to be rescued and rehabilitated. In Beyond the Victim, sociologist Kamal Fahmi draws on eight years of fieldwork with street children in Cairo to portray them in a much different—and empowering—light. Fahmi argues that, far from being mere victims or deviants, these children, in running away from alienating home lives and finding relative freedom in the street, are capable of actively defining their situations in their own terms. They are able to challenge the roles assigned to children, make judgments, and develop a network of niches and resources in a teeming metropolis such as Cairo. Fahmi suggests that social workers and others need to respect the agency the children display in changing their own lives. In addition to collective advocacy with and on behalf of street children, social workers should empower them by encouraging their voluntary participation in non-formal educational activities.
...read more
Hardbound
216 pp.13 illus. incl. 5 in color
15X23cm
$29.95

Child Protection Policies in Egypt: A Rights-Based Approach
Cairo Papers Vol. 30, No. 1
Adel Azer Sohair Mehanna Mulki al-Sharmani Essam Ali
$19.95
Buy Now
Child Protection Policies in Egypt: A Rights-Based Approach
Cairo Papers Vol. 30, No. 1
Adel AzerSohair Mehanna
Mulki al-Sharmani
Essam Ali
This study seeks to provide a critical analysis of child protection policies in Egypt and examine whether these policies are based on the rights-based model of child protection that is embodied in the Convention for Child Rights (CRC). It identifies the ways in which these policies fail to link child rights and child protection and thus are unable to provide integrated and accessible services that meet children’s needs. Cairo Papers in Social Science 30:1
...read more
15 April 2010
Paperback
176 pp.14X19cm
$19.95

Creating Families Across Boundaries: A Case Study of Romanian–Egyptian Mixed Marriages
Cairo Papers Vol. 28, No. 1
Ana Vinea
$19.95
Buy Now
Creating Families Across Boundaries: A Case Study of Romanian–Egyptian Mixed Marriages
Cairo Papers Vol. 28, No. 1
Ana VineaBased on unstructured interviews with thirteen Romanian–Egyptian couples presently living in Cairo, this study focuses on three interrelated aspects of these mixed marriages: the contexts that allowed the formation of the mixed families; the practices in which the couples engage in terms of household organization, gender relations, and kinship; and the role of religion in the lives of the mixed couples and how both the men and women position themselves in this regard. Cairo Papers Vol. 28, No. 1
...read more
7 September 2007
Paperback
144 pp.14X21cm
$19.95