Conclusions: Resilient Authoritarianism and Frustrated Expectations

This chapter summarises the results of an analysis of empirical data conducted throughout the volume, focusing on key issues: corruption, gender, youth, trust, religion and democracy. This analysis epitomises the integrated approach to quantitative and qualitative data the volume calls for. The chapter concludes with reflections on the implications for policy and scholarship of the volume's findings, arguing for re-thinking the conception of democracy in particular, challenging existing approaches to 'uthoritarian resilience' and the excessive emphasis on a narrow approach to security and stability focused on coercive capabilities, and arguing that Arab autocracies in the wake of the Uprisings should be seen as brittle and precarious rather than strong and stable.