Conceptualization of “domesticated opposition” The concept of “domesticated opposition” is used by scholars to describe opposition parties that are loyal rather than competitors and that have complied with the government’s game of restricted pluralism. Also dubbed as “toothless”, domesticated opposition hardly challenge the regime’s semi-authoritarianism and are not part of the decision making process. They have come to depend on the regime’s consent to secure their minimal political gains and to protect the narrow political space in which they are operating (Shehata, 2009). In other words, rather than opposing the regime’s policies, they made a policy of pleasing the government into accepting their existence. Will use the same general concept in referring to the secular legal opposition in Egypt during Mubarak’s era. Operationalization of “domesticated opposition”: Will measure it by how much the legal secular opposition in Egypt during Mubarak’s era was: weak, loyal, coopted, coerced and permit/agree to state clientalism. Conceptualization of Autocracy: According to Palgrave MacMillan dictionary of political thought, Autocracy literally means “self-rule”. “It is the rule by an agent who holds all power himself, and who exercises that power in an arbitrary manner.” The presence of constitution and laws which limit his power can be revoked or disregard by him at will as there is no independent mechanism for enforcing them. The principal feature is that the ruler may affect each of his subjects at any time in any way that he pleases, and in a manner that admits of no redress. “Autocracy should therefore be seen as the perversion of absolutism, in which power is not only absolute but also arbitrary,” according to MacMillan dic... ... middle of paper ... ...he boundaries of judicial legality are vague. Opposition movements may well be illegal in that they are not granted formal judicial authorization strategy of containment but are informally tolerated and recognized such as the Muslim Brotherhood. On the other hand, opposition groups might be legally recognized but face other forms of statist containment, ranging from the limited “freezing” of the respective group to more coercive mechanisms, such as the incarceration of its leaders and confiscation of material and financial assets. Political parties have also become a target of the inconsistent application of the law; the socialist-turned-Islamist Socialist Labor Party (SLP) and the Liberal Party (LP) have received “freeze” orders; but the parties were never practically dissolved and their representatives found ways to participate actively in public life.
Both parties will tend to be broad-based and attempt to target as many groups as possible: this is because any smaller parties will not stand a chance in competing in most districts, hence causing parties to consolidate in order to be viable (ACE Project, 2012). This analysis by the ACE Project shows how larger parties may tend to squeeze out smaller ones, and cause smaller parties to be excluded relative to their actual level in government, hindering their ability to act on a national stage, providing a normative basis for their exclusion in Canadian
...ection against the government. Others believe that courts must be more active and open to expand the ideas of liberty even if it is required to strike down the majoritarian law in order to protect the minority group from government interference.
a government in which all power belongs to one person : the rule or authority of a tyrant
Monarchy is a method where a single person oversees the government. This head of state reigns within bounds of a constitution but still creates a single entity with extreme power. Personal beliefs often override best practices.
Autocracy-A government system, where a person or group has total power over a country. The Russian autocrat at the time of the emancipation of the serfs was Alexander the Second who was assassinated.
A "guided republic" is a form of government where an essentially omnipotent council determines the legislation passed by the legislative body. Though the legislative and executive branches may be elected by the people, they supervising power is not and therefore has the ability to rule in any way they please. The council can, and often does, refuse the rights to freedom of press, speech, and religion. They may prevent bills that attempt to revive these powers and, in the same sense, may prohibit people from speaking about ideas that oppose those of the council. This governing group does not hesitate to use violent force to protect their power. At its worst, a "guided republic" is a tyrannical fo...
The representative population of a community is not comfortable when confronted by an individual who defies the laws that bind them. Whether or not the laws or the powers behind them are just, the populace must deal with any challenge to their authority. In some cases, the community, fearful of a powerful regime, will side with that power and avoid the risks associated with rebellion. Others find the tyranny too unjust to stand idly by and, risking their lives, join with other defiant individuals against it.
Totalitarianism is the term that is used to describe the political system where the government holds total authority ove...
The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union resulted in major shift in United States foreign policy. For years, the United States supported tyrannical dictators in return for stable anti-communist government receptive to United States interests. The Cold War resulted in a new world order with the United States as the lone global hegemonic power. In Eastern Europe in particular, the end of the Cold War ushered in an era of economic growth and a large increase in the number of liberal democracies. Although the world saw a large increase in liberal democracies, a new regime type referred to as competitive authoritarianism began to emerge. According to Levitsky and Way, “In competitive authoritarian regimes, formal democratic institutions are widely viewed as the principal means of obtaining and exercising political authority. Incumbents violate those rules so often and to such an extent, however, that the regime fails to meet conventional minimum standards for democracy” . In labeling these regimes as authoritarian and not democratic, Levitsky and Way place emphasis on the importance of differentiating these questionable regimes from prototypical democracies. In their definition they argue that all democracies have four inherent traits; “Executives and legislatures are chosen through Elections that are open, free, and fair, virtually all adults possess the right to vote, political rights and civil liberties, including freedom of the press, association, to criticize the government are protected and elected authorities possess real authority to govern, in that they are not subject to the tutelary control of military or clerical leaders” . These, Levitsky and Way argue are fundamental for the prospects of democracy. ...
Zakaria, F. (2007). The Future of Freedom: Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroad (Revised Edition). New York: W. W. Norton.
Ghanem, As'ad, and Mohanad Mustafa. "Strategies Of Electoral Participation By Islamic Movements: The Muslim Brotherhood And Parliamentary Elections In Egypt And Jordan, November 2010." Contemporary Politics 17.4 (2011): 393-409. Academic Search Complete. Web. 29 Mar. 2014.
Autocratic leaders possess total control of all of the decisions and rarely take input from their employees. It is a totalitarian form of management. In the past autocratic leadership was
...d of liberal democracy, e.g. Islamic fundamentalism). For example, radical Islamism in Iran initially spearheaded by Ayatollah Khoemeni
In many Middle Eastern countries, there has been civil unrest. Primarily, the unrest is caused by frustration with the government. In some cases, added tension surrounds religion, specifically whether the government should be religiously based or secular. Four countries, Libya, Yemen, Egypt and Syria, are rife with civil protest. While there are similarities among the four as to the particulars of their protests, careful analysis must be made before a decision on a course of action can be determined. Each country has its own history and particular goals to be considered.
Abed-Kotob, Sana. The Accommondationists Speak: Goals and Strategies of the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt. Combridge University, August, 1995. Web.