Mainstream Parties in Crisis: Introduction

What some elites in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand portray as “unity” is nothing more than a corrupt bargain meant to cheat voters of their right to decide their country’s political…

Tunisia is a small country, but its influential Islamist party has taken a big step by separating its political wing from its religious activities.

Many observers regarded 1999 as a year of progress for democracy in the Arab world. There is reason to doubt, however, whether any meaningful change has really occurred.