Too Much Civil Society, Too Little Politics: Egypt and Liberalizing Arab Regimes
Author(s)
Langohr, Vickie
Abstract
A number of Arab states entered periods of political liberalization during the 1980’s and 1990’s, but their transitions toward democracy largely faltered. Opposition political parties made little headway and often became the focus of government repression, leaving nongovernmental advocacy organizations as the major groups working to advance democratic change. Human rights, women’s, and environmental groups enjoyed financial support from international donors, but their orientation toward a limited range of issues did not support the growth of large opposition coalitions. When the Egyptian government proposed new legislation in 1998 to govern associational activities, the failure of advocacy groups to mount an effective unified opposition illustrated their weakness in large-scale organizing. Dependence on international funding limited their efforts to develop strong local organizations while leaving them open to charges of nefarious foreign influence.
