Governing in a Pandemic: Democratic Backsliding in the Middle East and North Africa

Explores the lasting echoes of an unprecedented pandemic that continues to shape politics in the MENA region todayFrom the Maghreb in North Africa to the Levant in the East, the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically impacted politics - and the promise of democratic governance - within the MENA region.In this edited volume, Anis Ben Brik assembles a group of scholars to explore how the Middle East and North Africa grappled with an unprecedented global health crisis that transcended medical dimensions and continues to manifest profound social, political, and economic implications for its people. Featuring timely original research, including in-depth case studies and cross-country comparisons, contributors take us inside a region already grappling with complex political systems, social structures, and historical legacies.They show us how the pandemic triggered widespread democratic backsliding in the region, as countries like Egypt, Iran, and Saudi Arabia began to adopt emergency measures that e