Special issue of Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism (19/1, April, 2019) on the ‘Nexus between Sectarianism and Regime Formation in a New Middle East’.

Edited by Morten Valbjørn and Raymond Hinnebusch

This special issue of Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism (vol 19,1) explores the nexus between sectarianism and regime formation in a ‘new Middle East.’

More specifically, it examines a) how sectarianism impacts on the trajectories of different types of regime over time (with the main – but not exclusive – focus being on their location along the authoritarian/democratic continuum), b) whether different kinds of regime dilute or inflame sectarian identities and animosities, c) whether the study of regime formation in a sectarian context requires distinct analytical tools, or whether we can stick to the already existing approaches from the (post)democratization tradition.

All articles of the special issues examine how sectarianism and regime formation/type might be inter-related, though in different ways: they cover different regime types (authoritarian republics, monarchies, and semi-democracies), both Shia- and Sunni-majority countries, countries with and without a Shia/Sunni schism at home, and geographical areas ranging from the Gulf to the Levant, and in addition to these intra-regional comparisons the Middle East is moreover compared with other regions. The studies also differ in their methodology, ranging from a large-N study to comparative snapshots of similar dynamics in several country cases in order to test and demonstrate issues such as the relative power of sectarianism, and longitudinal case studies showing the interaction of sectarian configurations and regime change over time.

The special issue is linked to the interdisciplinary research project SWAR: Sectarianism in the Wake of the Arab Revolts at Aarhus University (www.ps.au.dk/swar).

Morten Valbjørn and Raymond Hinnebusch Exploring the Nexus between Sectarianism and Regime Formation in a New Middle East: Theoretical Points of Departure

Lasse Lykke Rørbæk Religion, Political Power, and the ‘Sectarian Surge’: Middle Eastern Identity Politics in Comparative Perspective

Raymond Hinnebusch Sectarianism and Governance in Syria

Adham Saouli Sectarianism and Political Order in Iraq and Lebanon

Courtney Freer The Symbiosis of Sectarianism, Authoritarianism, and Rentierism in the Saudi State

Hasan Hafidh and Thomas Fibiger Civic Space and Sectarianism in the Gulf States: The Dynamics of Informal Civil Society in Kuwait and Bahrain beyond State Institutions

Morten Valbjørn What’s so Sectarian about Sectarian Politics? Identity Politics and Authoritarianism in a New Middle East

ADHRB, BCHR, GCHR and 22 NGOs Call on the Formula One Group to Implement a Freedom Complaints Mechanism to Protect Human Rights in Bahrain – Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain

26 March 2019 – Today, Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB), Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), and Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR), along with 22 other international human rights organizations, issued a joint letter to the Formula One Group, raising concerns regarding the human rights …

See also ADHRB Weekly 292.
See also Human Rights Watch ‘Racing to Repression in Bahrain’.

US State Department 2018 Report on Human Rights is ‘All Words and No Action’ when it Comes to Bahrain and Saudi Arabia – Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain

On 13 March 2019, the United States (US) Department of State released its Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2018. Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) is deeply concerned that, while the report continues to detail a range of US human rights concerns in Bahrain and …

For ADHRB Weekly 291, click here.

Bahrain sentences 167 people to prison in crackdown on dissent

A Bahraini court sentenced 167 people arrested at a sit-in outside the home of Bahrain’s leading Shi’ite Muslim cleric in 2017 to between six months and 10 years in prison at a trial in late February, court documents and lawyers said.

Bahrain court upholds jail sentence against relatives of prominent…

The top court in Western-allied Bahrain upheld three-year jail terms against three relatives of a prominent political activist, a rights group said on Monday, in a case the United Nations says is an unlawful act of reprisal over family connections.

See also ADHRB Weekly #289.
See also BIRD Weekly #226.

Bahrain Uprising Anniversary: 8 years of ongoing violations – Shia Rights Watch

February 14th, 2018 marks the 8th anniversary of Bahrain 2011 uprising. Shia Rights Watch predicts that more protest and crackdowns will be carried out as a result. In fact activists reported as many as 23 people were arrested today, the 13th, as the kingdom’s security services raided homes in numerous towns and villages such as Diraz, A’ali, …

Thailand: Bahraini Footballer Goes Home to Australia

Thailand has freed a Bahraini refugee football player threatened with extradition since November 2018 following global pressure from athletes, sports federations, and rights groups. Hakeem Al-Araibi is a refugee whose detention and threatened deportation was a grave injustice. FIFA and the IOC deserve credit for applying their new human rights policies to help gain Al-Araibi’s release and his return home to Australia.

See also BIRD Weekly 224.

The 8th Anniversary of the Bahraini Uprising

Eventbrite – Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy presents The 8th Anniversary of the Bahraini Uprising – Monday, 11 February 2019 at Meeting Room C, London, England. Find event and ticket information.

Hakeem al-Araibi Case: Bahrain is Emboldened to Take Human Rights Abuse Beyond Its Borders

When the Bahraini government claimed there would be no threat to Hakeem al-Araibi’s life if the refugee footballer were extradited to his home country – citing the integrity of the kingdom’s judicial system – it would have been laughable were it not so tragic.

See also FFA Pledges Funds.

A struggle for rule of law: Detained Bahraini footballer catapults Thailand to centre stage

The arrest by Thai authorities of Mr. Al-Araibi, acting on an Interpol red notice arrest warrant issued despite the fact that he had been granted political asylum in Australia, raises questions about the effectiveness of Interpol safeguards against exploitation of its powers.