How far "above the fray"? Jordan and the mechanisms of monarchical advantage in the Arab uprisings. Issue 1 (2nd January 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Brown, Daniel P.
• Is Part Of: Journal of the Middle East and Africa. Volume 8:Issue 1(2017)
• Page Start: 97
• Page End: 112
• Publication Date: 2017-01-02
• Subjects: Arab Spring -- Jordan -- mobilization -- monarchical advantage -- protests -- social movements; Middle East -- Periodicals; Africa -- Periodicals; 956
• DOI: 10.1080/21520844.2017.1295337
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2152-0844

Abstract

ABSTRACT: How did the Middle Eastern and North African monarchies survive the revolutionary fervor of the Arab Spring? Despite the similarity of slogans, tactics, and images, when regimes fell, one fact stood out: all of the monarchies survived. "Monarchical advantage" is an elegant explanation for this variation. But did monarchies avoid the mass mobilization that brought down republics or were monarchies simply more resilient in the face of mass protest? This article will present an initial examination of the micro-mechanisms of the purported monarchical advantage by examining the perspective of activists on the ground in Jordan, utilizing a framework that examines whether and how mobilization was neutralized or its content nullified in Jordan.