Sima Ghaddar, Fellow
Sima Ghaddar is a fellow at Century Foundation specializing in Middle Eastern affairs. Her research focuses on identity and mechanisms of social control.
Michael Wahid Hanna, Century International Board of Advisors
Michael Wahid Hanna is director of the U.S. program at International Crisis Group. He was a senior fellow at The Century Foundation and co-director of TCF’s foreign policy program until 2021. He is also a non-resident senior fellow at the Reiss Center on Law and Security at New York University School of Law. Hanna works on issues of international security, international law, and U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and South Asia.
Thanassis Cambanis, Senior Fellow and Director of Century International
Thanassis Cambanis is an author, journalist, and director of Century International. His work focuses on U.S. foreign policy, Arab politics, and social movements in the Middle East.
TCF World Podcast: Do Elections Help or Hurt Middle-East Democracy?
Another season of elections is upon the Middle East. Egypt’s presidential election appeared anything but free, as President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi renewed his authoritarian mandate and squelched even the appearance of competition. In contrast, both Lebanon and Iraq are hosting freewheeling parliamentary campaigns, with elections coming in both countries in May.
How much do these electoral contests serve to bring more democracy? Status-quo players have learned how to navigate the electoral process without engaging in any significant reform or opening—whether outright authoritarians like Egypt’s Sisi, or more complex but profoundly undemocratic warlords and demagogues like many of the sectarian leaders in Iraq and Lebanon.
Our guests examine the connections between elections and democracy in this latest cycle of voting in the Middle East, in a global context where basic political propositions about the viability of electoral democracy are being called into question.
Participants include:
Tags: Podcast