Shadi Hamid
Biographic Data
| ID | 4153732 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Shadi Hamid |
| GIVEN NAMES | Shadi |
| FAMILY NAME | Hamid |
| SIGNATURE | HAMID S |
| AFFILIATIONS | Brookings Institution |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 12 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 31 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 12 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2006 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
A democratic minimalist’s response: In defense of democracy without preconditions
I am grateful to the seven contributors for engaging so deeply with The Problem of Democracy . Each has offered a thoughtful analysis of democratic minimalism—my argument that democracy, defined by regular elections and rotation of power, should be valued in its own right, even if it produces illiberal outcomes. These responses come from different angles: some question whether democratic minimalism is enough to sustain itself, others worry it fai…
Discrimination, Inclusion, and Anti‐System Attitudes among Muslims in Germany
Muslims in Europe and North America face high rates of discrimination and hostility. Less clear are the consequences of this prejudice on Muslims’ political attitudes. Leveraging a survey of 1,330 Muslims in Germany, we show that Muslims who have personally experienced discrimination exhibit higher anti‐system tendencies: more supportive of violence, more supportive of Islamism, and less supportive of democracy and secularism. We also find that t…
The Blocked Road to Democracy: Culture Wars in the Arab World and the End of Politics (review article)
Islamism and Revolution across the Middle East: Transformations of Ideology and Strategy after the Arab Spring , edited by Khalil al-Anani. London: I. B. Tauris, 2021. 184 pages. £63 cloth, £26.09 paper, £15.65 e-book. Classless Politics: Islamist Movements, the Left, and Authoritarian Legacies in Egypt , by Hesham Sallam. New York: Columbia University Press, 2022. 472 pages. $140 cloth, $35 paper, $34.99 e-book
The Problem of Democracy: America, the Middle East, and the Rise and Fall of an Idea
The lesser threat: How the Muslim Brotherhood views Shias and Shiism
The question of the role that religion – or more specifically theology – plays in driving or even 'causing’ sectarianism is a challenging one, not least because it enters into the tricky territory
Militants, Criminals, and Warlords: The Challenge of Local Governance in an Age of Disorder
Conventional political theory holds that the sovereign state is the legitimate source of order and provider of public services in any society, whether democratic or not. But Hezbollah and ISIS in the Middle East, pirate clans in Africa, criminal gangs in South America, and militias in Southeast Asia are examples of nonstate actors that control local territory and render public services that the nation-state cannot or will not provide. This fascin…
Militants, Criminals, and Warlords: The Challenge of Local Governance in an Age of Disorder
What is Policy Research For? Reflections on the United States’ Failures in Syria
Debates over the Syrian civil war and the role of u.s. policy have brought into sharp relief the dilemmas of policy research. When the basic thrust of policy seems immovable irrespective of events on the ground, how should researchers respond? Should influencing policy be the animating objective of policy research? Who exactly should our work be directed to? This article considers the evolution of the Obama administration’s u.s. -Syria policy and…
The Islamic Action Front in Jordan
This article examines the changing role of Jordan’s largest and most organized political party, the Islamic Action Front (IAF). It begins by tracing the history and development of the IAF. It then discusses its acceptance of democratic principles such as alternation of power, popular sovereignty, separation of powers, and judicial independence, along with a reduced emphasis on Shari`ah law. It also considers the IAF’s policies on economics, educa…
Bringing the United States Back into the Middle East
It has been all too common to criticize the Obama administration for a lack of strategic vision in responding to the Arab uprisings. While such criticism may be valid, it is time to move beyond cri
Arab Islamist Parties: Losing on Purpose
Most major political parties contest elections with the aim of ultimately governing. Supposedly, Islamist parties are no different. However, a careful consideration of their electoral behavior suggests a surprising reality: Islamists deliberately lose elections. They run "partial slates," contesting on average only about one-third of total available parliamentary seats. This article considers the factors that lead Islamist parties to privilege se…
Between Orientalism and Postmodernism: The Changing Nature of Western Feminist Thought Towards the Middle East
1980s postmodernism provided a viable theoretical alternative to existing discourses. Where pre-postmodern second-wave feminism subscribed to prescriptive notions of what a woman should or should not be, postmodern feminists (or post-feminists) instead articulated a much more diverse, malleable, morally and culturally relative notion of what it means to be a woman. This new relativist approach meant that feminists were now making a conscious effo…
Discrimination, Inclusion, and Anti‐System Attitudes among Muslims in Germany
Muslims in Europe and North America face high rates of discrimination and hostility. Less clear are the consequences of this prejudice on Muslims’ political attitudes. Leveraging a survey of 1,330 Muslims in Germany, we show that Muslims who have personally experienced discrimination exhibit higher anti‐system tendencies: more supportive of violence, more supportive of Islamism, and less supportive of democracy and secularism. We also find that t…
Arab Islamist Parties: Losing on Purpose
Most major political parties contest elections with the aim of ultimately governing. Supposedly, Islamist parties are no different. However, a careful consideration of their electoral behavior suggests a surprising reality: Islamists deliberately lose elections. They run "partial slates," contesting on average only about one-third of total available parliamentary seats. This article considers the factors that lead Islamist parties to privilege se…
Between Orientalism and Postmodernism: The Changing Nature of Western Feminist Thought Towards the Middle East
1980s postmodernism provided a viable theoretical alternative to existing discourses. Where pre-postmodern second-wave feminism subscribed to prescriptive notions of what a woman should or should not be, postmodern feminists (or post-feminists) instead articulated a much more diverse, malleable, morally and culturally relative notion of what it means to be a woman. This new relativist approach meant that feminists were now making a conscious effo…
The Blocked Road to Democracy: Culture Wars in the Arab World and the End of Politics (review article)
Islamism and Revolution across the Middle East: Transformations of Ideology and Strategy after the Arab Spring , edited by Khalil al-Anani. London: I. B. Tauris, 2021. 184 pages. £63 cloth, £26.09 paper, £15.65 e-book. Classless Politics: Islamist Movements, the Left, and Authoritarian Legacies in Egypt , by Hesham Sallam. New York: Columbia University Press, 2022. 472 pages. $140 cloth, $35 paper, $34.99 e-book
The lesser threat: How the Muslim Brotherhood views Shias and Shiism
The question of the role that religion – or more specifically theology – plays in driving or even 'causing’ sectarianism is a challenging one, not least because it enters into the tricky territory
Bringing the United States Back into the Middle East
It has been all too common to criticize the Obama administration for a lack of strategic vision in responding to the Arab uprisings. While such criticism may be valid, it is time to move beyond cri
Between Orientalism and Postmodernism: The Changing Nature of Western Feminist Thought Towards the Middle East
1980s postmodernism provided a viable theoretical alternative to existing discourses. Where pre-postmodern second-wave feminism subscribed to prescriptive notions of what a woman should or should not be, postmodern feminists (or post-feminists) instead articulated a much more diverse, malleable, morally and culturally relative notion of what it means to be a woman. This new relativist approach meant that feminists were now making a conscious effo…
Arab Islamist Parties: Losing on Purpose
Most major political parties contest elections with the aim of ultimately governing. Supposedly, Islamist parties are no different. However, a careful consideration of their electoral behavior suggests a surprising reality: Islamists deliberately lose elections. They run "partial slates," contesting on average only about one-third of total available parliamentary seats. This article considers the factors that lead Islamist parties to privilege se…
The Islamic Action Front in Jordan
This article examines the changing role of Jordan’s largest and most organized political party, the Islamic Action Front (IAF). It begins by tracing the history and development of the IAF. It then discusses its acceptance of democratic principles such as alternation of power, popular sovereignty, separation of powers, and judicial independence, along with a reduced emphasis on Shari`ah law. It also considers the IAF’s policies on economics, educa…
Bringing the United States Back into the Middle East
It has been all too common to criticize the Obama administration for a lack of strategic vision in responding to the Arab uprisings. While such criticism may be valid, it is time to move beyond cri
What is Policy Research For? Reflections on the United States’ Failures in Syria
Debates over the Syrian civil war and the role of u.s. policy have brought into sharp relief the dilemmas of policy research. When the basic thrust of policy seems immovable irrespective of events on the ground, how should researchers respond? Should influencing policy be the animating objective of policy research? Who exactly should our work be directed to? This article considers the evolution of the Obama administration’s u.s. -Syria policy and…
Militants, Criminals, and Warlords: The Challenge of Local Governance in an Age of Disorder
Conventional political theory holds that the sovereign state is the legitimate source of order and provider of public services in any society, whether democratic or not. But Hezbollah and ISIS in the Middle East, pirate clans in Africa, criminal gangs in South America, and militias in Southeast Asia are examples of nonstate actors that control local territory and render public services that the nation-state cannot or will not provide. This fascin…
Militants, Criminals, and Warlords: The Challenge of Local Governance in an Age of Disorder
The lesser threat: How the Muslim Brotherhood views Shias and Shiism
The question of the role that religion – or more specifically theology – plays in driving or even 'causing’ sectarianism is a challenging one, not least because it enters into the tricky territory
The Problem of Democracy: America, the Middle East, and the Rise and Fall of an Idea
The Blocked Road to Democracy: Culture Wars in the Arab World and the End of Politics (review article)
Islamism and Revolution across the Middle East: Transformations of Ideology and Strategy after the Arab Spring , edited by Khalil al-Anani. London: I. B. Tauris, 2021. 184 pages. £63 cloth, £26.09 paper, £15.65 e-book. Classless Politics: Islamist Movements, the Left, and Authoritarian Legacies in Egypt , by Hesham Sallam. New York: Columbia University Press, 2022. 472 pages. $140 cloth, $35 paper, $34.99 e-book
Discrimination, Inclusion, and Anti‐System Attitudes among Muslims in Germany
Muslims in Europe and North America face high rates of discrimination and hostility. Less clear are the consequences of this prejudice on Muslims’ political attitudes. Leveraging a survey of 1,330 Muslims in Germany, we show that Muslims who have personally experienced discrimination exhibit higher anti‐system tendencies: more supportive of violence, more supportive of Islamism, and less supportive of democracy and secularism. We also find that t…
A democratic minimalist’s response: In defense of democracy without preconditions
I am grateful to the seven contributors for engaging so deeply with The Problem of Democracy . Each has offered a thoughtful analysis of democratic minimalism—my argument that democracy, defined by regular elections and rotation of power, should be valued in its own right, even if it produces illiberal outcomes. These responses come from different angles: some question whether democratic minimalism is enough to sustain itself, others worry it fai…
Political science (10 works) · Democracy (7 works) · Law (7 works) · Politics (7 works) · Sociology (6 works) · History (5 works) · Islamic Studies and History (5 works) · Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies (5 works) · Law (5 works) · Political economy (5 works)