This is also being listed as FX, due to the topic area and the Friedman article.
My first post on this topic had an article about Tunisia; how does the following article affect the message of the previous one?
Tunisian Town Simmers With Unrest Over Lack of Jobs and Investment
Egypt’s experience with democracy, and a quick summary of events in several other countries in the region.
Five years after Egypt’s Arab Spring – ‘We didn’t need a revolution’
Mustafa Akyol, the author of the book Islam Without Extremes – A Muslim Case for Liberty, discusses politics and Islam; how does what he says impact the resolution?
Akyol – How Politics Has Poisoned Islam
The following article may answer the question I just posed. We tend to think of democracy as what the political scientists call liberal democracy; is that what the Middle East would adopt? If it were an illiberal democracy, would it meet the terms of the resolution?
Hamid – The Future of Democracy in the Middle East – Islamist and Illiberal – The Atlantic
In January I posted about foreign policy realism. Friedman’s article, which should be in everyone’s FX files (it covers the entire region), might be the best example of arguments that could be used on the Neg side of the resolution (summary: it’s hopeless). Is this applied Realism?
Friedman – The Many Mideast Solutions
Watching the Arab Spring uprisings several years ago, one name kept coming up on the question of transitioning to democracy – Gene Sharp. He’s a specialist on nonviolent methods. The following work of his may also be of use.
Dinosaur Debate 