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Abstract
Powerful political and economic players allocate significance resources in order to influence the media in ways that advance their interests. This article attempts to reveal the mechanisms that the ruling Saudi family uses to exert its power over pan-Arab media. It argues that Al Saud uses ownership, sponsorship, cooptation and coercion to keep pan-Arab media in line with its policies. It also asserts that the main consequence of Saudi domination of pan-Arab media today is not to divert Arab public opinion away from politics, as was the case in the 1990s; rather it is to set a sectarian agenda as a means to counter Iran's influence in some Arab countries. Using frame analysis of a representative sample of eight programmes broadcast between 2012 and 2016 by three Salafi TV channels owned and sponsored by Al Saud, the article demonstrates that sponsoring a sectarian agenda may also encourage terrorism. It also reveals frame convergence between the messages of the Salafi channels and that of ISIL. Saudi media policy thus increases the visibility of ISIL's messages and renders them credible, leading to the expansion of ISIL's capability for recruitment.

Analyses political parties and party politics in the contemporary Arab worldThe Middle East is a region notorious for political systems traditionally built around absolutist monarchs and military-dependent presidents. What is the role of political parties in such a context? How do they support or undermine such authoritarian forms of rule? What part have they played in the survival and transformation of political systems after the Arab uprisings? What are the policy preferences of party elites and how do they connect with citizens' expectations? How do parties challenge and reflect the main social cleavages? Finally, what is the genuine significance of parties and party politics in a region struggling for some sort of democratic future? This book attempts to answer these questions through a thorough theoretical and empirical examination and analysis of the most important aspects and traits of political parties and party politics in the Arab world, exploring cases from across the region.Key FeaturesSets out an innovative research agenda on a under-studied topicProvides a comparative perspective on political parties across the regionAnalyses the ways in which political parties in the Arab world matter and develop Offers a more systematic understanding of the functioning of Arab regimes by incorporating the role political parties play in themIncludes case studies of Iraq, Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Kuwait, Lebanon and PalestineContributorsLarissa Alles, University of St. Andrews Aurelie Daher, Université Paris-Dauphine Loes Debuysere, Ghent UniversitySophie A Edwards, Independent ResearcherAnass El Kyak, Université LavalManal A. Jamal, James Madison University Amir Magdy Kamel, King's College LondonHendrik Kraetzschmar, University of LeedsRaquel Ojeda-García, University of GranadaZoltan Pall, National University of SingaporeValeria Resta, University of Milan Anne Wolf, University of Cambridge and University of OxfordMohammad Yaghi, Queen's University in Kingston

One common demand in the 2011 uprisings in the MENA region was the call for 'freedom, dignity, and social justice.' Citizens rallied against corruption and clientelism, which for many protesters were deeply linked to political tyranny. This book takes the phenomenon of the 2011 uprisings as a point of departure for reassessing clientelism and patronage across the entire MENA region. Using case studies covering Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and the Gulf monarchies, it looks at how the relationships within and between clientelist and patronage networks changed before 2011. The book assesses how these changes contributed to the destabilization of the established political and social order, and how they affected less visible political processes. It then turns to look at how the political transformations since 2011 have in turn reconfigured these networks in terms of strategies and dynamics, and concomitantly, what implications this has had for the inclusion or exclusion of new actors. Are specific networks expanding or shrinking in the post-2011 contexts? Do these networks reproduce established forms of patron-client relations or do they translate into new modes and mechanisms? As the first book to systematically discuss clientelism, patronage and corruption against the background of the 2011 uprisings, it will be a valuable resource for students and scholars of Middle Eastern Studies. The book also addresses major debates in comparative politics and political sociology by offering 'networks of dependency' as an interdisciplinary conceptual approach that can 'travel' across place and time

"Political Research in the Middle East and North Africa focuses specifically on doing research in one of the most important regions in contemporary world politics. It is also one of the most difficult areas to do research in given the current high levels of violence, political instability, and authoritarianism that plague the region. Gathering together a large and diverse group of researchers who study the region, Janine Clark and Francesco Cavatorta's volume will serve as a foundational methods guide for young academics on how to conceive and carry out their research projects. At the same time the topics in the book provide a useful refresher to more established scholars so that their methodological training and ethical considerations keep pace with novel approaches and changing obstacles in the field. What makes this volume especially useful is its focus on methodological 'lessons learned' from the contributors' first hand experiences. Each chapter deals with the challenges of implementing qualitative and quantitative methods in the field, the real-life obstacles encountered and the possible solutions to overcoming them. It will therefore be an invaluable companion book to more standard methods books, which focus on the 'how to' of methods but are often devoid of any real discussion of the challenges of on-the-ground fieldwork."--Publisher's summary