Democratization

"Insecurity and political values in the Arab World" by Melani Cammet, Ishac Diwan, and Irina Vartanova, deftly argues that feelings of perceived insecurity can reduce support for democracy in Arab countries. This contradicts longstanding assumptions that Islam or Arab culture makes the Arab world authoritarian.

This paper's findings are also in agreement with findings in an article by Mazaheri and Monroe that lower-middle class business owners supported mobilization against incumbent authoritarians in 2011 but opposed democratic activism when instability negatively impacted their businesses. 

Melani Cammett's current research explores development politics and social services provision, identity politics, and politics after conflict.

 The views in the article are the views of the authors and not of Taylor & Francis. 

 Melani Cammett, Ishac Diwan & Irina Vartanova (2020): Insecurity and political values in the Arab world, Democratization, DOI: 10.1080/13510347.2020.1723081. 

 Mazaheri, Nimah, and Steve L. Monroe. "No Arab Bourgeoisue, No Democracy? The Entrepreneurial Middle Class and Democratic Attitudes since the Arab Spring." Comparative Politics 50, no. 4 (2018): 523-550.

Excerpt from Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend by Susan Orlean

He believed the dog was immortal. "There will always be a Rin Tin Tin," Lee Duncan said, time and time again, to reporters, to visitors, to fan magazines, to neighbors, to family, to friends. At first, this must have sounded absurd––just wishful thinking about the creature that had eased his loneliness and made him famous around the world. And yet, just as Lee believed, there has always been a Rin Tin Tin.