Organizing Islamists [Ressource électronique] : retracing political moderation in Tunisia and Turkey / Dustin Baker

Bibliogr. p. 87-89

Master of arts : Political science : University of South Dakota : 2015

The integration of Islamists into Tunisia's post-Arab Spring democratic landscape has brought about a renewed interest in the mechanisms that govern political party behavior. The moderation of political parties has long been a topic of debate in the literature, yet recent Islamist party successes in emerging democratic systems have called into question many of the traditional determinants of party moderation. Scholars of party behavior have traditionally viewed political inclusion as the driving force behind party moderation. Proponents of 'Inclusion-Moderation' theory suggest that as parties enter into the political system they temper their politics in order to attract key constituencies of moderate 'median voters.' As a result, political survival dictates the abandonment of radical policy. However, this examination of Islamist parties has revealed that behavioral moderation may also precede political inclusion, even in the wake of repression. Such a revelation necessitates a further examination of various factors that may influence party behavior. In doing so, it is important to remember that all political parties are, in essence, powerseeking organizations. The concept of political parties as organizations is widely overlooked in the realm of party moderation. This thesis addresses the question of Islamist party moderation using the organizational framework established by Angelo Panebianco and Robert Michels. Political parties, like all organizations, must reconcile various internal and external dilemmas during the course of their existence. These dilemmas can either expand or constrain a party's ability to pursue certain courses of action. Environmental factors (political, economic, cultural), as well as certain internal party structures, can have a profound influence on the course of potential party action. An analysis of Tunisia's Ennahda party as well as Turkey's Justice and Development Party, long viewed as a benchmark for Islamist party moderation, demonstrates the applicability of such an organizational approach to the moderation process. By recognizing the influence that repression has on political behavior, as well as accounting for the presence of various internal and external organizational constraints, this thesis seeks to aid in the current discourse on political party behavior and alternative explanations for party moderation.