This book is based on the papers presented at the International Workshop on Democratic and Constitutional Transitions in the Middle East, organized by İstanbul Şehir University on 11-12 May 2012. The Arab uprisings have been analyzed in detail in this volume along with the questions below:
How to explain the sudden eruption of the uprisings? Are they protests without sufficient organization to overthrow the authoritarian systems? Is the discourse of protest Arab-specific or does it touch on apparently universal values of liberalism, democracy, participation, and human security? What is this democratic transition that inspired the Arab awakenings, when democracy can mean so many different things to people? What kind of a state and economic system will these countries have? Is Islam compatible with different forms of government? Can Turkey serve as a model for the democratizing Arab countries?
