Jillian Schwedler: Faith in Moderation: Islamist Parties in Jordan and Yemen

Abstract

Islamist parties threaten emerging democratic processes or does political inclusion generate ideological moderation? Faith in Moderation is a highly informative work of comparative social analysis that combines theoretical sophistication with original research to provide an in-depth examination of the causal interrelation between inclusion and moderation at a time when the prospect of political reform in the Middle East has triggered a renewed debate about the relation of Islamism to democracy. Situated in the context of a well-structured theoretical discussion of the moderation-radicalization hypothesis, Jillian Schwedler argues that an examination of political behavior alone is an insufficient approach that leaves open the possibility of political actors merely performing in a moderate manner while effectively harboring radical agendas.

Keywords Islamist Parties, Ideological moderation, Democratic, Middle East.