Arab Constitutionalism

After the 2011 uprisings started in Tunisia and swept across the Arab region, more than a dozen countries amended their constitutions, the greatest concentration of constitutional reform processes since the end of the Cold War. This book provides a detailed account and analysis of all of these developments. Individual accounts are provided of eight different reform processes (including Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Sudan), with particular focus on the historical context, the political dynamics, the particular process that each country followed and the substantive outcome. Zaid Al-Ali deconstructs the popular demands that were made in 2011 and translates them into a series of specific actions that would have led to freer societies and a better functioning state. A revolution did not take place in 2011, but it is inevitably part of the region's future and Arab Constitutionalism explores what that revolution could look like.

'Al-Ali has written the most comprehensive and sophisticated account on post-Arab Spring constitutionalism in the Middle East. In his valuable book, Al-Ali charts constitutional reforms across eight Arab cases. In remarkable detail, Al-Ali captures the debates, processes, and actual modifications of the constitutional reform efforts across these states. While advancements were made, Al-Ali argues that these constitutional changes did not match the revolutionary citizen demands of the Arab Spring.' Amaney A. Jamal, Dean, School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, 'In 'Arab Constitutionalism', Zaid Al-Ali has written the definitive analysis of the key constitutional developments in the Middle East and North Africa since mass protests demanding social justice and change swept the region a decade ago. Analytically rigorous and probing, 'Arab Constitutionalism' convincingly cuts through the politics and history of constitutional discourse to remind us all that what is missing is a focus on the individual and the individual's place in state and society. In his account, constitutions should have as their purpose to create the environment that would allow for individuals in all our countries to thrive. His book should be required reading for anyone involved in governance reform in this part of the world and further afield.' Barham Salih, President of the Republic of Iraq, 'This book is a tour-de-force by a scholar who combines the best of constitutional scholarship with a strong knowledge of, and commitment to, constitutional development in the Arab region. It not only provides an important mapping of constitutional developments post the so-called 'Arab Spring', against their historical constitutional background, importantly it sets in sets out clear parameters for any future Arab constitutional project. Zaid Al-Ali, brings strong intellect and scholarship together with a history of engagement in many of the processes that he writes about. The book is a must-read for constitutional students and scholars globally, and for those who remain engaged with constitutional reform projects in the region.' Christine Bell, Professor of Constitutional Law, University of Edinburgh, 'Zaid Al-Ali's book is an urgently needed survey on the constitutional reforms following the so-called Arab Spring in 2011 in eight Arab countries. But it is more than that: It also describes why the constitutional reforms did not meet the popular expectations and how a true constitutional revolution would look like.' Dieter Grimm, Former Justice, Federal Constitutional Court of Germany, Professor of Constitutional Law, Humboldt University Berlin, 'A constitutional law handbook for democratic states' building, yet to succeed with or without revolutions in the Arab middle east and north Africa, a region plagued with many institutional and social deficits. Zaid Al-Ali's book 'rab constitutionalism: The Coming Revolution' is not limited to a well-researched timely description of the failed or less failed revolutions in many countries of that region, but an exciting prospective set of recommendations, based on a deep knowledge of that region and of the aspirations of its diverse people. A must read for all those interested in challenging thoughts and action.' Ghassan Moukheiber, Lawyer and former member of the Lebanese Parliament

Zaid Al-Ali is the Senior Adviser in Constitution-Building in the Arab Region for International IDEA. He has law three law degrees from Harvard Law School, the Sorbonne University, and King's College London. He has been practicing international commercial arbitration since 1999 and has been advising on constitutional drafting in Arab countries since 2005.