Abstract
The experience of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan (JMB) since the so-called ‘Arab Spring’ of 2011 illustrates that Islamist movements and parties, like any other, navigate the internal and external facets of democratic learning. Expressed differently, in democratising or partially democratic (hybrid) polities there is a necessity to navigate internal organisational management, ideological balancing, and tactical manoeuvring in restricted political conditions. A central argument of this chapter is that political actors advocating for democratic reform in authoritarian polities are confronted by extra-party challenges when attempting to offer alternative visions. However as shall be illustrated, the executive leadership of the JMB proved unable to navigate the concomitant external and internal fluidity of political learning in the post-2011 regional environment. The inability to accommodate difference as a matter of principle contributed in no small way to the fragmentation of the Movement into five distinct political constellations.
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Notes
- 1.
In 2016, the Initiative announced its evolution into a political party, the National Congress Party.
- 2.
It is important to note however that ascertaining exact numbers of Brotherhood members supportive of the status quo or the reformist agendas is difficult to establish.
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Esber, P.M. (2018). The Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood, Democratisation and the Dilemmas of Internal Organisational Reform: Seeking Unity, Finding Division?. In: Esposito, J., Zubaidah Rahim, L., Ghobadzadeh, N. (eds) The Politics of Islamism. Middle East Today. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62256-9_8
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