Cities have always been important in the history of the Midd…
Cities have always been important in the history of the Middle East and North Africa, frequently developing as nodes connecting the well-traveled routes of armies and traders e.g. Cairo and Istanbul and how they have developed over thousands of years. [Chapter 2: “The Middle East: A Geographic Preface” by Ian R. Manners in Schwedler’s edited book.]
Read DetailsThe Party of Justice and Development (PJD) – One of the most…
The Party of Justice and Development (PJD) – One of the most Islamist parties in Morocco. It is moderate in its ideological orientation and has gradually managed to establish itself as a major political force within parliamentary politics. The party was originally founded by Abdelkrim al-Khatib but without much political weight until it was allowed by the Moroccan regime to be integrated by a group of Islamists known as shabiba al-islamia to become part of the Unity and Reform Movement which changed its name to the PJD in 1998. Allowing the PJD to exist in the political landscape is part of the Moroccan regime’s strategy to domesticate the Islamists. But given the nature of the political system in Morocco, the PJD does not actually have a hold on power which is concentrated in the hands of the monarch.
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