The Pendulum in Motion

Seven years since the Arab Spring, the prospects for Middle East democracy have diminished markedly. Popular forces mounted uprisings but most didn't follow through. Authoritarians regrouped and reorganized themselves under the mantle of “enlightened despotism”, whose projects to deliver order and modernity masked a deeper effort to destroy opposition and atomize societies. The murder of Jamal Khashoggi exposes how this counterrevolutionary campaign has lost its footing. But the prospects for democracy remain precarious, particularly as democracy faces a recession around the globe.

Hicham Alaoui is a "dissident" member of the ruling family in the Kingdom of Morocco often referred to in the media as "the Red Prince" for his pro-democracy stance.

This event is organized by Duke's Center for French and Francophone Studies (CFFS) and co-sponsored by the Duke Center for International and Global Studies, Duke Africa Initiative and Duke Middle East Studies Center.