Although episodes of resistance and contention in authoritarian and authoritarian-like regimes constitute the majority of mass political movements worldwide, the theories and models of popular contention have been developed on liberal-democratic assumptions. Prompted by the recent revolutionary waves in the Middle East and North Africa, Popular Contention, Regime, and Transition offers a deeper understanding of the complex and indeterminate linkages between popular protest, regime type, and transitions in democratic and authoritarian regimes alike.Through a diverse array of case studies from countries around the world, this volume places the Arab Spring uprisings in comparative perspective, demonstrating the similarities and parallels between contentious events in democratic and authoritarian-like regimes. Leading scholars in the fields of political science, sociologoy, and international studies discuss topics such as the set of initial conditions involved in the protest, prospects of contention, and forms of protest, as well as the role of historical legacies, regime responses, the military, social polarization, and external factors in the divergent outcomes of protest. By situating the study of contention in authoritarian and semi-authoritarian regimes in comparative perspective, Popular Contention, Regime, and Transition generates powerful insights into the impetus, dynamics, and consequences of contention in all contexts.

INTRODUCTIONPopular Contention, Regime, and Transition: A Comparative PerspectiveEitan AlimiPART I: BETWEEN STRUCTURE AND CONTENTION1. Modes of Coordination of Contentious Collective Action in the Middle-EastMario Diani and Caelum Moffatt2. Do Organizational Structures Matter for Protests in Non-Democratic African Countries?Katia Pilati3. Qualities of Democracy, Dissatisfaction and Contention in Latin America: The Role of Equality, Freedom and ResponsivenessMario Quaranta4. Regimes, Resources, and Regional Intervention: Understanding the Openings and Trajectories for Contention in the Middle East and North AfricaJack A. GoldstonePART II: PROCESSES AND TRAJECTORIES OF CONTENTION5. The Drivers of Diffusion: Comparing 1989, the Color Revolutions and the Arab UprisingsValerie Bunce6. Double Legitimacy Crises and Dynamics of Contention in Ethnic DemocraciesGregory Maney7. When Repression Fails to Backfire: Movement's Powers, State's Power, and Conditions Conducive to International InterventionEitan Y. Alimi and David Meyer8. Understanding Dynamics, Endogeneity and Complexity in Protest Campaigns: A Comparative Analysis of Egypt (2011) and Iran (1977-1979)Karen RaslerPART III: BETWEEN TRANSITION AND CONTENTION9. Regime Transitions, Anti-dictatorship Struggles, and the Future of Protest in Democratizing SettingsVincent Boudreau10. Chile's Winter of Discontent: Is Protest Achieving Deeper Democratization?Mario Sznajder11. The 2011 Israeli Protest Movement between the Arab Spring and the Occupy Movement: A Hybrid Model?Gayil TalshirCONCLUSIONThe Arab Revolts in Comparative Historical PerspectiveAvraham Sela