Soldiers of Democracy?

Why do some militaries support and others thwart transitions to democracy? After the Arab Spring revolutions, why did Egypt's military stage a coup to end the transition? Conversely, why did Tunisia's military initially support the transition, only to later facilitate the elected president's dismantling of democracy?In Soldiers of Democracy? Military Legacies and the Arab Spring, Sharan Grewal argues that a military's behavior underdemocracy is shaped by how it had been treated under autocracy. Autocrats who had empowered their militaries produce soldiers who will repress protests and stage coups to preserve their privileges. Meanwhile,autocrats who had marginalized their militaries produce soldiers who support democratization, but who are also more susceptible to incumbent takeovers and civil wars. The dictator's choice to either empower or marginalize the military thus creates legacies that shape both the likelihood of democratization and the forms by which it breaks down.Drawing on over 140 interviews with civilian and military leaders, and three surveys of military personnel, this scholarly volumeillustrates this theory through detailed case studies of Egypt and Tunisia. Grewal also probes the generalizability of the theory through a cross-national analysis of all countries between 1946-2010.Overall, he brings the military front and center to the study of democratic transition and consolidation.

Winner of Co-Winner, 2023 Robert Jervis Best International Security Book Award Winner, 2024 Best Book on MENA Politics Award, American Political Science Association.

A country's chances of getting and keeping democracy are indelibly shaped by men with guns. In this extraordinary, multi-method study of civil-military relations in two Arab polities, Sharan Grewal argues that in Egypt, a military that had long been politically central under dictatorship fought tooth and nail against attempts to upend the old order, while in Tunisia, a military that had been kept small and weak by a jealous dictator saw in democracy a chance to shine. The result is that Egypt's democracy never got off the ground, while Tunisia enjoyed 10 years of democracy - before its military got a better offer. This book singlehandedly puts the role of militaries in political development back at the top of the agenda of comparative politics scholars. Tarek Masoud, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
Elegant and insightful, Soldiers of Democracy offers a compelling theory that explains when the military is likely to support a country's transition to democracy and when not. Anchored in rich empirical analysis of the Tunisian and Egyptian cases and bolstered by multi-case comparison, Grewal offers a masterful contribution to the lively debate on the military's role in politics. A model piece of research. Eva Bellin, Myra and Robert Kraft Professor of Arab Politics, Brandeis University
In this important book, Sharan Grewal highlights the importance of civil-military relations in the prior autocratic regime in explaining military reactions to democratization. In bringing the military back into the study of nascent democracies, Grewal has revived interest in a crucial set of actors, and in focusing on their history, he has helped explain divergent behavior that would otherwise be puzzling. Donald L. Horowitz, James B. Duke Professor of Law and Political Science Emeritus, Duke University
Too often contemporary scholarship on authoritarianism neglects civil-military relations. In his new book, Sharan Grewal shows why the military deserves centerstage. Drawing on interviews and original surveys, he demonstrates how the methods through which leaders control the military under autocracy - whether they empower or marginalize it - profoundly affects the military's response during democratic transitions. Grewal's Soldiers of Democracy is sure to be a defining work on the Arab Spring and on the military's role in democratization. Risa Brooks, Allis Chalmers Professor of Political Science, Marquette University
Sharan Grewal's comprehensive comparison of how the Tunisian and Egyptian militaries reacted to the Arab Spring uprisings is invaluable for understanding why they diverged so dramatically. The incisiveness of Grewal's analysis is as impressive as the scope of his research. Everyone interested in the successes and failures of the Arab Spring should read this superb book to better understand the Middle East and North Africa today. Gordon Gray, U.S. Ambassador to Tunisia, 2009-2012
Analyzing the conduct of the Egyptian and Tunisian militaries within the context of the Arab Spring, Grewal presents the compelling argument that the manner in which militaries are treated during periods of autocracy plays a pivotal role in shaping their behavior under democratic systems. This perspective not only provides insight into the distinct responses exhibited by these militaries in the face of the uprisings but also sheds light on their divergent reactions to the subsequent waves of political turbulence that ensued. Abdalla Nasef, Tahrir Podcast
Still, Grewal's book is impressive and will consolidate his standing at the forefront of scholarship on Arab military politics, and more broadly, civil military relations in times of upheavals. Soldiers of Democracy is a must-read for people interested in either topic. Hicham Bou Nassif, The Middle East Journal
The book is a valuable resource for those interested in examining democratic transitions, civil-military relations, and social movements. Ali Sarihan, British Journal Of Middle Eastern Studies
Soldier of democracy? exposes and fills an important gap in the literature by making compelling theoretical, empirical, and policy-oriented contributions to the relationship between the military and democratization. The book should be considered a must-read for anyone working on authoritarian politics, democratization, and elite dynamics. Adrián del Río, Democratization (T&F)

Sharan Grewal is an Assistant Professor of Government at William & Mary, a non-resident fellow at the Brookings Institution, and a non-resident senior fellow at the Project on Middle East Democracy. His research has been published in the American Political Science Review and the American Journal of Political Science, among other outlets, and has received funding from the National Science Foundation, the Henry Luce Foundation, the JohnTempleton Foundation, and the Smith Richardson Foundation.

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