Author exchange between Dana El Kurd and Benjamin Schuetze

The United States features prominently in the authors’ exchange between Dana El Kurd and Benjamin Schuetze. Dana El Kurd’s book, Polarized and Demobilized: Legacies of Authoritarianism in Palestine, is a study of international involvement in Palestinian politics after the Oslo Accords. She demonstrates how the U.S. supported local elites whose interests diverged from those of the population. This led to increased authoritarianism and the polarization and demobilization of Palestinian society. Benjamin Schuetze’s Promoting Democracy, Reinforcing Authoritarianism: US and European Policy in Jordan is a critical examination of “democracy promotion” by international organizations operating in Jordan. Schuetze argues that these international organizations focus on procedure rather than substance, which actually helps sustain the regime. Both studies rely on extensive fieldwork and original data, while providing careful critiques of U.S. involvement in Arab politics that highlight how the U.S. often sustains authoritarianism contrary to its proclaimed objectives. The exchange between the two authors offers a fruitful reflection on the mechanisms through which international involvement can support authoritarianism, and generates exciting avenues for future scholarship on authoritarian practices beyond the nation-state.