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Günes¸ Murat
Tezcür, "The Moderation Theory Revisited: The Case of
Islamic Political Actors," Party Politics, 16 (January,
2010), 69-88. [Available at http://ppq.sagepub.com/content/vol16/issue1/.]
First paragraph:
An influential body of scholarship argues that parties
espousing 'radical' positions have a strong incentive to
moderate their positions once they operate as vote-seeking
electoral parties with centrist and accommodative platforms.
This process facilitates sustainable democratic transition
and contributes to democratic consolidation. Historical
examples include the socialist parties of Western Europe in
the twentieth century. The moderation theory is also
relevant in evaluating the prospects of democracy in many
Muslim majority countries where Islamist opposition groups
have broad appeal.
- Figures and
Tables:
- None.
Last Paragraph:
(First paragraph of conclusion) This article has
demonstrated that moderation of the Islamists can take place
in diverse settings, i.e. in Islamist Iran and secularist
Turkey. A similar process through which Islamists develop
democratic credentials can also be seen in such very
different contexts as Egypt and Indonesia. Ideological
transformations are accompanied by behavioural change guided
by strategic interests. The RF dramatically broadened the
scope of Iranian political discourse and the JDP undertook
substantial reforms. Meanwhile, moderation that integrates
Islamists is not necessarily conducive to democratization.
Once Islamists are integrated to the competitive political
system, they develop electoral strategies and pursue
conciliatory policies. Electoral calculations, fear of state
repression and organizational constraints all make them
politically risk-averse. Consequently, they seek
accommodation with authoritarian aspects of the
regimes.
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