Why Alliances Fail

Matt Buehler is a Global Security Fellow at the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy and an assistant professor of political science at the University of Tennessee.

Buehler has produced a strong, insightful and well-written book packed with original and fascinating evidence on opposition alliances in North Africa. He makes important theoretical and methodological contributions thanks to his systematic theory, well-rounded evidence and the additional step taken to the subnational level, moving beyond a strong national-level analysis.-- "Journal of North African Studies" Buehler skillfully shifts the debates about moderation to focus on the emergence and durability of seemingly unlikely alliances during periods of political change. His typology of cooperation between Islamists and Leftists across national, labor, and urban domains significantly advances our understanding of the conditions that encourage and impinge the formation of opposition alliances strong and durable enough to challenge authoritarian regimes.-- "Jillian Schwedler, Hunter College and The Graduate Center, CUNY" Theoretically informed, empirically nuanced, and based on years of field work, this book is a model for political scientists engaged in comparative, multi-country studies.-- "Bruce Maddy-Weitzman, Tel Aviv University" Buehler's book constitutes a strong contribution to the scholarly literature on North African politics....Appropriate for advanced undergraduates and required reading for graduate seminars on the Maghreb, Why Alliances Fail is written accessibly and directly, and will hopefully inspire more colleagues to expand our expectations of North African research.-- "International Journal of Middle East Studies"