Introduction: International Top-Down Democratization of the Middle East?; D.Jung PART I: DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES AND THEIR INTERNATIONAL AND TRANSNATIONAL CONTEXTS Authoritarian Politics and External Support for Good Governance in the Arab World; O.Schlumberger Transnational Islamist Networks and the Prospects of Democratization in the Middle East; T. Scheffler New Religious Programming: The Impact of Satellite Broadcasting in the Arab World; J.Skovgaard-Petersen PART III: THREE CASE STUDIES ON LIBERALIZATION PROCESSES IN THE MIDDLE EAST Neo-Authoritarianism: Democratization as a Means of Stabilizing Authoritarian Rule in Contemporary Egypt; M.Kassem State-Economy Relations as State-Building: The Politics of Economic Liberalization in Syria; S.Schmidt The Political Economy of Islam and Democracy in Turkey: From the Welfare Party to the AKP; Z.Önish Conclusions: Democratizing the Middle East: Trying to Square the Circle?; D.Jung