overview
Atlas of MENA cleavages
Every Tayyar axis as a landscape, in one scroll. For each cleavage the three highest-scoring parties (one pole) and the three lowest (the other), with a recent verified quote from a pole party or its leader when one exists. 20 axes total. For the dedicated per-axis page with full scoring rubric, click the axis name.
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10 83 parties scoredEconomic
Statist Market
Degree to which the actor favors market mechanisms (positive) vs. state allocation (negative).
Statist pole −10 +10 Market pole "When citizens are killed in their homes and their land, all the rules change."
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20 83 parties scoredSocial
Authority Libertarian
Personal and moral social freedom — lifestyle, LGBTQ+ rights, individual expression, religion-in-private — permissive (+) vs traditional collective moral authority (−). This axis is about SOCIAL / MORAL liberty, NOT secu…
Authority pole −10 +10 Libertarian pole "An agreement with a Palestinian state, based on two states for two peoples, is the right thing for Israel's security, for Israel's economy, and for the future of our children."
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30 83 parties scoredState & religion
Religious state Secular state
Separation of religion from state and law (positive) vs. religious authority in state and law (negative).
Religious state pole −10 +10 Secular state pole -
40 83 parties scoredLiberal democracy
Weak/anti Strong commitment
Commitment to LIBERAL democracy — independent courts, free press, opposition and minority rights, limits on executive power. NOT mere electoral participation: a party that contests elections but works to weaken the judic…
Weak/anti pole −10 "The great showdown has begun. The mother of all battles is upon us."
+10 Strong commitment pole "An agreement with a Palestinian state, based on two states for two peoples, is the right thing for Israel's security, for Israel's economy, and for the future of our children."
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50 81 parties scoredWest alignment
Anti-Western Pro-Western
STRATEGIC and security alignment with Western (US/EU) blocs — military cooperation, diplomatic partnership, trade. This is geopolitical orientation, NOT cultural affinity for liberal Western values: a religious-nationali…
Anti-Western pole −10 +10 Pro-Western pole "An agreement with a Palestinian state, based on two states for two peoples, is the right thing for Israel's security, for Israel's economy, and for the future of our children."
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60 82 parties scoredRegional stance
Resistance/maximalist Stability/normalization
Posture toward the regional order: the "Axis of Resistance" (Iran–Hezbollah–Hamas–Houthis, anti-normalization, armed struggle) at the negative pole vs the normalization / stability camp (Abraham Accords, Gulf–Israel déte…
Resistance/maximalist pole −10 "We are following the same path as the martyrs and the resistance: we will follow it, we will follow it."
+10 Stability/normalization pole "An agreement with a Palestinian state, based on two states for two peoples, is the right thing for Israel's security, for Israel's economy, and for the future of our children."
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70 83 parties scoredPalestinian question
Opposed Pro-Palestinian rights
Position on Palestinian rights, statehood, and self-determination — strong support (positive) vs. opposition (negative).
Opposed pole −10 "The time has come to be landlords in our country. We have to restore deterrence, we have to be the masters of the situation."
+10 Pro-Palestinian rights pole "I have come to Gaza, and I say from Gaza, with Gaza, and to Gaza: there is no compromise on Palestine, from the river to the sea, from the north to the south."
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80 81 parties scoredCivil liberties
Restrict Expand
Speech, protest, dissent, association, press freedom — expand and protect (positive) vs. restrict (negative).
Restrict pole −10 "The great showdown has begun. The mother of all battles is upon us."
+10 Expand pole -
100 78 parties scoredRegime stance
anti-regime pro-regime
Stance toward the state's foundational constitutional order — for Israel the Zionist-democratic state; for republics and monarchies the existing political order. Pro-regime (+) accepts and defends that order; anti-regime…
anti-regime pole −10 +10 pro-regime pole "The great showdown has begun. The mother of all battles is upon us."
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110 66 parties scoredPan-Arab vs particularist
particularist pan-Arab
Degree to which the actor frames its politics around pan-Arab solidarity (the Nasserist, Baathist, and contemporary anti-normalization tradition) versus country- or community-specific particularism (sectarian, ethnic, mo…
particularist pole −10 +10 pan-Arab pole "The great showdown has begun. The mother of all battles is upon us."
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120 78 parties scoredCentralism vs federalism
centralist federalist
Position on state structure: favoring a strong unitary central state versus power-sharing among regions, sects, or ethnic groups. Salient in MENA where Iraq, Lebanon, Sudan, and Syria have consociational or federal frame…
centralist pole −10 "The great showdown has begun. The mother of all battles is upon us."
+10 federalist pole -
130 78 parties scoredTraditionalism vs modernization
traditionalist modernizing
Position on social and institutional modernization versus tradition. Captures stance on issues like womens rights, religious authority in public life, reform of family law, openness to technological and economic transfor…
traditionalist pole −10 +10 modernizing pole "An agreement with a Palestinian state, based on two states for two peoples, is the right thing for Israel's security, for Israel's economy, and for the future of our children."
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140 22 parties scoredGender equality
Patriarchal traditionalism Gender equality
Position on women's rights, gender roles in public life, family law (personal status, divorce, custody, inheritance), and political representation. Distinct from the broader modernization axis: a party can be tech-modern…
Patriarchal traditionalism pole −10 +10 Gender equality pole -
150 19 parties scoredIran posture
Anti-Iran / adversarial Pro-Iran / aligned
Position toward the Islamic Republic of Iran as a regional actor: alliance, hostility, or neutrality. Independent from West alignment — a party can be anti-Western AND anti-Iran (most Sunni Salafi groups), or pro-Western…
Anti-Iran / adversarial pole −10 "The time has come to be landlords in our country. We have to restore deterrence, we have to be the masters of the situation."
+10 Pro-Iran / aligned pole "We are following the same path as the martyrs and the resistance: we will follow it, we will follow it."
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160 21 parties scoredPress freedom
State-controlled press Free press
Position on journalism, broadcast media, and digital information access. Distinct from broader civil liberties: a regime can selectively restrict press while allowing other forms of speech (or vice versa). Captures both …
State-controlled press pole −10 "We are following the same path as the martyrs and the resistance: we will follow it, we will follow it."
+10 Free press pole -
170 11 parties scoredSectarian power-sharing
Consociational / quota system Post-sectarian / civic state
Position on confessional or sectarian political organisation: Lebanese-style consociational quotas, Iraqi muhasasa, Syrian Alawite-network governance, vs post-sectarian / civic-state framings. Relevant primarily to Leban…
Consociational / quota system pole −10 "We are following the same path as the martyrs and the resistance: we will follow it, we will follow it."
+10 Post-sectarian / civic state pole "I announce hereby my final retirement from political work."
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180 0 parties scoredNormalization with Israel
Anti-normalization Pro-normalization
Stance of Arab actors toward diplomatic and economic normalization with Israel.
Anti-normalization pole −10 +10 Pro-normalization pole -
190 0 parties scoredTerritories & sovereignty
Annexation / Greater Israel Withdrawal / two-state
Israeli actors' position on the West Bank and Gaza: annexation and settlement vs territorial compromise and a Palestinian state.
Annexation / Greater Israel pole −10 +10 Withdrawal / two-state pole -
200 0 parties scoredJewish–Arab equality
Ethnonational Jewish state Full civic equality
Within Israel: a Jewish ethnonational state vs full civic equality for Arab/Palestinian citizens.
Ethnonational Jewish state pole −10 +10 Full civic equality pole -
210 3 parties scoredMonarchical legitimacy
Republican / anti-dynastic Monarchist / dynastic
In monarchies (Jordan, Morocco, the Gulf): acceptance of dynastic royal legitimacy vs republican or anti-monarchical challenge.
Republican / anti-dynastic pole −10 +10 Monarchist / dynastic pole
