Sectarian Identities and the Rise of Nationalism in the Middle East

In partnership with SEPAD

Since the emergence of modern states across the Middle East after the fall of the Ottoman Empire, national and sectarian identities have endured a fraught relationship within – and across – political projects. After the 2011 Arab Spring protests, sectarian identities became increasingly prominent in regional politics, often manipulated within broader efforts to ensure regime survival. As a consequence, populations with sectarian identities not aligned with ruling elites’ faced widespread discrimination and marginalization.

In recent years, there has been increasing promotion of nationalist identities over sectarian schisms. In Lebanon and Iraq, anger at the prominence of sectarian identities prompted the emergence of protest movements cutting across sectarian lines, united by chants such as “all of them means all of them.” In Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has sought to promote a Saudi nationalism inclusive of previously marginalized Shia communities.

In this joint AGSIW-SEPAD webinar, panelists discussed these issues and more.

The views represented herein are the author's or speaker's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of AGSI, its staff, or its board of directors.