Building bridges, not walls : engaging with political islamists in the Middle East and North Africa

The Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR) analysed and produced case studies on the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, the Party of Justice and Development in Morocco and the Islamic Action Front in Jordan – all of which fall into the category of ‘mainstream’ political Islamist movement. The paper provides a summary of their policy positions on key issues, and an account of their behaviour as political actors. It also considers recent western policy towards the MENA region in general and Islamist parties in particular, identifying what has and has not worked, along with some of the barriers to dialogue and engagement