What does the PJD learn from the outside? International factors and Islamist politics in Morocco

Abstract

This article explores the interaction between international and domestic arenas by studying the mechanisms through which domestic actors incorporate international factors into their strategic decisions. More specifically, it investigates whether and how the international context, regional examples, and third-party actors’ foreign policies impact the process of inclusion of the Islamist Party of Justice and Development (PJD) into Moroccan political institutions. The main contention is that the PJD selectively incorporates international experiences and insights. This article examines this dynamic by investigating the interplay of two main mechanisms, learning and adaptation, that connect internationally generated experiences and circumstances and the PJD’s strategic decisions. It focuses on three main phases of the PJD’s inclusion process: (a) the party’s first steps in the parliament (1996–1999), (b) the first years of the reign of Mohamed VI (1999–2010), and (c) the PJD’s electoral victories after the 2011 regional anti-authoritarian protests (since 2011–2012).