The amount of content covered by this course in just over three months has been rather extensive, and there are some areas and methods of research which seem to be far superior to others in order to understand authoritarianism and change in MENA. As has been continuously shown across each country examined, understanding the historical background of each state is incredibly important to understanding the persistence of an authoritarian system within each of them. History shapes the world around us, and continues to effect the formation of states across the world, still dealing with the consequences of that history, particularly those affected by European colonial practices, of which MENA has had its fair share.

Beyond history, by categorizing states into regime types, we can better understand some of the commonalities between them which allows for an effective comparative study of each state. However, classifying states into regime type does nothing for an understanding of the differences between two states who are both within the same type. These categories are not monolithic, and everything falling under them is not identical, so other observations are required to gain and understanding. For an effective understanding to be achieved, distribution of resources within a country, their history, cultures, regime type, and more should all be studied to some degree.

When it comes to single case studies against a sweeping thematic study of the region, each provides their own unique insights, but should be be taken on their own without other context. Large books covering vast topics such as A Political Economy of the Middle East can be incredibly to understanding wider, region spanning trends which can be seen taking effect in some form everywhere, but there will always be value in focusing on more narrow case studies given that they have the time and space needed to examine one subject about one place in a much greater depth than is possible with the larger studies. Research into these areas should begin with the larger books and projects to give the researcher a good baseline understanding of wider trends, but once a more clear focus comes into view off of that work, an effective use of time would be an examination of single case studies such as Authoritarian Apprehensions by Lisa Weeden.