Abstract
Abstract The relevance of this research work lies in the fact that in the conditions of post-colonial Arab society’s transition to independence, as well as social upheavals that have been taking place in the countries of the region since the second half of the 20th century and up to the present day in the form of civil wars, revolutions, armed uprisings and military coups, a radical rethinking of previous theoretical approaches to the study of the phenomenon of the political elite of the Arab world is required. The aim of the study is to analyse the peculiarities and specifics of the political establishment of the Arab states. The methodological basis of the research work was based on a combination of such methods as analysis, generalization, analogy, abstraction, historical-genetic, comparative, systemic, structural-functional and institutional. The results of this work consist in characterizing the concept of “Arab world” and highlighting its distinctive features, studying the genesis of political elite formation in Arab countries in the colonial and post-colonial period, examining the specifics and transformation of the establishment in the region, and analysing the impact of the Arab Spring events on the political systems of Arab states. In addition, the problems faced by the political elites of the Middle East and North Africa at the present stage of historical development were highlighted and the role of Islam in the socio-political life of the studied states in the context of the struggle between modernist and traditional was characterized. The materials of this research paper can be used in applied and research spheres: the article can be used by scholars who are interested in the problems of political elites and leadership in traditionalist societies, as well as in the peculiarities of the functioning of political systems in the states of the Arab world.