​​In response to the events, developments, and challenges facing Arab societies, contemporary Arab political thought continues to debate enduring political issues such as authoritarianism, democracy, Islamism, secularism, nationalism, and others. Although fundamental questions, such as those concerning the state, governance policies, and the parameters of the ruler-ruled relationship, have often been discussed within related themes and concepts like modernity, democracy, Islamic state theory, or revolution, these issues have gained significant renewed attention since the Arab Spring. They are now being revisited through critical reviews and explored via new epistemological and research perspectives. In this light, and in view of current developments in the Arab region, this issue seeks to pose a question regarding the extent to which the propositions of modern and contemporary Arab political thought can exert influence, the priorities they express, and the implications they highlight.​​