The Arab Revolution: Ten Lessons from the Democratic Uprising

by Jean-Pierre Filiu

Overview

When Mohammad Bouazizi sets himself on fire on December 17, 2010, he started a series of extraordinary events that spread across the Middle East with stunning rapidity. In less than a month, President Ben Ali fled Tunisia, ending a twenty-three year regime. Shortly thereafter, on 11 February 2011, President Mubarak of Egypt stepped down after nearly thirty years in power.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199898299
Publisher:	Oxford University Press, USA
Publication date:	11/23/2011
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.60(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Jean-Pierre Filiu is Professor of Middle East Studies at Sciences Po in Paris, and has held visiting professorships at both Columbia University and Georgetown University. His book The Apocalypse in Islam was awarded the main prize by the French History Association. His books on the Arab world have been published in a dozen languages.

Table of Contents

Chronology

Prologue
1. Arabs are no exception
2. Muslims are not only Muslims
3. Anger is power for the younger
4. Social networks work
5. Leaderless movements can win
6. The alternative to democracy is chaos
7. Islamists must choose
8. Jihadis could become obsolete
9. Palestine is still the mantra
10. No domino effect in the renaissance

Appendices
1. Lyrics of "Mister President" by El-General (Sfax, December 2010)
2. Manifesto of the Gaza Youth (14 December 2010)
3. Message of the April 6th Movement (Cairo, 15 January 2011)
4. Comments by Sheikh Salman al-Awda (Riyadh, 7 February 2011)
5. Communiqué of the Revolutionary Youth (Cairo, 12 February 2011)
6. Charter of the National Transitional Council (Benghazi, 2 March 2011)
7. Statement of the Syrian local coordination committees (22 April 2011)

Notes
Select Bibliography
Electronic resources
Index

Editorial Reviews

"Jean-Pierre Filiu's book provides a remarkable, in-depth analysis of the 'Arab spring,' putting it in perspective and exploring its long-term consequences. Thanks to his exceptional knowledge of the Middle East, Filiu has been able to grasp the meaning of this revolution and make it comprehensible for a wide readership."—Olivier Roy, author of Holy Ignorance: When Religion and Culture Part Ways and Globalized Islam

"Few writers bring teh combination of diplomatic, policy-making, and scholary experience to analyzing the Arab revolutions as does Jean-Pierre Filiu. And none but him could have written such an authoritative and spot-on analysis of the causes, implications, and possible futures of these momentous events as the are unfolding. This book will be the gold standard against which the flood of soon-to-appear books on this subject will surely be measured."—Mark LeVine, author of Heavy Metal Islam, Professor of History, UC Irvine and Distinguished Visiting Professor, CMES Lund University

"With this timely, major book on the subject, we have the Arab revolution of 2011 recorded as a major event in world history. Filiu, the leading French authority on the politics of the Arab world, convincingly treats the Arab revolution, which has so far succeeded in Tunisia and Egypt, as a singular event whose consequences will unfold in the coming decads. The ten lessons capture the main import of this great event, and the appendices give the reader a flavor of its tenor. A book written with great verve and for the general public."—Said A. Arjomand, Distinguished Service Professor of Sociology & Director of of the Stony Brook Institute for Global Studies, State University of New York

"Filiu...has distilled a great deal of knowledge and sensitive and well-written analysis into this first take on the new Arab awakening." - Financial Times

"Filiu's timely, concise and authoritative book makes the complexities of the rapid political changes sweeping the region comprehensible, even for the most casual observer." —The National (Abu Dhabi)

From the Publisher