The Arab Uprisings: What Everyone Needs to Know#x000AE;

by James L. Gelvin

Overview

Beginning in December 2010 popular revolt swept through the Middle East, shocking the world and ushering in a period of unprecedented unrest. Protestors took to the streets to demand greater freedom, democracy, human rights, social justice, and regime change. What caused these uprisings? What is their significance? And what are their likely consequences? In an engaging question-and-answer format, The Arab Uprisings: What Everyone Needs to Know? explores all aspects of the revolutionary protests that have rocked the Middle East. Historian James Gelvin begins with an overview--What sparked the Arab uprisings? Where did the demands for democracy and human rights come from? How appropriate is the phrase "Arab Spring"?--before turning to specific countries around the region. He looks at such topics as the role of youth, labor, and religious groups in Tunisia and Egypt and discusses why the military turned against rulers in both countries. Exploring the uprisings in Libya and Yemen, Gelvin explains why these two states are considered "weak," why that status is important for understanding the upheavals there, and why outside powers intervened in Libya but not in Yemen. Next, Gelvin compares two cases that defied expectations: Algeria, which experts assumed would experience a major upheaval after Egypt's, and Syria, which experts failed to foresee. He then looks at the monarchies of Morocco, Jordan, and the Gulf, exploring the commonalities and differences of protest movements in each. The final chapter discusses the implications of the uprisings. What do they mean for the United States? For Iran? Has al-Qaeda been strengthened or weakened? What effects have the uprisings had on the Israel-Palestine conflict? What conclusions might we draw from the uprisings so far? For anyone wishing to understand the dramatic events in the Middle East, The Arab Uprisings is the place to turn. What Everyone Needs to Know? is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199930050
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	03/01/2012
Series:	What Everyone Needs To Know
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

James L. Gelvin is Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is the author of The Modern Middle East: A History and The Israel-Palestine Conflict: One Hundred Years of War.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: A Revolutionary Wave? What is the Arab world? How homogeneous is the Arab world? Why do Arabs identify with one another? What was political life in the Arab world like on the eve of the uprisings? Why have authoritarian governments been so common in the Arab world? What made entrenched autocracies vulnerable? Can we pinpoint the factors that caused the uprisings? What sparked the Arab uprisings? Where did the demands for democracy and human rights come from? How appropriate is the word "wave" to describe the spread of protests throughout the Arab world? Where did the phrase "Arab Spring" come from and how appropriate is it to describe events in the Arab world? Chapter 2: The Beginning: Tunisia and Egypt What characteristics do Tunisia and Egypt hold in common? How did the Tunisian uprising play out? Was the uprising in Egypt like that of Tunisia? What did protest leaders in Egypt learn from earlier protests? Why was one of the groups that organized the 25 January protests called "We are all Khaled Said"? What was the role of social media in the Tunisian and Egyptian uprisings? Who led the Egyptian uprising? Why did the Tahrir protesters and others adopt the tactic of nonviolent resistance? What was the role of labor in the two uprisings? What was the role of Islamic groups in the two uprisings? Why did the army in Tunisia and Egypt refuse to put down the uprisings? What changes did the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt bring about? What are the 10 greatest myths about the Egyptian uprising? Chapter 3: Uprisings in Weak States: Yemen and Libya What were the political systems of Yemen and Libya like before the uprisings? Why do political scientists consider Yemen and Libya "weak states" Why is the fact that Yemen and Libya are weak states important for understanding the uprisings there? What role have tribes played in Yemen and Libya? How did the uprising in Yemen evolve? How did the uprising in Libya begin? Is Qaddafi crazy, or crazy like a fox? Why did the uprisings in Yemen and Libya turn violent? Who are the "rebels" in Libya? Why did outside powers intervene directly in Libya and not in Yemen? What is R2P? Why is al-Qaeda in Yemen? What are the fissures in Yemen and Libya that might divide the state in the future? Chapter 4: Two Surprises: Algeria and Syria Why did events in Algeria and Syria surprise most experts? Why did observers believe that after Tunisia, Algeria would be next? What were the Algerian protests of early 2011 like? Why did the results of the uprising in Algeria differ from those in Tunisia or Egypt? Did Algeria ever experience a pro-democracy uprising? Why was the Syrian uprising surprising? How did the uprising in Syria begin? How has the Syrian regime responded to the uprising? What made the Syrian regime vulnerable? What has made the Syrian regime so resilient? Who is the opposition in Syria? Why have foreign powers treated Bashar al-Assad with kid gloves? What would happen to the Syrian alliance with Iran should Bashar al-Assad's regime fall? Chapter 5: The Monarchies Why are there so many monarchies in the Arab world? How do the monarchies in the Arab world differ? What were the Winter/Spring 2011 protests in the Arab monarchies like? How did the uprising in Bahrain differ from uprisings in other monarchies? How have the uprisings transformed the GCC? What might Bahrain's experience with a "national dialogue" tell us about future national dialogues in the Arab world? Chapter 6: Stepping Back How did the uprisings connect to the George W. Bush's "freedom agenda"? How did the United States come up with its policy toward the uprisings? What ever happened to Iraq? Have the uprisings strengthened or weakened al-Qaeda? What effects have the uprisings had on the Israel-Palestine conflict? How has Iran greeted the uprisings? What can history tell us about "revolutionary waves?" When will we be able to judge the significance of the Arab uprisings? What conclusions might we draw from the uprisings so far? Suggestions for Further Reading Index

Editorial Reviews

Gelvin, Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History at the University of California at Los Angeles, has distilled a wide range of information about the revolutionary protests across the Middle East into a remarkably readable, informative, slim volume. Dedicating his work to the "tens of thousands of men, women, and children have faced death on a daily basis to end the nightmare of oppression that all too many outside observers had written off as their destiny," Gelvin (The Modern Middle East: A History) employs a question-and-answer format that follows a logical progression, from "What is the Arab world?" to "When will be able to judge the significance of the Arab uprisings?" Short chapters cover the initial protests in Tunisia and Egypt, giving a clear account of the driving forces that led to the overthrow of those governments; the "weak states" of Yemen and Libya; as well as Algeria, Syria, and the monarchies of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and others. Of particular worth is Gelvin's ability to show how the protests are interlinked, yet also independent of each other. Brief forays into the Palestinian/Israeli conflict and the current state of al-Qaeda are also illuminating. While some may tire of Gelvin's straightforward writing style, the book's orderly presentation of facts makes this an excellent primer for the general reader. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"A remarkably readable, informative, slim volume...Of particular worth is James Gelvin's ability to show how the protests are interlinked, yet also independent of each other. Brief forays into the Palestinian/Israeli conflict and the current state of al-Qaeda are also illuminating...an excellent primer for the general reader." —Publishers Weekly

"This impressive achievement brings together a vast amount of information in a lucid manner. Highly recommended." —Library Journal

"A solid primer on the Arab Spring...[Gelvin's] background on the Arab world will certainly help non-experts better understand the region...A useful attempt to understand a still-unfolding story." —Kirkus Reviews

"Highly recommended...Gelvin's claim to provide "what everyone needs to know" does not unduly exaggerate the usefulness of the book for students and other nonspecialists. Even specialists in contemporary Arab affairs will benefit in some ways, notably by using it as a model in their own teaching and general writings." —CHOICE

"James Gelvin has throughout his career explained to us the role of popular demonstrations and symbolic action in the modern Middle East. There could be few more expert guides for the public to the remarkable Arab uprisings of 2011. Gelvin avoids easy answers for the hard one, and never prefers simple theory to complex realities." —Juan Cole, Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History, University of Michigan

From the Publisher

This compact, fact-filled overview provides a regional framework and country-by-country analysis of the widespread reform movements and antigovernment uprisings that swept through the Arab world in 2011. Gelvin (Middle Eastern history, Univ. of California, Los Angeles) explains the specific historic and social context in each country in a regional context, emphasizing the weak political structures, endemic unemployment and corruption, and lag in political participation. He clearly outlines the wide range of events, looking at the eruptions in Tunisia and Egypt, the differences in the politically and socially weak states of Libya and Yemen, the tensions in the "nontraditional monarchies" throughout the region, and the complexity of grassroots opposition and governmental repression in Syria. He makes it clear that al-Qaeda neither stimulated nor benefited from the uprisings, and that the United States has little leverage in influencing internal developments. While he provides a lucid explanation of recent upheavals, he cautions that neither predicting the course of uprisings nor anticipating their evolution is possible. VERDICT This impressive achievement brings together a vast amount of information in a lucid manner. Highly recommended for general and academic libraries as an objective, accurate analysis of the Arab Spring of 2011.—Elizabeth R. Hayford, formerly with Associated Colls. of the Midwest, Evanston, IL

Library Journal

A solid primer on the Arab Spring. While stressing that it is "still too early to gain the distance from events that historians need to render judgments," Gelvin (Middle Eastern History/UCLA; The Modern Middle East, 2004, etc.) offers insights into the popular uprisings that have swept Tunisia, Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries since late 2010. His background on the Arab world will certainly help non-experts better understand the region. Most of the population consists of Arab-speaking Muslims. While lacking homogeneity, they share a sense of history; live in poor political, economic and social conditions; get news from a vastly expanded Arab-language media, such as the satellite TV channel Al-Jazeera; and generally oppose U.S. activities in the region, especially the invasion of Iraq and support for Israel. States, which control oil and other resources, are the main economic actors. During the Cold War, the U.S. supported strong, authoritarian regimes to hasten regional economic development and prevent the rise of communism. Using a Q&A format (the book is an installment in the publisher's What Everyone Needs to Know series), Gelvin traces the various uprisings, beginning with Tunisia, noting that no one could have predicted the popular protests; that they had no single cause; and that the "true heroes of the uprisings" were the participants, who acted on their own and put their lives on the line. He writes it is not possible to pinpoint where the initial demands for democracy and human rights came from. "Certainly, the claim that the uprisings confirm the historical inevitability of democratic transformation worldwide reflects little more than wishful thinking," he writes. Although Western media often called early protests a "Twitter Revolution," social media only played a role. The region's monarchs uniformly responded to the protests by distributing benefits (cash bonuses, jobs) and making promises for the future. It remains to be seen, writes Gelvin, whether the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt will mean the end of autocracy. A useful attempt to understand a still-unfolding story.

Kirkus Reviews