The Death of the Nation and the Future of the Arab Revolution
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Mixing thrilling anecdotes from street-level reporting that give readers a sense of what is at stake with a bird's-eye view of the geopolitics of the region and the globe, Vijay Prashad guides us through the dramatic changes in players, politics, and economics in the Middle East over the last five years. 'The Arab Spring was defeated neither in the byways of Tahrir Square nor in the souk of Aleppo,' he explains. 'It was defeated roundly in the palaces of Riyadh and Ankara as well as in Washington, DC and Paris.'
The heart of this book explores the turmoil in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon – countries where ISIS emerged and is thriving. It is here that the story of the region rests. What would a post-ISIS Middle East look like? Who will listen to the grievances of the people? Can there be another future for the region that is not the return of the security state or the continuation of monarchies? Placing developments in the Middle East in the broader context of revolutionary history, The Death of the Nation tackles these critical questions.
Reviews
I was reading this book when the failed coup of July 15 occurred in Turkey. The book helped me much to understand what happened after the coup when President Recep Tayyip Erdogan . . . proceeded to dismantle democracy in his country. This is the primary merit of this book written by Vijay Prashad, blessed with an extra-large dosage of wanderlust. He travels extensively in the countries he writes about and with much joy runs the risk of being shot at or kidnapped. He has personal contacts with an amazingly large number of persons involved in the politico-military drama unfolding in the region. . . . [The book] gives the reader the big picture, and the original theses of the author are . . . well defended. . . . [The author] knows his geopolitics, but his approach is essentially people-centric.
Ambassador K.P. Fabian, Frontline