The New Middle East: Protest and Revolution in the Arab World

The writing is a little hard to understand otherwise excellent book

Very disappointing. They took a fascinating subject and drained the life out of it by rendering it down with hyper-intellectual sociological/economic jargon. Tried reading several chapters, couldn't get past a few pages. Obviously the authors were not interested in reaching a wider audience. Written by college professors for other college professors.

"The New Middle East" is an in depth critical examination of the Arab Spring (2011-12) by scholars and experts in the sociological, economic and political fabric of the region. The 518 pages compendium is edited by Professor Fawaz Gerges with 13 contributors, each a recognized authority in their field.The introduction, aptly titled "Rupture" by Fawaz, begins with "A psychological and epistemological rupture has occurred in the Middle East that has shaken the authoritarian order to its very foundation". This lays the underpinning for the next 21 chapters divided among 4 parts of the book.The work is organized in a linear fashion; the first five chapters explain historical background and root causes of the popular discontent. The next five segments explain the role of different entities of society, their general grievances and their contributions to the uprising; the roles played by the military, women and religious groups in cooperation together and in opposition to each other. The next five chapters are specific for each country's decay of authoritarian government, economic collapse, fragmentation of society, uprising and the re-invigorated participation of youths in the bottoms-up politics. The final part discusses the local, regional and international implications of the Arab Spring, its legitimacy, durability, cohesiveness and future in the face of a resilient "old guard". Comparative politics is juxtaposed against international relations and world economy.The authors knit together a wide range of cross-disciplinary topics from economics, sociology, religion, history, anthropology as well as the lingering effects of colonialism, authoritarian hegemony, police corruption and tyrannical governments.This massive comprehensive tome is undoubtedly the definitive reference on the upheavals of the Middle East today, and its potential future. It is a scholarly work more suited for academicians and professional types (diplomats, think tank denizens and government). The contents are more suited for a lecture series than leisurely reading.The reader might consider two other "less dry" books on the subject; Juan Cole's book, "The New Arabs: How the Millennial Generation Is Changing the Middle East " and Paul Danahar's "The New Middle East: The World After the Arab Spring".

Sami Zubaida's article "Women, Democracy and Dictatorship" is helpful, and Kristian Ulrichson's study of the Bahrain uprising gives a real sense of the human story. Most of the other articles, however are almost as dry as yesterday's newspapers. Overall, the book paints a big picture, but it is less a picture of rebellious people than a study of the forces for autocracy. The articles by Madawi Al-Rasheed on Saudi Arabia and Avi Shlaim on Israel show how devoted the West's main allies in the region are to suppressing populist sentiments.

This is definitely the book to read if you want to understand what is going on in the middle east. The best thing about this book is that it tries to encompass all the variables in middle eastern politics without assuming that one factor is the only reason-or the most effective.This is definitely the truest and closest to reality of all explanations.

Perfect - Mint book, and I mean pristine condition. Really chuffed.