The Arab Uprising: The Unfinished Revolutions of the New Middle East

by Marc Lynch

Barely a year after the self-immolation of a young fruit seller in Tunisia, a vast wave of popular protest has convulsed the Middle East, overthrowing long-ruling dictators and transforming the region’s politics almost beyond recognition. But the biggest transformations of what has been labeled as the “Arab Spring” are yet to come.

An insider to both American policy and the world of the Arab public, Marc Lynch shows that the fall of particular leaders is but the least of the changes that will emerge from months of unrest. The far-ranging implications of the rise of an interconnected and newly-empowered Arab populace have only begun to be felt. Young, frustrated Arabs now know that protest can work and that change is possible. They have lost their fear—meanwhile their leaders, desperate to survive, have heard the unprecedented message that killing their own people will no longer keep them in power. Even so, as Lynch reminds us, the last wave of region-wide protest in the 1950s and 1960s resulted not in democracy, but in brutal autocracy. Will the Arab world’s struggle for change succeed in building open societies? Will authoritarian regimes regain their grip, or will Islamist movements seize the initiative to impose a new kind of rule?

The Arab Uprising follows these struggles from Tunisia and Egypt to the harsh battles of Yemen, Bahrain, Syria, and Libya and to the cautious reforms of the region’s monarchies. It examines the real meaning of the rise of Islamist movements in the emerging democracies, and the longterm hopes of a generation of activists confronted with the limits of their power. It points toward a striking change in the hierarchy of influence, as the old heavyweights—Iran, Al Qaeda, even Israel—have been all but left out while oil-rich powers like Saudi Arabia and “swing states” like Turkey and Qatar find new opportunities to spread their influence. And it reveals how America must adjust to the new realities.

Deeply informed by inside access to the Obama administration’s decision-making process and first-hand interviews with protestors, politicians, diplomats, and journalists, The Arab Uprising highlights the new fault lines that are forming between forces of revolution and counter-revolution, and shows what it all means for the future of American policy. The result is an indispensible guide to the changing lay of the land in the Middle East and North Africa.

Genres: Middle East, History, Politics, Nonfiction, Religion, Unfinished, Academic

304 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2012

Reviews

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

A helpful look at the Arab revolutions. As an Egyptian, most of the information and conclusions regarding the Egyptian revolution was not new However, I liked the part of the Bahrini, libyan, omani and Moroccan revolutions

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marc Lynch does a fine job in The Arab Uprising providing much needed clarity and context to events that have largely taken the world by surprise. His expertise and behind the scenes insights are evident throughout and will serve those who wish to better understand what has happened and what may yet happen in Middle East politics, as well as the implications for United States foreign policy in the region.

I do feel though that this was a book published too quickly. It would have benefited from the author permitting more time for the events to play out and for his own thoughts to form. Too often, the book is descriptive and repetitive.

There's a need for informed analysis of the events of the Arab Spring and The Arab Uprising serves the purpose for now. However as further volumes come out benefiting from waiting for events to settle down and for their authors to more fully develop their work, I think the importance of this book will quickly decline. Until then, it's a valuable work and an ideal primer for those wishing to make sense of a fundamental shift in the Middle East.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a short read, this book is incredibly dense! Lynch outlines the entirety of the Arab Spring and how the uprisings have manifested themselves in each country. As an adviser to President Obama, Lynch is able to give the reader perspective and insight into the President's thought process and how the United States' relationship with the Middle East will evolve over time. As a reader of Lynch's Foreign Policy blog, I appreciate the consistent message he delineates in this book, the book does not jump around a lot, and is a very manageable way to digest the information. I would definitely suggest this book to anyone who wants to learn a lot about the Arab Spring in a short amount of time.

[Christian Clyde · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read on the Arab Uprisings. Marc Lynch gives a good overview of the events throughout the region, highlighting each country specifically. The analysis on American foreign policy and intervention is well written and provokes great thought on what strategies to take on in the future. Overall, would recommend to anyone interested in learning more about the Arab Uprisings and certainly to those who wish to better understand the complexity of Middle Eastern affairs.

[Betty Ho · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick overview of the Arab Spring with interesting insights from Obama's point of view - a good read for anyone who didn't follow those events on news.

[Abhishek Dafria · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nicely analysed book on the Arab Uprising and its consequences for America. The book details the sequence of events that paved the way for many changes in the Arab countries as the general public rose together to express their dissent towards the reigning governments. The effectiveness of the movements was different in each of the countries where such demonstrations were seen, which the author also analyses and explains. For readers who are not from this area of the world, it is a good book to understand the political and cultural angles that impacted the Arab land not more than a decade back. The author though at multiple places tends to repeat his observations and conclusions thereby inhibiting the speed of the narrative. It lacks the tightness of a strong narrative where each line carries its own weight. Nonetheless for those with interest in history and political affairs, Marc Lynch’s book is a good way to gather some insights into an important event of our lifetime.

[jcmks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Una mirada demasiado americana (y, en concreto, demócrata y pro-Obama) de la Primavera Árabe. Si te lo vas a leer, tienes que tener esto en cuenta.

[Alexa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was immensely disappointing. The writing jumped all over the place, made a number of lofty claims with little analysis or evidence to back it up, and would be a poor text for anyone without a decent understanding of the Arab Spring, as is. Lynch was rather arrogant throughout the book and hard to follow. The last chapter, while drastically better than the rest of the book, failed to truly bring home its main point. Lynch does a great job of criticizing current policy models - i.e. realism and neoconservative models don't apply - but fails to actually suggest alternatives. Very poorly done, especially considering Lynch's reputation and intellect.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having just read Distant Witness by Andy Carvin, I wanted something that's a little more of an overview of the Arab Spring. This book was it. I wouldn't go so far as to say it was thorough or encyclopedic or anything like that, but I get the sense that it was as complete a book as is out there on the topic -- yet. These are still relatively recent events in historical terms, and it will probably take years before a more complete picture is available. Meanwhile, this was an excellent introduction and exactly what i was looking for to flesh out Carvin's much more focused book, which is limited to the role of social media.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent overview of the Arab Spring (or whatever you want to call it) for anyone who hasn't been following it. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that knows nothing about current events in the region and wants to know more. For someone who has been following the Arab Spring closely, it is a good refresher, and its good to hear the perspective of a well respected academic on the subject.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essential information but painful to read due to repetition of key points and an overall sluggishness in its style. Foreign policy texts are not known for being gripping page-turners but this one was more difficult to slog through than most. It's a pity, because the writer could have illuminated the minds of millions with better prose but instead will engage only subscribers to Foreign Policy and The Economist (me among them).

[Shawn · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is really just an overview of recent history, a good bit of which will seem already familiar to one who reads the news regularly. The speculative insight and predictive capabilities of the book are quite shallow. There is a well presented overview of recent history; but this book was not enough to keep me interested. I found this book to be slow to develop and essentially boring.

[Faiz Alas · Rating 5 out of 5]

If the U.S. hopes to navigate the new Arab world, it needs to make fundamental changes. Above all, it must recognize the reality that the empowerment of the Arab public forces it to do things differently.

[Dj Deutch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great mid level analysis of the Arab Spring.

Lynch's book on the Arab Spring skilfully combines analysis with facts. It's an excellent primer on the days to come, and the current state of politics in the region.

[Mallory · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're interested in the Arab Spring and its fallout, read this book. It is simply indispensable.

[False · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good overview focusing on individual countries. I've been focusing so much lately on Afghanistan and Pakistan, that this was a nice diversion.

[Lindsay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was pretty disappointed by this. The last chapter is strong, but the others have numerous problems in both content and style.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

For anyone looking to better understand the Arab uprisings, I highly recommend this book. Although the subject matter covers a lot of ground, the book is highly readable.

[Jim Angstadt · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gave up after 20 pages. Seemed to ramble; a jumble of works, that I could not tie to anything solid.

[Andy Field · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting take on the Arab Spring and both the domino effect and the impact of social media. A good read and thought provoking as well.

[Rflutist]

This is a great overview of the Arab Uprising. The only difficulty I encountered in reading was keeping the events of each state separate in mind, as the author's approach is regional in nature.

[Shawn Doyle · Rating 2 out of 5]

An object lesson in why one should be careful before writing a sweeping history just after an event occurred

[Marc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Provided great analysis and overview but brief on policy recommendations. Still an insightful read.