Vijay Prashad, daha önce yine Yordam Kitap tarafından yayımlanan Arap Baharı, Libya Kışı’nın ardından yeni bir kitapla Arap devrimine ve Ortadoğu’nun geleceğine bakıyor. Bir gazetecinin keskin gözleriyle, bir akademisyenin bilimsel titizliğini ustaca kaynaştıran Prashad, bizi 2010’dan bu yana Ortadoğu’da yaşanan baş döndürücü değişimlerin izinde bir yolculuğa çıkarıyor. Lübnan’ın El Kaide kontrolündeki bölgelerinden Mısır’ın varoşlarına, Rojava Devrimi’nden AKP’nin başını çektiği karşı-devrim kampına, Prashad’ın peşinde olduğu soru hep şu: Nasıl oldu da Arap devrimi emekçilerin ellerinden çalındı ve kanlı bir mezhepsel çatışmaya dönüştürüldü? Prashad, Arap Baharı’nın ne Tahrir Meydanı’nın ara sokaklarında ne de Şam’ın pazar yerinde yenildiğini düşünüyor. Ona göre, Arap Baharı Washington’da, Paris’te, Tahran ve Moskova’da olduğu kadar Riyad’ın, Doha’nın ve Ankara’nın saraylarında da bozguna uğratıldı.
Bölgesel sorunlara tarihsel bir perspektiften bakan Prashad’ın geliştirdiği yanıtlar, sadece yenilginin nedenlerine dair tespitlerden ibaret değil, aynı zamanda bölge emekçilerini bekleyen tehlike ve olanaklara dair mutlaka kulak verilmesi gereken ipuçları da sunuyor...
Vijay Prashad is the executive director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research. He is the author or editor of several books, including The Darker Nations: A Biography of the Short-Lived Third World and The Poorer Nations: A Possible History of the Global South. His most recent book is Red Star Over the Third World. He writes regularly for Frontline, The Hindu, Alternet and BirGun.
کتابی خوب است، اگرچه کم گو، اما راستگو بوده است به گمان من نگاهِ نویسنده به خاورمیانه ی با بازیگرهای ناشی و دیکتاتور و خون ریزش برای آن چیزی که گمان برده ایم(اند) حقیقت است، آشکارسازیِ دروغ های ایدئولوژیک و نیز تصفیه(و نه تسویه) حساب های برآمده از تحقیرِ همیشگی از کشورهای بالادستی است؛ گو اینکه آنان کارگردانان اصلی باشند هنوز و به فرض که صحنه گردانی با آنان باشد. این دیکتاتورهای خُرد هستند که بهترین سیاه لشگرهای این بازیِ پیش از آغاز باخته هستند که تاوانِ بی اندازه اش نصیبِ مردمان بیچاره ی همه ی این سرزمین هاست پس سرنگونی راه برون رفت نیست که باید از نو با اندیشه در خویش معیارها را تغییر داد و دست کشید از دهان دریدن برای فریاد زدن شعارهایی که تنها در صورت دروغ بودن، دقیق ترین و درست ترین پاسخ به زمانه ی خویش اند. چه بسا که همه ی حرف های این دیدگاه هم شکلی دیگر از همان شعارها باشد
یک کالبدشکافی عالی از داعش و درگیریهای سوریه و عراق و بهخصوص از ترکیه و مواضع سالهای اخیرش در منطقه. تحلیلهای پریشاد از ترکیه و حزب عدالت و توسعه و مداخلات سالهای اخیر ترکیه در سوریه که میخواندم، مدام سطحینگریهای تحلیلی امیرخانی از ترکیه جلوی چشمم میآمد.
A sobering read- very accessible for the average (interested) reader, written in journalistic language which will still go over the heads of the reader if not at least vaguely acquainted with recent history of the region. Points are clear and succinct- though occasionally seems to gloss over complexity in favor of intensity. Those raised on the American educational and media systems will find some challenges to preconceived notions and assumptions on the region. Those on the more conservative end of the spectrum will definitely find their views challenged (and so should most definitely read it). Overall a very valuable read- would definitely recommend for those interested in the region, as well as those interested in popular movements, global power structures, and the interactions of states and nationalisms as a whole.
I didn't find this particularly memorable or impactful, but it does give a quality, Marxist overview of Middle-Eastern political history. That's worth having on your shelf I think, although if you're looking for some groundbreaking analysis you'll be left disappointed. If all you're wanting though is some details on how western capital has destroyed the Middle-East, as far forward as about 2015, then you probably can't do much better than this book.
It's remarkable though that despite being published in 2016 the book already feels outdated, what with how fast events seem to have moved in the Middle-East over the last decade.
An excellent account of the Arab Spring. You know the guy has done his homework when he writes this immaculate. Written with a jounralist style, daily readers would get that instantly. ( and that's how I got to know about him and this book )
Take it with a pinch of salt, the guy is straight up left leaning but that shouldn't matter, cause whatever argument is there in the book, makes complete sense.
An excellent on ground account of the complicated middle east politics. The narrative was a bit hard to read though the research perspective was commendable. A must read for anyone that wants to understand Middle east geopolitics.