Neoliberal Dogmatism: The IMF and the Arab Spring | SOAS University of London
Channel: SOAS University of London
Date: 2018-02-09

This seminar titled "Neoliberal Dogmatism: The IMF and the Arab Spring" was given by Gilbert Achcar and Hassan Sherry as part of the Development Studies Seminar Series on 5 December 2017 at SOAS University of London. 
You can find out more about this event at https://goo.gl/i3tsjU

The Catastrophic Consequences of Neoliberal Dogmatism in the MENA Region

The neoliberal doctrine's postulates are completely inconsistent with the realities of the MENA region. They have produced catastrophic results, which laid the ground for the regional upheaval known as the 'Arab Spring'. And yet, the IMF keeps advocating more of the same.

Gilbert Achcar is Professor in Development Studies at SOAS. On the topic of this talk, he has published The People Want: A Radical Exploration of the Arab Uprising (2013) and a sequel Morbid Symptoms: Relapse in the Arab Uprising (2016).


The Myth of a Changing IMF: Unpacking IMF Conditionality in MENA Post-Uprisings
The IMF's engagement with Arab countries since the 2011 uprisings and its policy design have drifted away from the institution’s rhetorical focus on sustainable development, while converging more intensely into its more traditional, neoliberal doctrinaire view of economic development.


Hassan Sherry is a PhD candidate in Economics at SOAS. His research focuses on late industrialisation in Lebanon. He has written on the Arab uprisings, social justice, and the role of the international financial institutions in the MENA.