The Arab uprisings
Subtitle: what everyone needs to know
By: James L. Gelvin
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 2012
Place of publication: Oxford; New York
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 185
ISBN-13: 9780199891771; 9780199891757
Subjects: Politics and government; Protest movements; History
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: A Revolutionary Wave? What is the Arab world? -- How homogeneous is the Arab world? -- Why do Arabs identify with one another? -- What was political life in the Arab world like on the eve of the uprisings? -- Why have authoritarian governments been so common in the Arab world? -- What made entrenched autocracies vulnerable? -- Can we pinpoint the factors that caused the uprisings? -- What sparked the Arab uprisings? -- Where did the demands for democracy and human rights come from? -- How appropriate is the word "wave" to describe the spread of protests throughout the Arab world? -- Where did the phrase "Arab Spring" come from and how appropriate is it to describe events in the Arab world? -- The Beginning: Tunisia and Egypt. What characteristics do Tunisia and Egypt hold in common? -- How did the Tunisian uprising play out? -- Was the uprising in Egypt like that of Tunisia? -- What did protest leaders in Egypt learn from earlier protests? -- Why was one of the groups that organized the 25 January protests called "We are all Khaled Said"? -- What was the role of social media in the Tunisian and Egyptian uprisings? -- Who led the Egyptian uprising? -- Why did the Tahrir protesters and others adopt the tactic of nonviolent resistance? -- What was the role of labor in the two uprisings? -- What was the role of Islamic groups in the two uprisings? -- Why did the army in Tunisia and Egypt refuse to put down the uprisings? -- What changes did the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt bring about? -- What are the 10 greatest myths about the Egyptian uprising? -- Uprisings in Weak States : Yemen and Libya. What were the political systems of Yemen and Libya like before the uprisings? -- Why do political scientists consider Yemen and Libya "weak states"? -- Why is the fact that Yemen and Libya are weak states important for understanding the uprisings there? -- What role have tribes played in Yemen and Libya? -- How did the uprising in Yemen evolve? -- How did the uprising in Libya begin? -- Is Qaddafi crazy, or crazy like a fox? -- Why did the uprisings in Yemen and Libya turn violent? -- Who are the "rebels" in Libya? -- Why did outside powers intervene directly in Libya and not in Yemen? -- What is R2P? -- Why is al-Qaeda in Yemen? -- What are the fissures in Yemen and Libya that might divide the state in the future? -- Two Surprises: Algeria and Syria. Why did events in Algeria and Syria surprise most experts? -- Why did observers believe that after Tunisia, Algeria would be next? -- What were the Algerian protests of early 2011 like? -- Why did the results of the uprising in Algeria differ from those in Tunisia or Egypt? -- Did Algeria ever experience a pro-democracy uprising? -- Why was the Syrian uprising surprising? -- How did the uprising in Syria begin? -- How has the Syrian regime responded to the uprising? -- What made the Syrian regime vulnerable? -- What has made the Syrian regime so resilient? -- Who is the opposition in Syria? -- Why have foreign powers treated Bashar al-Assad with kid gloves? -- What would happen to the Syrian alliance with Iran should Bashar al-Assad's regime fall? -- The Monarchies. Why are there so many monarchies in the Arab world? -- How do the monarchies in the Arab world differ? -- What were the Winter/Spring 2011 protests in the Arab monarchies like? -- How did the uprising in Bahrain differ from uprisings in other monarchies? -- How have the uprisings transformed the GCC? -- What might Bahrain's experience with a "national dialogue" tell us about future national dialogues in the Arab world? -- Stepping Back. How did the uprisings connect to the George W. Bush's "freedom agenda"? -- How did the United States come up with its policy toward the uprisings? -- What ever happened to Iraq? -- Have the uprisings strengthened or weakened al-Qaeda? -- What effects have the uprisings had on the Israel-Palestine conflict? -- How has Iran greeted the uprisings? -- What can history tell us about "revolutionary waves? -- "When will we be able to judge the significance of the Arab uprisings? -- What conclusions might we draw from the uprisings so far?