Mi d d l e E a s t S t u d ies
The Arab Uprisings Explained
New Contentious Politics in the Middle East Marc Lynch, Editor
Why did Tunisian protests following the selfimmolation of Mohammed Bouazizi lead to a massive wave of uprisings across the entire Arab world? Who participated in those protests, and what did they hope to achieve? Why did some leaders fall in the face of popular mobilization while others found ways to survive? And what have been the lasting results? The Arab uprisings pose stark challenges to the political science of the Middle East, which for decades had focused upon the resilience of entrenched authoritarianism, the relative weakness of civil society, and what seemed to be the largely contained diffusion of new norms and ideas through new information technologies.
In this volume, leading scholars take a sharp look at the causes, dynamics, and effects of the Arab uprisings. Compiled by one of the foremost experts on Middle East politics and society, The Arab Uprisings Explained offers a fresh rethinking of established theories and presents a new framework through which scholars and general readers can better grasp the fast-developing events remaking the region. These essays not only advance the study of political science in the Middle East but also integrate the subject seamlessly into the wider political science literature. Deeply committed to the study of this region and working out the kinks of the discipline, the contributors help scholars and policy makers across the world effectively approach this unprecedented historical period. Marc Lynch
“This important volume addresses a series of core questions about the origins, dynamics, and consequences of the Arab uprisings in a rigorous way that transcends headlines and quick, opinion-based analyses.” —Melani Cammett, author of Globalization and Business Politics in North Africa: A Comparative Perspective
is the director of the Institute for Middle East Studies
at George Washington University, edits the Middle East Channel for ForeignPolicy.com, and is a nonresident senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security. He is the author of Voices of the New Arab Public: Iraq, Al-Jazeera, and Middle East Politics Today and State Interests and Public Spheres: The International Politics of Jordan's Identity. $30.00 / £20.50 paper 978-0-231-15885-5 $90.00 / £62.00 cloth 978-0-231-15884-8 $29.99 / £20.50 ebook 978-0-231-53749-0 A u g u s t 400 pages M i d d l e E a st S t u d i e s / P o l i t i c s Co lu m b i a S t u d i e s i n M i d d l e E a st P o l i t i c s
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