After the spring: economic transitions in the Arab world, by Magdi Amin et al.  Oxford, 2012.  179p index afp; ISBN 9780199924929, $35.00. Reviewed in 2012nov CHOICE.
50-1571  HC498  2011-45961 CIP 

The Brookings Institution’s Global Economy and Development program convened 15 scholars and former officials to produce this report under the leadership of former UN Development Programme head and World Bank vice-president Kemal Dervi?. The authors ascribe the political upheavals in the Arab world in 2011-12 to the breakdown of the classic authoritarian bargain in which citizens accept political exclusion in return for state provision of economic benefits. They recommend four economic transitions for all Arab countries, whether or not they experienced recent government change. First is more opportunities for the young: employment creation and a fair share of national resources now often channeled to elites. Second is modernization of the public sector to be more effective, more accountable, and less corrupt. Third is orienting the private sector toward production and innovation rather than rent seeking. Fourth is finding ways for more constructive economic engagement with the rest of the world in the face of increasing economic nationalism in Arab countries. The focus is on practical and immediate policy advice for Arab governments. The authors stress the commonality of the problems facing Arab countries, with side comments on specific country situations. An accessible, timely volume. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels of students; general readers; researchers; professionals. — P. Clawson, Washington Institute for Near East Policy 

Bishara, Marwan.  The invisible Arab: the promise and peril of the Arab revolutions.  National Books, 2012.  258p bibl index; ISBN 9781568587080, $26.00. Reviewed in 2012aug CHOICE.
49-7136  JQ1850   MARC 

Bishara (senior political analyst, Al Jazeera English) explains the causes of Arab uprisings since December 2010, known as the Arab Spring. Bishara believes that foreign interventionism has propped up and maintained inept and corrupt autocratic Arab regimes for generations: “nationalism, Islamism, and Western interventionism have had major influences on the transformation of Arab societies, including the makeup and the undoing of Arab regimes.” Political repression and economic deprivation have left a deep scar on Arabs and the current generation in particular. The Arab youth of the “miracle generation” are now, with the help of an information revolution, making Arabs “visible in public spaces,” through their protests and the affirmation of life, dignity, and liberty. Bishara sees the origins of the miserable Arab reality as political; Arab revolutionaries need to go beyond changing leadership and actually reinvent state structures if they want to transform Arab society. Bishara advises that Arabs must “revisit and reshape their national identity, adapt religion to modern statehood, and reconcile to a pluralistic, democratic process for regional stability, unity, and good governance.” If liberty and justice are reconciled with religion and nationalism, it will allow stability and progress to flourish in the Arab world, and Arab societies will be transformed. Summing Up: Recommended. All readership levels. — A. R. Abootalebi, University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire

Bradley, John R.  After the Arab Spring: how the Islamists hijacked the Middle East revolts.  Palgrave Macmillan, 2012.  247p index; ISBN 9780230338197, $26.00. Reviewed in 2012oct CHOICE.
50-1100  DS63  2011-40890 CIP 

Bradley, a longtime resident investigative reporter in the Middle East, especially in Tunisia and Egypt, was written a timely rebuttal to European and American reporting on the Arab Spring. He lambasts reporters and the youthful Arab Facebook and Twitter generation who thought they could replace the Old Guard. What they got instead are Muslim zealots (Salafists) who, Bradley argues, are not just antisecular, anti-West, anti-Christian, anti-Israel, and anti-Semitic but culturally and societally repressive. Even worse, their religious and culturally oppressive policies will not allow them to address the myriad problems confronting their societies–whether in the Middle East, Malaysia, or Thailand. Bradley’s message is clear: Islamists’ electoral victories mean more oppression for everyone except religious zealots; women and gays will suffer even more. Bradley concludes that the Arab Spring has been a dismal failure and what is coming will be even worse than the oppressive tyrannical rule of secular, pro-West, military dictators. The fact is that the global need for oil and gas dictates continued support for the oppressive rulers of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Arab countries that bankroll the Salafists. A strong critique of the shortcomings of the Arab Spring. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduate, graduate, research, and professional collections. — R. W. Olson, University of Kentucky

Cook, Steven A.  The struggle for Egypt: from Nasser to Tahrir Square.  Oxford, 2011.  408p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780199795260, $27.95. Reviewed in 2012jun CHOICE.
49-5915  DT107  2011-16635 CIP 

Cook’s book, sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations, provides a tailored historical overview of Egypt’s stymied political development as the background to its popular revolution. He summarizes the activities of contemporary opposition groups over the past decade, since the emergence of the Kefaya (Enough!) movement, which protested the US invasion of Iraq as well as former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s repression of dissent. Cook primarily utilizes the lens of US foreign policy and an American orientation to democratization. He chronicles the dramatic 18 days between the eruption of demonstrations on January 25, 2011, and Vice President Omar Suleiman’s public announcement on February 11, 2011, that Mubarak was leaving the presidency and the Supreme Military Affairs Council would assume leadership. Cook believes that the Mubarak government made several fatal errors in attacking demonstrators, as when released activist Wael Ghonim, who operated the “We Are All Khaled Said” Facebook page, was interviewed and public anger grew. This is an excellent introduction to Egypt’s politics and the 2011 revolution, despite the lack of Arabic sources, coverage of issues important to Egyptians, and abrupt ending with Mubarak’s fall, since the revolution actually continued to be waged across Egypt in the form of public protests. Summing Up: Recommended. All readership levels. — S. Zuhur, Institute of Middle Eastern, Islamic and Strategic Studies

Gelvin, James L.  The Arab uprisings: what everyone needs to know.  Oxford, 2012.  185p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780199891757, $74.00; ISBN 9780199891771  pbk, $16.95. Reviewed in 2012oct CHOICE.
50-1106  JQ1850  2011-41925 CIP 

This admirable little primer by Gelvin (modern Middle Eastern history, Univ. of California, Los Angeles) provides a concise comparative analysis of recent uprisings in the Arab world, their background in the area generally and in particular countries. It is both readable and incisive and avoids dogmatic positions while presenting different interpretations of key topics and challenging myths, historical analogies, and other oversimplifications. The author begins by answering potential questions about the Arab world and its identity. He then examines the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, the different trajectories of “weak states” (i.e., Yemen and Libya), the contrasts between two countries (i.e., Algeria and Syria) where outcomes so far have defied predictions, and the nature of the region’s monarchies and the distinctive features of each before stepping back and asking questions about these developments in relation to the US, the Arab-Israeli conflict, Iran, etc. Gelvin’s claim to provide “what everyone needs to know” does not unduly exaggerate the usefulness of the book for students and other nonspecialists. Even specialists in contemporary Arab affairs will benefit in some ways, notably by using it as a model in their own teaching and general writings. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers, undergraduate students, and graduate students. — G. E. Perry, emeritus, Indiana State University

Habeeb, William Mark.  The Middle East in turmoil: conflict, revolution, and change, by William Mark Habeeb with Rafael D. Frankel and Mina Al-Oraibi.  Greenwood, 2012.  227p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780313339141, $89.00; ISBN 9780313085147 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012nov CHOICE.
50-1704  HN656  2011-37132 CIP 

With arrival of the Arab Spring, many books have crowded the market, some good, others mediocre or of temporary utility. It is a challenge for scholars to produce objective and enduring works in times of revolutionary change like the contagion engulfing the region. This book by Habeeb, with chapters by Frankel and Al-Oraibi, is a brave attempt to present a comprehensive overview of conflicts within and among all the Middle East states except Turkey. Taking a historical approach, Habeeb views the events of 2011-12 as the latest chapter in the region’s conflictual development since independence. As critical determinants of Middle East history he cites autocratic state building, the impact of transnational movements, the intervention of foreign powers, the role of non-state actors, and the failures of governments to generate sustained economic growth. These destabilizing factors eroded modern state structures and gave rise to identity politics in Islamist protest ideologies, reinforced by “people power” movements. Habeeb recognizes the difficulty of accurately predicting events in the Middle East, but expects more black swan events–unforeseen, rapidly emerging, and enduring events–with serious consequences. A thoughtful, in-depth analysis of Middle East conflicts for faculty, researchers, students, and practitioners. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduate collections and above. — R. H. Dekmejian, University of Southern California

Lynch, Marc.  The Arab uprising: the unfinished revolutions of the new Middle East.  PublicAffairs, 2012.  269p index; ISBN 9781610390842, $26.99; ISBN 9781610390859 e-book, contact publisher for price. Reviewed in 2012oct CHOICE.
50-1111  JQ1850  2011-42999 CIP 

Lynch (George Washington Univ.) offers an incisive policy analysis, based partly on his access to the Obama administration. A well-known blogger and author of the well-regarded Voices of the New Arab Public (CH, May’06, 43-5534), Lynch is an excellent guide to the most important development in the 21st-century Middle East: the Arab Spring of 2011. He neatly compares its seismic shifts to the “Arab cold war” of the 1950s, a previous “revolutionary wave” that divided the region between supporters and opponents of Nasser’s Arab nationalism and contributed to turbulence for US foreign policy. After three chapters of background, the pace quickens; Lynch describes the wave of domestic uprisings across much of the Arab world, starting first in Egypt and then spreading across the region. Dubbing these “hashtag revolutions,” he describes how Twitter helped activists stage their protests. Lynch also devotes attention to counterrevolutionary forces and the problems of civil war and intervention in Libya and Syria. His concluding chapter offers a sympathetic but critical reading of the Obama administration’s pragmatic, case-by-case response to the uprisings. He recommends better public diplomacy, more Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking, greater understanding of Islamist movements, and humbler ambitions. Summing Up: Recommended. All readership levels. — S. Waalkes, Malone University 

Pintak, Lawrence.  The new Arab journalist: mission and identity in a time of turmoil.  I.B. Tauris, 2011.  287p bibl index; ISBN 9781848850989, $92.00; ISBN 9781848850996  pbk, $28.00. Reviewed in 2011nov CHOICE.
49-1290  PN5359   MARC 

Though this study predates the so-called Arab Spring uprisings (2011), its perceptive, in-depth examination of television, newspaper, and online practitioners in Egypt, Syria, Yemen, Jordan, and other Arab countries conveys the pre-revolutionary wellsprings of journalistic change that was inevitable amid political and social convulsion. The book gives Arab women journalists their due. Like their male counterparts, women work in overheated political conditions that can subject them to death threats, maiming, and assassination. The bravest of both sexes speak out, but self-censorship is more common than professional martyrdom. Pintak (Washington State Univ.) carefully delineates the positive and negative roles journalism played in a region on the brink of radical change. He also clarifies differences among American, European, and Arab journalistic models. Although he acknowledges the influence of newspapers like Beirut’s Daily Star, Pintak emphasizes the dominance of satellite television networks like Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya. Indeed, as he notes, some have “suggested that Middle East reality shows like Superstar and Star Academy, on which viewers vote for their favorites, offered Arabs their first real taste of democracy” (see Marwan Kraidy’s Reality Television and Arab Politics, CH, Sep’10, 48-0093). Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals. — A. R. Cannella, Central Connecticut State University

Political change in the Arab Gulf States: stuck in transition, ed. by Mary Ann T^D’etreault, Gwenn Okruhlik, and Andrzej Kapiszewski.  L. Rienner, 2011.  369p bibl index afp; ISBN 9781588267528, $65.00. Reviewed in 2011oct CHOICE.
49-1108  JQ1840  2010-32864 CIP 

Although this study, edited by T^D’etreault (Trinity Univ.), Okruhlik (Trinity Univ.) and the late Kapiszewski (Jagiellonian Univ., Poland) was completed before protest movements and revolutions began unfolding across the Middle East in early 2011, it addresses many of the issues that have gained currency during the Arab Spring. The study comprises chapters that examine each Gulf country, and thematic chapters that examine the role of new media, the regional context, women, and the US in the dynamics of political change. Contributors focus their analytical attention on the opening and closure of the political and economic systems in the region and draw attention to the distinct natures of the societies and polities of each state. Many other studies of the Gulf region see the emergence of various forms of hybrid regimes there as an indication of the adaptability of authoritarian systems to both internal and external pressures for political change. In contrast, the contributors to this volume consider this authoritarian recalibration as a form of “stickiness” rather than wholesale failure of political reforms. Thus, while recognizing the challenges of implementing meaningful pluralistic reforms in the Gulf, the contributors remain cautiously optimistic about the possibilities for change. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate and above. — A. Paczynska, George Mason University

Schell, Terri.  Middle East conflict: v.1: Primary sources; v.2: Almanac; v.3: Biographies; v.4: Cumulative index, by Terri Schell with Sonia G. Benson; Jennifer Stock, project ed.  2nd ed.  Gale, part of Cengage Learning, 2012.  4v bibl index; ISBN 9781414486079, $225.00. Reviewed in 2012nov CHOICE.
50-1246  DS119  2011-50994 CIP 

At first glance this second edition (1st ed., 2006) from Gale’s UXL publishing arm, which focuses on secondary school readers, appears to be a questionable purchase for an academic library. Side-bar text definitions in the Primary Sources volume include basic words like negate and coerced. However the scope of the work encompasses a clear, up-to-date overview and perspectives on the Middle East in an accessible format. Thus this set offers useful background and readings for an undergraduate course focused on a politically charged area. The three main volumes, which can be purchased separately, provide identical prefatory material with glossary, events time line, and volume index. Additional readings and websites are incorporated for each multipage entry, and relevant maps, illustrations, and easily scanned headings enhance the text. The Almanac features 16 chapters of historical background, ranging from ancient civilizations through the 2011 Arab Spring. Biographies profiles 35 notable individuals from the region, e.g., Golda Meir, Osama bin Laden, Amin al-Husayni, and Pierre Gemayel.  Primary Sources begins with the 1937 Peel Commission Report and extends through the Arab Spring, including political documents and speeches. Also featured are artists’ perspectives and excerpts from personal accounts such as Terry Anderson’s Den of Lions (1993) and Souha Béchara’s Resistance: My Life for Lebanon (2003). Each source includes historical context, a “What happened next …” section, and study questions to provoke analysis. The combined set, with the cumulative index (v.4), constitutes a more extensive and valuable reference resource than each volume alone. The available electronic version (not reviewed)–if it features hyperlinks between entries in separate volumes–might be an even more advantageous option. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and general readers. — J. M. Hutton, West Chester University of Pennsylvania

Stacher, Joshua.  Adaptable autocrats: regime power in Egypt and Syria.  Stanford, 2012.  221p bibl index afp; ISBN 9780804780629, $80.00; ISBN 9780804780636  pbk, $24.95. Reviewed in 2012nov CHOICE.
50-1709  DT107  2012-2768 CIP 

Stacher (Kent State Univ.) offers a theoretical explanation for the different developments in Egypt and Syria following the Arab Spring. The promise to “explain why Egypt was capable of achieving a quick and seemingly smooth transition of power in its ruling coalition while Syria experienced a more violent outcome,” however, is not completely fulfilled. The argument that the Egyptian system has been more centralized is a hard sell. More persuasive is the observation that Arab elites engage not in reform, but in adaptation to maintain their dominance. Reform, from US officials’ perspective, is a change in the character of governance, but reforms initiated by Arab leaders preclude such alterations. A fundamental difference between Egypt and Syria is historical. Egypt has been a distinct nation-state for a long time, governed from Cairo. Syria as a state is relatively new, and lacks the regional penetration that the Egyptian state has enjoyed. Stacher argues that Anwar Sadat depoliticized state institutions and Hosni Mubarak followed the trend, but Hafez al-Assad nurtured politicized institutions. The Egyptian centralized elite could remove Mubarak when he became a liability, but the decentralized Syrian elite could not remove Bashar al-Assad. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate and graduate collections. — F. L. Mokhtari, University of Vermont

Editor’s note: The following pertinent titles will be reviewed in forthcoming issues:

Chase, Anthony Tirado.  Human rights, revolution, and reform in the Muslim world.  L. Rienner, 2012. 225p bibl index afp ISBN 9781588268013, $52.00

Noueihed, Lin.  The battle for the Arab Spring: revolution, counter-revolution and the making of a new era, by Lin Noueihed and Alex Warren. Yale, 2012. 350p bibl index afp ISBN 9780300180862, $28.00

Owen, Roger.  The rise and fall of Arab presidents for life. Harvard, 2012. 248p bibl index afp ISBN 9780674065833, $24.95

Prashad, Vijay.  Arab spring, Libyan winter. AK Press, 2012. 271p index ISBN 9781849351126 pbk, $14.95; ISBN 9781849351133 e-book $9.99

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