The Arab Revolution: Ten Lessons from the Democratic Uprising

by Jean-Pierre Filiu

When Mohammad Bouazizi sets himself on fire on December 17, 2010, he started a series of extraordinary events that spread across the Middle East with stunning rapidity. In less than a month, President Ben Ali fled Tunisia, ending a twenty-three year regime. Shortly thereafter, on 11 February 2011, President Mubarak of Egypt stepped down after nearly thirty years in power.

In The Arab Revolution , Jean-Pierre Filiu offers a concise but sweeping account of the earth-shattering revolts that began in Tunis and continue today throughout the Middle East. Stressing the deep historical roots of the events, Filiu organizes the book around ten lessons that illuminate both the uprisings in particular and the region in general. He shows, for instance, that these movements didn't erupt out of thin air--Arabs have been fighting for their rights for more than a generation. The author sheds light on the role of youth--whose anger is power, he notes, and who embrace the message "tomorrow is yours, if you fight for it"--as well as the important role that social networks played in Tunisia and Egypt. Filiu also argues that in the aftermath, jihadists are in a difficult position, because the essentially peaceful grassroots protests in Tunisia and Egypt have undercut their message of violence and indeed have called into question their relevance. The book also reveals
that, despite being somewhat overshadowed by the Arab uprising, Palestine remains the central concern throughout the Middle East.

By shining a light on these lessons rather than providing a strictly chronological account, Filiu provides a far richer and deeper portrait of the revolutionary movements sweeping the region--as well as an insightful look at life in the Middle East today.

Genres: Nonfiction, Middle East

208 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2011

About the author

Jean-Pierre Filiu (1961) is a French professor of Middle East studies at Sciences Po, Paris School of International Affairs, an Orientalist and an Arabist.

Reviews

[Yas]

This book formula are chapters whose themes are long-held assumptions that the world(and mainly Western) held against Arabs and that the arab spring events according to the author helped undermine or outright refute them. Especially apparent with chapters like arabs are an no exception...Leaderless movements can win,..etc.

However I found myself disagreeing with the chapter "Leaderless movements can win", and also with chapter "Palestine is still the mantra". Egypt events proved that leaders are needed and there is a limit to the gains and wins obtained by leaderless movements. with the other chapter concerning palestine, the content of the chapter itself (which I agreed with) did not correlate with the subsequent realization that palesine is still the mantra. The best chapter was the last one, "No Domino effect in the Renaissance". as the authors realization of the deeply rooted challenges pertaining sectarianism, divided societies and and the need to reform badly run economies.

[Jonathan Fryer]

The distinguished French Arabist, Jean-Pierre Filiu, wrote this book during the early months of what the media called the “Arab Spring” of 2011. I hated that lazy terminology, prefering to refer to what was happening as the New Arab Awakening, which I felt would take at least 20 years to run its course. Prof. Foliu, similarly, refers to the “Arab Uprising” and daringly identified 10 “lessons” learnt from what was happening across the MENA region. With the benefit of hindsight, nearly a decade later, one can judge how prescient he was in prediction. For example, “social networks work” YES; “leaderless movements can win” YES; “no domino effect in the Renaissance” NO; “Jihadis could become obsolete” YOU MUST BE KIDDING! Of course, it is unfair to judge with hindsight, but what is undoubtedly true is that M. Filos writes in an attractive, well-informed style and is actually quite useful to be reminded exactly what was going on during those early months of 2011: Ben Ali OUT: Mubarak OUT; Gaddafi STILL CLINGING ON; Al-Assad EVEN MORE SO!

[Jennifer Abdo]

This is not one of those histories that reads like a novel, but it's a great record of the Arab Spring and also a guide to the Middle East in a way. Many people think it's either too complex to bother with or they paint the region as a Muslim monolith and summarily dismiss the people who live there. Filiu touches on a variety of considerations like class and colonialism that are far more important in understanding the unrest and cohesion than religion the Middle East.

[Marija]

It's a rare combination - a highly factual easy-read. Unlike other books on the issue, "The Arab Revolution" is divided thematically, not chronologically. As a consequence, it does not serve as a good introduction to the Arab Spring. The author provides many briliant insights, but seems to be way too optimistic in defining Arab spring as a "democratic renaissance", esp concerning recent evens in Tunisia.

[Americanenglishexper]

Good story of arab spring
great. I also suggest The Last Pharaoh: Mubarak and the Uncertain Future of Egypt in the Obama Age
http://www.amazon.com/Last-Pharaoh-Mu...