False Dawn: Protest, Democracy, and Violence in the New Middle East
- ISBN-10
- 0190611421
- ISBN-13
- 9780190611422
- Series
- False Dawn
- Category
- Political Science
- Pages
- 352
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2017-05-01
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Author
- Steven A. Cook
Description
Half a decade after Arabs across the Middle East poured into the streets to demand change, hopes for democracy have disappeared in a maelstrom of violence and renewed state repression. Egypt remains an authoritarian state, Syria and Yemen are in the midst of devastating civil wars, Libya has descended into anarchy, and the self-declared Islamic State rules a large swath of territory. Even Turkey, which also experienced large-scale protests, has abandoned its earlier shift toward openness and democracy and now more closely resembles an autocracy. How did things go so wrong so quickly across a wide range of regimes? In False Dawn, noted Middle East regional expert Steven A. Cook looks at the trajectory of events across the region from the initial uprising in Tunisia to the failed coup in Turkey to explain why the Middle Eastern uprisings did not succeed. Despite appearances, there were no true revolutions in the Middle East five years ago: none of the affected societies underwent social revolutions, and the old structures of power were never eliminated. Even supposed successes like Tunisia still face significant barriers to democracy because of the continued strength of old regime players. Libya, the state that came closest to revolution, has fragmented into chaos, and Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has used the recent coup against him as grounds for a widespread crackdown on his opponents, reinforcing the Turkish leader's personal power. After taking stock of how and why the uprisings failed to produce lasting change, Cook considers the role of the United States in the region. What Washington cannot do, Cook argues, is shape the politics of the Middle East going forward. While many in the policymaking community believe that the United States must "get the Middle East right," American influence is actually quite limited; the future of the region lies in the hands of the people who live there. Authoritative and powerfully argued, False Dawn promises to be a major work on one of the most important historical events of the past quarter century.
Get the book
Other editions
-
- 2017-05-01
- 352 pages
- Ebook
- Oxford University Press
-
- 2017
- 361 pages
- Paperback
- Oxford University Press
-
- 2021-01-15
- 216 pages
- Paperback
- Rutgers University Press
Similar books
-
False Dawn: The Delusions of Global Capitalism
By John GrayArgues that societies and peoples all over the world are being forced to participate in an experiment in liberal social engineering.
-
False Dawn: The Delusions of Global Capitalism
By John GrayIn this passionate polemic against the utopia of the free market, Gray, a former supporter of the New Right, argues that the conventional political solutions of conservatism and social democracy...
-
False Dawn: The United Religions Initiative, Globalism, and the Quest for a One-World Religion
By Lee PennKerr , Howard , and Crow , Charles L. , The Occult in America : New Historical Perspectives , Univ . of Illinois Press ... Powell , Robert , The Most Holy Trinosophia and the New Revelation of the Divine Feminine , Anthroposophic Press ...
-
False Dawn
By Chelsea Quinn YarbroFalse Dawn, one of the first post-apocalyptic science fiction novels to deal with an environmental collapse instead of war, tells a compelling story of two people thrown together by chance, striving to stay alive in a world that can no ...
-
Science Diplomacy: New Day Or False Dawn?
By Davis Lloyd, Patman Robert GWill this new diplomacy of the 21st century prove to be more effective than past diplomacy for the big issues facing the world, such as climate change, food and water insecurity, diminishing biodiversity, pandemic disease, public health, ...
-
False Dawn
By Edith WhartonHAY, verbena and mignonette scented the languid July day.
-
True Dawn - False Dawn
By Andrew CosterRiddle me this: Fly into my web said the spider to the fly.
-
A False Dawn: My Life as a Gypsy Woman in Slovakia
By Elena LackovaIlona Lakova's darked skinned illiterate Gypsy father fell in love with her pale skinned Polish mother whilst a prisoner in Russia during the First World War.
-
Smart Urbanism: Utopian vision or false dawn?
By Simon Marvin, Colin McFarlane, Andres Luque-AyalaThis book explores this common conception of the problematic of smart urbanism and critically address what new capabilities are being created by whom and with what exclusions; how these are being developed - and contested; where is this ...
-
Civic Activism Unleashed: New Hope or False Dawn for Democracy?
By Richard YoungsFernando, “Working with Social Movements,” 263–264. B. Masters and T. Osborne, “Social Movements and Philanthropy,” Foundation Review 2 (2010): 16–17. Masters and Osborne, “Social Movements and Philanthropy,” 18–19. Masters and Osborne ...