Gilbert Achcar is Professor of Development Studies and International Relations at SOAS, University of London. He has written extensively on politics and development economics, as well as social change and social theory. His other works include The People Want: A Radical Exploration of the Arab Uprising and Perilous Power: The Middle East and US Foreign Policy, with Noam Chomsky.

• Foreword ixAcknowledgements xiIntroduction: Of Revolutionary Cycles and Seasons 1"Democratic Transition" and Revolutionary Process 2One Revolution, Two Counter-Revolutions 8Syria: The Clash of Barbarisms 15The Abandonment of the Syrian People 17The Making of the Syrian Disaster 27The Assad Regime's Preferred Enemy 36Turkey's and the Gulf Monarchies' Preferred Friends 42The Syrian Predicament 48Russian Intervention and Western Wavering 54Whither Syria? 61Egypt: The "23 July" of Abdul-Fattah al-Sisi 65How the Muslim Brotherhood's Bid for Power Unfolded 67Neither Lion Nor Fox 71Incensing the Country 78Enter Tamarrod 85Nasserist Illusions 95The Military's Second Hijacking of the People's Will 101The Ruthless Rise of Abdul-Fattah al-Sisi 108The Tailoring of Sisi's Presidential Suit 115The Farcical Aspect of Egypt's Tragedy 121Neoliberal Constancy 124Megalomania and Megaprojects 133The Military's Takeover of Egypt 140Whither Egypt? 146Conclusion: "Arab Winter" And Hope 151Libya and Yemen: Two Variations on the Same Tune 151The Tunisian "Model" and Its Limits 157The Arab Left and the Strategic Challenge 165Notes 173References and Sources 205Index 221

'One of the best analysts of the contemporary Arab world' Le Monde; 'Morbid Symptoms is a sobering yet generous account of the Arab people's fight for true liberation and the lessons that have been learned from that struggle.' Jacobin Magazine; 'Morbid Symptoms' skilfully explains the mutation of the 'Arab Spring' - though Achcar prefers the term 'uprising' - into an 'Arab Winter'.' Middle East Media and Book Reviews Online; `Morbid Symptoms is a masterfully written and challenging analysis of paramount importance' Studies of Transition States and Societies