The Arab Uprisings

James L. Gelvin is Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is the author of The Modern Middle East: A History and The Israel-Palestine Conflict: One Hundred Years of War.

• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ; 1 A Revolutionary Wave? ; What is the Arab world? ; Is the Arab world homogeneous? ; Why do Arabs identify with one another? ; What was political life in the Arab world like on the eve of the uprisings? ; Why have authoritarian governments been so common in the Arab world? ; What was the state of the economy in the Arab world on the eve of the uprisings? ; What benefits did Arab regimes originally promise their populations? ; Why and how did Arab regimes renege on the promises they had made to their populations? ; How did the demography of the Arab states make them vulnerable to uprisings? ; How did a food crisis make Arab states vulnerable to uprisings? ; Why did populations wanting change in the Arab world have to take to the streets? ; Can we pinpoint the factors that caused the uprisings? ; What was the spark that ignited the Arab uprisings? ; Where did the demand for human and democratic rights come from? ; How did the demand for human rights and democracy strike roots in the Arab world? ; How pervasive was the demand for human and democratic rights in the Arab world before the uprisings of 2010-11? ; How appropriate is the word wave to describe the spread of protests throughout the Arab world in 2010-11? ; Where did the phrase <"Arab Spring>" come from, and how appropriate is it to describe events in the Arab world? ; 2 The Beginning: Tunisia and Egypt ; What characteristics do Tunisia and Egypt hold in common? ; How entrenched were the autocracies ruling Tunisia and Egypt? ; How did the regimes in Tunisia and Egypt attempt to control their populations? ; How widespread was corruption in Tunisia and Egypt? ; How did the Tunisian uprising catch fire? ; How exceptional was Bouazizi's suicide? ; Was the uprising in Egypt like that of Tunisia? ; How did the initial phase of the Egyptian uprising play itself out? ; What was the role of social media in the Tunisian and Egyptian uprisings? ; Why did the Tahrir Square protesters and others adopt the tactic of nonviolent resistance? ; What was the role of labor in the two uprisings? ; What was the role of Islamic groups in the two uprisings? ; What was the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood? ; What are salafis? ; Why did the armies in Tunisia and Egypt refuse to put down the initial uprisings? ; Why did the paths taken by the Tunisian and Egyptian uprisings diverge? ; How did decisions made by governing parties affect the course of uprisings there? ; Why did the Egyptian military overthrow the Muslim Brotherhood government? ; When is a coup not a coup? ; Do events in Egypt demonstrate that Islamist parties are incapable of rule? ; What was political life in Egypt like after the military takeover? ; How does the Egyptian uprising help us understand the other uprisings? ; What are the five biggest myths about the Egyptian Uprising? ; 3 Uprisings in Weak States: Yemen and Libya ; What did the political systems of Yemen and Libya have in common before the uprisings? ; What was political life in Yemen like before the uprising there? ; What was political life in Libya like before the uprising there? ; Why do political scientists consider Yemen and Libya <"weak states>"? ; Why is the fact that Yemen and Libya are weak states important for understanding the uprisings there? ; What role have tribes played in Yemen and Libya? ; How did the uprising in Yemen evolve? ; How did the uprising in Libya begin? ; Was Qaddafi crazy, or crazy like a fox? ; Why did the uprisings in Yemen and Libya turn violent? ; Why did outside powers intervene in Libya? ; What is <"R2P>"? ; Why did efforts to fill the post-uprisings political void in Yemen and Libya flounder? ; What are the fissures that might divide Yemen in the future? ; Is civil War in Libya in the cards? ; Why is al-Qaeda in Yemen? ; Is al-Qaeda in Libya? ; How did Libya affect American and Russian policy in Syria? ; 4 <"Coup-Proofed>": Bahrain and Syria ; What do Bahrain and Syria have in common? ; What is <"coop-proofing>"? ; Why did Bahrain's February protests end so tragically? ; What occurred in Bahrain in the wake of the crackdown? ; How did the uprising in Syria begin? ; Who is Bashar al-Assad? ; How did the Syrian regime deal with the uprising? ; How did the regime sectarianize the uprising? ; How did the regime militarize the uprising? ; Who is the <"moderate>" opposition in Syria? ; What is the Islamist opposition in Syria like? ; What is the <"Islamic State>"? ; Have Syria's Kurds participated in the uprising? ; What assistance has the Friends of Syria provided? ; How have foreign powers intervened on the side of the Syrian government? ; Why is a negotiated settlement for Syria improbable? ; How has the uprising affected Syrians and Syrian society? ; How has the Syrian uprising affected Syria's neighbors? ; 5 The Global Meaning of the Arab Uprisings ; Did the Arab monarchies dodge the bullet during the uprisings? ; What were the protests in the Arab monarchies like? ; What role have the Gulf monarchies played in uprisings elsewhere? ; Why have the Gulf monarchies played such a prominent role in the uprisings? ; Is American power in the Middle East on the wane? ; How has the United States reacted to the Arab uprisings? ; Did George W. Bush's <"Freedom Agenda>" pave the way for the Arab uprisings? ; Have the uprisings strengthened or weakened al-Qaeda? ; Will the state system in the Arab world survive the Arab uprisings? ; How did the spread of the uprisings to Palestine affect the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? ; What can history tell us about <"revolutionary waves>"? ; Have the uprisings spread beyond the Arab world? ; When will we be able to judge the significance of the Arab uprisings? ; What conclusions might we draw from the uprisings so far? ; NOTES ; FURTHER READING ; WEBSITES ; INDEX

A remarkably readable, informative, slim volume...Of particular worth is James Gelvin's ability to show how the protests are interlinked, yet also independent of each other. Brief forays into the Palestinian/Israeli conflict and the current state of al-Qaeda are also illuminating...an excellent primer for the general reader.