Orienting Our Sights on the Future: Opportunities and Challenges of the Arab Revolts

The uprisings and ensuing political changes taking place throughout the Middle East and North Africa are reshaping the political and social landscape of the region. As this environment evolves, the United States Marine Corps, as the Nation's force in readiness, must stay current on the emerging realities in the Middle East to ensure they stand ready to respond to the Nation's needs. The wave of uprisings which began in December of 2010 in Tunisia, now generally referred to as the Arab Spring or Arab Revolts, has had varied results throughout the region and mixed responses from the international community. Not only has the rule of long-standing regimes been challenged, but also the relationships of leaders throughout the region and beyond have been redefined.

Because of continuing U.S. force deployments in the Middle East and U.S. military presence in the Gulf region for the foreseeable future, there is a need to broaden the Marine Corps' understanding of the events taking place throughout the region as well as of the impact these changes will have on U.S. policy and Marine Corps planning for future operations. To support this, Middle East Studies at Marine Corps University (MES) dedicated its 2011-2012 Lecture Series to exploring the opportunities and challenges that the Arab Revolts present to the United States, the region, and the international community.

Contents: Seeing Through the Fog: Transitional Governments in Libya and Elsewhere * The Illusion of Revolution and Counter-Revolution in the Arab World * Blood in the Streets of Syria and the Region: A Future in Conflict * Ankara Moves Closer to Washington: How the Arab Spring Warmed U.S.-Turkish Relations * Winter or Spring: Islamists, the Military, and Post-Revolution Politics in Egypt

As part of its mission to broaden U.S. Marine Corps access to information and analysis through publishing, Middle East Studies at Marine Corps University (MES) has established different mechanisms to disseminate relevant publications, including a Monograph Series. The aim of the MES Monograph Series is to publish original research papers on a wide variety of subjects pertaining to the greater Middle East, to include the countries of the Arab world, Israel, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. The focus of the Monograph Series is on timely subjects with strategic relevance to current and future concerns of the U.S. Professional Military Education community.