The Invisible Arab
The Promise and Peril of the Arab Revolutions
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
The Invisible Arab traces the roots of the revolutions in the Arab world. Marwan Bishara, chief policy analyst of Al Jazeera English and the anchor of the program "Empire", combines on-the-ground reporting, extensive research and scholarship, and political commentary in this book on the complex influences that made the revolutions possible. Bishara argues that the inclusive, pluralistic nationalism that motivated the revolutions are indispensable to their long-term success.
The Invisible Arab is a voyage in time from the Arab world's 'liberation generation' through the 'defeated' and 'lost generations', arriving at today's 'miracle generation'. Bishara unpacks how this new generation, long seen as a demographic bomb, has proved to be the agent of progress, unity and freedom. It has in turn used social networks to mobilize for social justice.
Bishara discusses how Israel, oil, terrorism and radical Islam have affected the interior identity of the region as well as Western projections upon it. Protection of Israel, Western imperial ambition, a thirst for oil, and fear of radicalism have caused many Western regimes and media to characterize Arab countries and people as unreceptive to democracy or progress. These ideas are as one-dimensional as they are foolhardy. Bishara argues that the Arab revolutions present a great window of opportunity for reinventing and improving Arab ties with the rest of the world -- notably the West -- on the basis of mutual respect and mutual interest.
The revolutions will be judged by how they realize freedom and justice, and how they can pave the way for reconciling and accommodating nationalism and Islam with democracy. Bishara argues that these pillars -- liberty and justice reconciled with religion and nationalism, form the bedrock that will allow stability and progress to flourish in the Arab world and beyond.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bishara, chief policy analyst for Al-Jazeera, provides a compelling and spirited history of the modern Arab nation, from colonial liberation to the recent revolutions. Painting an image of a past tainted by militaries that did not fulfill their anticipated goals, dictators that ruled through fear, and exploitation by more powerful nations, Bishara devotes most of his attention to the new youth movement: "eople, especially the younger generation, couldn't see why they had a choice among television sets, but not textbooks; news networks, but not political leaders." Despite the significant changes brought about by the revolutions that swept through Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Yemen, and Syria, Bishara does not see an easy road ahead; he advises emphasis needs to be placed on protecting the future as opposed to punishing for the past noting that this will involve a reassessment of international relationships: "No longer will rogue regimes be defined according to their proximity to Western powers." Bishara (Palestine/Israel: Peace or Apartheid) concludes with a gentle warning that the unrest that set the stage for the Arab Spring is showing signs around the world, with the same root causes: unemployment, inequality, and corruption. Fast-paced, impassioned, and eloquent, Bishara's newest will interest activists, politicians, and others concerned with foreign affairs and current events.