The Arab Awakening: America and the Transformation of the Middle East

by Kenneth M. Pollack, Daniel L. Byman Georgetown University, Akram Al-Turk

Overview

"Even the most seasoned Middle East observers were taken aback by the events of early 2011. Protests born of oppression and socioeconomic frustration erupted throughout the streets; public unrest provoked violent police backlash; long-established dictatorships fell. How did this all happen? What might the future look like, and what are the likely ramifications for the United States and the rest of the world? In The Arab Awakening, experts from the Brookings Institution tackle such questions to make sense of this tumultuous region that remains at the heart of U.S. national interests.

The first portion of The Arab Awakening offers broad lessons by analyzing key aspects of the Mideast turmoil, such as public opinion trends within the "Arab Street"; the role of social media and technology; socioeconomic and demographic conditions; the influence of Islamists; and the impact of the new political order on the Arab-Israeli peace process.

The next section looks at the countries themselves, finding commonalties and grouping them according to the political evolutions that have (or have not) occurred in each country. The section offers insight into the current situation, and possible trajectory of each group of countries, followed by individual nation studies.

The Arab Awakening brings the full resources of Brookings to bear on making sense of what may turn out to be the most significant geopolitical movement of this generation. It is essential reading for anyone looking to understand these developments and their consequences.

"

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780815722267
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	11/04/2011
Series:	Saban Center at the Brookings Institution Books
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	400
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

"Kenneth M. Pollack is a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, where he is Director of the Saban Center for Middle East Policy. Previously, he was Director for Persian Gulf Affairs at the National Security Council and spent seven years in the CIA as a Persian Gulf military analyst.Daniel L. Byman is Research Director of the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings and a professor at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. Previously, he served as a staff member on the 9/11 Commission and worked for the U.S. government."

Table of Contents

Preface: Why Should You Read This Book? xi

Acknowledgments xv

1 Introduction: Understanding the Arab Awakening Kenneth M. Pollack 1

Part I The Dynamics of the Arab Spring

2 Arab Public Opinion: What Do They Want? Shibley Telhami 13

3 Democratization 101: Historical Lessons for the Arab Spring Stephen R. Grand 21

4 Islamists and the Brotherhood: Political Islam and the Arab Spring Shadi Hamid 29

5 The Impact of New Media: The Revolution Will Be Tweeted Michael S. Doran 39

6 The Impact on the Peace Process: Peacemaker or Peacebreaker? Khaled Elgindy Salman Shaikh 47

7 The Arab Militaries: The Double-Edged Swords Kenneth M. Pollack 58

8 The Economic Dimension: The Price of Freedom Suzanne Maloney 66

9 Terrorism: Al-Qaeda and the Arab Spring Daniel L. Byman 76

Part II Countries in Transition

10 Democratizers? The Pursuit of Pluralism Kenneth M. Pollack 87

11 Iraq: The Roller Coaster of Democracy Kenneth M. Pollack 94

12 Egypt: The Prize Shadi Hamid 102

13 Tunisia: Birthplace of the Revolution Shadi Hamid 111

14 Libya: From Revolt to State-Building Akram Al-Turk 117

15 The Palestinians: Between National Liberation and Political Legitimacy Khaled Elgindy 128

Part III The Imperative of Reform

16 Reform: Convincing Reluctant Regimes to Change Kenneth M. Pollack 141

17 Making Reform Credible: The Critical Piece of the Puzzle Stephen R. Grand Shadi Hamid Kenneth M. Pollack Sarah E. Yerkes 148

18 Saudi Arabia: The Elephant in the Living Room Bruce O. Riedel 159

19 Jordan: An Imperfect State Salman Shaikh 168

20 Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and the UAE: The Nervous Bystanders Suzanne Maloney 176

21 Bahrain: Island of Troubles Michael S. Doran Salman Shaikh 188

22 Morocco: The Model for Reform? Sarah E. Yerkes 196

23 Algeria: Whistling Past the Graveyard Bruce O. Riedel 206

Part IV States in Crisis

24 States in Civil War: Challenges for the United States Daniel L. Byman 213

25 Yemen: The Search for Stability and Development Ibrahim Sharqieh 221

26 Syria: The Ghosts of Hama Michael S. Doran Salman Shaikh 230

Part V Other Regional Actors

27 Regional Actors: The Changing Balance of Power in the Middle East Daniel L. Byman Kenneth M. Pollack 243

28 Israel: A Frosty Response to the Arab Spring Daniel L. Byman 250

29 Iran: The Bogeyman Suzanne Maloney 258

30 Turkey: An Interested Party Omer Taspinar 268

Part VI The External Powers

31 External Powers: Riding the Tsunami Kenneth M. Pollack 277

32 Europe: Muddling Through Ruth Hanau Santini 285

33 Russia: Moscow Does Not Believe in Change Pavel K. Baev 291

34 China: Unease from Afar Jonathan D. Pollack 298

35 The International Order and the Emerging Powers: Implications of the Arab Awakening Bruce Jones 305

36 The United States: A New American Grand Strategy for the Middle East Kenneth M. Pollack 311

Appendix: Political, Social, and Economic Indicators of the Middle East 319

Notes 325

About the Authors 365

Index 369