The People's Spring, The Future of the Arab Revolution (press)

Comment Print Email Subscribe		The People's Spring The Future of the Arab Revolution Samir Amin
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		Press Reviews The People's Spring Publishers Weekly Nov 19, 2012 Egyptian political economist Amin (Maldevelopment: Anatomy of a Global Failure), in a treatise originally completed in May 2011, analyses the 2011 Arab Spring and what these uprisings could mean for the future of pan-Arabism and the rise of true democracy and modernisation. He conceptualises the movement as essentially opposed to the "contemporary imperialist globalisation" promoted by the “US-Europe-Japan Triad,” supported by close allies Saudi Arabia and Israel . Amin argues that ...more the choice is between an emancipation of peoples and “generalised barbarism,” and suggests that the kind of Western-supported democratic progress marked by multiparty elections, co-operation with Islamic moderates, and the war on terrorism aims to keep Arabic countries on the periphery of the world stage and shunts the energy of the Arabic population from developing a truly alternative “socialist democracy.” Amin presents a guarded hope that “'the spring of the people,'” in which a “universal and pluralistic socialist perspective... respecting diversity in the invention of the future” will be able to emerge from the “decline of senile capitalism to challenge Western imperialism,” while he suggesting that overall, the people themselves may not be sophisticated enough to rise to this challenge. Though Amin’s Marxist lens may make Western readers uncomfortable, his ideas are supported with intellectual rigour. Experts Samir Amin has once again demonstrated why he is one of the most original, powerful thinkers on the politics of the Middle East and North Africa. This book outlines a remarkable historical framework for understanding the uprisings that shook the region in 2011 and continue to reverberate through 2012. Amin's panoramic analysis covers the role of political Islam, the various phases of colonial and imperialist intervention in the region, and the evolution of a wide range of political and ...more social movements. His core argument - that the peoples of the region need to reverse the paralysis of 'depoliticization' - is presented through a deep appreciation of the region's development within the world system. A must-read for anyone concerned with the fate of the Arab uprisings! -Adam Hanieh, Development Studies, SOAS These are the times when we need to hear from the wisest, most judicious, most daring intellects of our time--those whose visionary insights have guided us through the thick and thin of despair. For decades Samir Amin has been one of those few voices--in tune with our rebellious history--and how precious are his words today as a yardstick of how to think about our world in transcontinental uprising. In The People's Spring: The Future of the Arab Revolution, Samir Amin is jubilant, judicious, mindful, principled. I have read his book by way of adjusting my own vision as to how to see these world-historic events more clearly. -Hamid Dabashi, Columbia University, author "Arab Spring: The End of Postcolonialism" Samir Amin has given us another of his refreshingly intelligent, deeply historical, and structurally analytic books. Even when one doesn't agree, one is forced to rethink one's assumptions. This is an indispensable guide to the political struggles of the contemporary Middle East. -Immanuel Wallerstein, Yale University Samir Amin is one of the most respected voices and certainly one of the most qualified to assess the realities of the Arab revolts and the mutations in the Arab World. His deep knowledge of the struggles for democracy and justice throughout the Arab-Muslim world gives him an undisputed authority to enlighten the reader about the links between the events in this part of the world and the rest of the planet. -Mireille Fanon-Mendès France, president of the Frantz Fanon Foundation
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