This book introduces new non-Western perspectives on the Arab Uprisings, decentering and decolonizing International Relations and Middle Eastern Studies. Drawing on over 10 years of fieldwork, ethnography, over 250 interviews, and empirical research, it is one of the first books to evaluate the position of International Relations theorists towards the study of the Arab Uprisings. It relies on local IR scholarship from the region, which is rarely considered. It provides a critical account of why democratic revolutions have failed, how counterrevolutions and authoritarianism have fortified, and why revolutions will once again experience a resurgence in this part of the world.
Ahmed M. Abozaid, Ph.D. (2022), University of St Andrews, is Lecturer of International Security at the University of Southampton and has published many books in Arabic and English, including Counterterrorism Strategies in Egypt (Routledge, 2022).
List of Illustrations
Introduction Arab Uprising in Ten: Studying Change from Inside/Outside
â1âThe Post Arab Uprising(s) Chaos: What Went Wrong?
â2âThe Arab Uprising and the Prolonged Crisis of the Arab States
â3âBook Structure
1âTheories of International Relations and Change in the Arab World Nine Fallacies
â1âStructural Change in International Politics since the End of the Cold War
â2âCritical School and Change
â3âCritical International Relations Theories and the Arab Uprising(s)
â4âPolitical Identity
â5âThe Failure of Neoliberal Policies
â6âPolitical Will
â7âArab Uprising and ir Theories: an Encounter
â7.1âCognitive Fallacy
â7.2âEurocentric Fallacy
â7.3âModernity/Enlightenment Fallacy
â7.4âMonologic Fallacy
â7.5âPedagogical Fallacy
â8âThe [Mis]representation and [Mis]location of the Arab World in the Field of ir
â9âKnowledge Production of ir in the Arabic Speaking World
â10âThe Ahistorical Perspective of ir in the Arab World
â11âThe Fallacies of Applying ir Theories to the Study of the Arab World
2âNo Revolution Why as-Ṣaâīdiyya Did Not Really Revolt?
â1âSaÊ¿id: Identity and Politics
â2âDoing Ethnography in Upper Egypt
â3âReflexivity/Limitations
â4âPeasants and Rural Societies: an Overview
â5âal-SaÊ¿idiyya, al-fellaheen, and the 2011 Uprising
â6âFindings
â7âAbu-Qurqas Case Study
â8âConclusion
3âIncomplete Revolution The Determinations of Post-revolution Egyptian Foreign Policy
â1âIntroduction
â2âTheories of International Relations and Revolution
â3âRevolution and Foreign Policy
â4âThe Determinations of Egyptian Foreign Policy after the Arab Spring
â4.1âThe Nature of the Revolution
â4.2âRegional and International Changes
â4.3âGlobal Public Opinion Orientations
â5âDomestic Policy and Post-revolution Foreign Policy
â5.1âNational Choices
â5.2âNational Performance
â5.3âDomestic Policy
â5.4âRegime Type
â5.5âCivil-Military Relations
â5.6âPublic Participation
â5.7âNational Strategy
4âCounter-Revolution: EgyptâGulf Relations after the Arab Uprising From Predominance to Bandwagon
â1âIntroduction
â2âRevolution and War and Peace
â2.1âThe Nature of Revolutionary Organizations and Ideologies
â2.2âDomestic Repercussions of Internal Changes
â2.3âThe Type of Revolutionary Regimes and Leadership
â3âRevolution from the Perspective of âBalance of Valuesâ Theory
â3.1âSecurity Concerns
â3.2âThreat Perception
â3.3âMisperception and Miscalculations
â3.4âForeign Aid
â3.5âStability Concerns
â4âRegional Balance of Power in the Middle East after the Arab Uprisings
â5âBetween Morsi and Sisi: Regime Change and Egypt-gcc Relations
â5.1âLocally
â5.2âRegionally
â6âEgyptâgcc Relations Issues
â7âBilateral Relations
â8âThe gcc and the Arab Uprising in Egypt
â9âEgypt and Saudi Arabia
â10âEconomic Aid
â11âPolitical Support
â12âRegional Stability
â13âConclusion
5âUndesired Revolution: Power Transition in the Arab World The Fall of Egypt, and the Rise of Gulf States
â1âStructural Realism and International Relations of the gcc Countries
â2âThe Characteristics of the Arabian Gulf Regional System
â3âThe Small States in the Arabian Gulf: an Outline
â4âHow to Study Small States: a Historical Sociology Perspective
â5âHistorical Sociology and the Rise of Small Arab Gulf States
â6âA Three-Level Model
â7âWelcome to âThe Khaleeji Ageâ
â8âThe Pillars of the gcc Rise
â9âThe Aspects of the gcc Rise
â10âThe Objectives of the gcc Rise
â11âChallenges and Obstacles to the gcc Rise
â12âGreat Expectations?
Conclusion Much Ado about Nothing: [Eurocentric] Theories of International Relations and the Study of Arab Uprisings
â1âTowards New Imagination: On Decolonising the Study of the Arab World
Bibliography
Index
The main audiences, readerships, courses, and any relevant organisations, associations and networks for this book are academics and university students (i.e., International Relations, Middle Eastern Studies, Media Studies, and Political Science in general).