The New Arab Wars: Uprisings and Anarchy in the Middle East

Description

Marc Lynch's last book, THE ARAB UPRISING, described the then ongoing revolutionary change and prospect for the consolidation of democracy in key Arab countries that still seemed possible. But Lynch saw dark signs on the horizon, especially in Syria. That book ended with the hope that the Arab uprisings heralded a fundamental change over the long-term, but with the warning that Arab regimes would not easily give up their power. Instead, Egypt's revolution has given way to a military coup; Libya's produced a failed state; Yemen is the battleground for a proxy war and will be destroyed; Syria has become a sprawling humanitarian catastrophe that will take a generation to begin to recover from. At the same time, America has less and less reason to want to engage with the region and now has only one functional ally apart from Israel. THE NEW ARAB WARS describes how the political landscape of an entire region has been convulsed, with much of it given over to anarchy, as proxy wars on behalf of three competing powers - Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia - scar the region. It is a brutal, compelling story.

Marc Lynch is professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University, where he is the director of the Institute for Middle East Studies and of the Project on Middle East Political Science. He is also a nonresident senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, and a contributing editor at the Monkey Cage blog for The Washington Post. He is the codirector of the Blogs and Bullets project at the US Institute of Peace. He formerly launched and edited the Middle East Channel on ForeignPolicy.com. His most recent book, The Arab Uprising: The Unfinished Revolutions of the New Middle East, was called "the most illuminating and, for policymakers, the most challenging" book yet written on the topic by The Economist. His other books include Voices of the New Arab Public: Iraq Al-Jazeera, and Middle East Politics Today, selected as a Choice Outstanding Academic Book, and State Interests and Public Spheres: The International Politics of Jordan's Identity. Follow him on Twitter @abuaardvark.

"A keen observer of the violent upheaval in the Middle East since the Arab Spring makes a strong assertion: there is no returning to the old autocratic ways...An excellent, clear distillation of recent events in the Middle East." --Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW "This is an unblinking, unsparing and un-put-downable account of the anarchy and ruin that have engulfed the Middle East since the 'Arab Spring' dawned five years ago. Marc Lynch offers no easy answers or escapes: The Arab uprisings had deep roots and they won't be suppressed by the neo-autocrats in Egypt or Saudi Arabia; U.S. intervention couldn't have prevented the fracture of Syria; Islamic extremism is only going to get worse. This is a brutally honest book that will peel the varnish off conventional wisdom. Even those who disagree with some of Lynch's conclusions will find The New Arab Wars must-reading." --David Ignatius, columnist, Washington Post "This is an important work, full of sharp insights and sober analysis. Marc Lynch is an exceptional guide to the deeper drivers of change across the Middle East. Anyone looking to understand the roots and trajectories of the Arab uprisings, and their implications for the future of a crucial region, will benefit enormously from this terrific book." --Ambassador William J. Burns, president, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and former Deputy Secretary of State "The New Arab Wars is a compelling, accurate, and comprehensive overview of our turbulent region's very mixed condition at this historic transitional moment. Lynch succinctly captures all the nuances, strengths, weaknesses, actors, dangers, and promises that define the Middle East today. I strongly recommend this book for anyone who seeks to understand what is going on in our region, how we reached this situation, and how to appreciate the changing roles of the many regional and global players." --Rami G. Khouri, Senior Public Policy Fellow, Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, American University of Beirut, and internationally syndicated political columnist