'The people want' - thus began the slogans chanted by millions of protesters in 2011 in what was dubbed the 'Arab Spring'. ?While the protests revealed a long-suppressed craving for democracy, they also laid bare a deep structural crisis. In this landmark work, Middle East analyst Gilbert Achcar examines the socio-economic roots and political dynamics of the regional upheaval. He assesses the peculiarities of the region's states and regimes, and sheds light on the movements that use Islam ...

With the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, warnings of a new Cold War proliferated. In fact, argues Gilbert Achcar in this timely new account, the New Cold War has been ongoing since the late 1990s. Racing to solidify its position as the last remaining superpower, the US alienated Russia and China, pushing them closer and rebooting the 'old' Cold War with disastrous implications. Vladimir Putin's consequent rise and imperialist reinvention, along with Xi Jinping's own ascendancy and inc...

Israel has seized the opportunity of Hamas's operation on 7 October 2023 to devastate Gaza, reducing it to rubble, massacring a huge number of its inhabitants and forcing the rest to flee. Another Nakba is underway 75 years after the creation of Israel. This booklet includes articles by Gilbert Achcar written as the Israeli onslaught started unfolding in Gaza. He explains why the population of Gaza is facing such 'massive extermination', and argues that the refusal of Western governments t...

In this collection of essays, Gilbert Achcar examines the controversial relationship of Marxism to religion, to Orientalism and its critique by Edward Said, and to the concept of cosmopolitanism. A compelling range of issues is discussed within these pages, including a comparative assessment of Christian liberation theology and Islamic fundamentalism; "Orientalism in reverse", which can take the form of an apology for Islamic fundamentalism; the evolution of Marx's appraisal of non-Western...

A leading international relations expert uncovers the key stages that led from the end of the Cold War to the War in Ukraine.With the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, warnings of a new Cold War proliferated. In fact, argues Gilbert Achcar in this timely new account, the New Cold War has been ongoing since the late 1990s.Racing to solidify its position as the last remaining superpower, the US alienated Russia and China, pushing them closer and rebooting the ‘old’ Cold Wa...

From a foremost expert on the Middle East, a searing indictment of the forces that led to the genocidal war on Gaza and its reverberations across the globe.The destruction rained on Gaza has been seen by many as a vengeful overreaction to the reckless Hamas-led attack on 7 October 2023. However, the new catastrophe befalling the Palestinian people is the continuation of a decades-long course in which Israeli politics, policies and military strategies have inexorabl...

Since the first wave of uprisings in 2011, the euphoria of the "Arab Spring" has given way to the gloom of backlash and a descent into mayhem and war. The revolution has been overwhelmed by clashes between rival counter-revolutionary forces: resilient old regimes on the one hand and Islamic fundamentalist contenders on the other.In this eagerly awaited book, foremost Middle East and international affairs specialist Gilbert Achcar analyzes the factors of the regional relapse. Focusing on Sy...

"A left-wing materialist perspective that has faded in prominence in the Arab world in recent times."―The Irish Times"Exposes the bankruptcy of Western Liberalism."―JacobinFrom a foremost expert on the Middle East—a searing indictment of the forces that led to genocidal war on Gaza and its reverberations across the globe.The destruction rained on Gaza has been seen and accepted by many as a vengeful...

Hay libros que cuentan historias y otros nos las explican. Este nos ayuda justo a entender las causas de las rebeliones populares de 2011 y las razones que llevaron a la mayoría a evolucionar de formas turbulentas. Gilbert Achcar empieza por analizar la modalidad del capitalismo en el Medio Oriente y cómo se ha bloqueado el desarrollo económico y social, ocasionando desempleo, desigualdad, pobreza y frustración. Su exploración no se limita a la racionalidad económica, ya que profundiza en ...

The Arab–Israeli conflict goes far beyond the wars waged on Middle Eastern battlefields. There is also a war of narratives revolving around the two defining traumas of the conflict: the Holocaust and the Nakba. One side is charged with Holocaust denial, the other with exploiting a tragedy while denying the tragedies of others. In this path-breaking book, eminent political scientist Gilbert Achcar explores these conflicting narratives and considers their role in today's Middle East dispute....

S'appuyant sur une vaste documentation et avec un constant souci d'objectivité et de distance critique, cet ouvrage (le premier du genre) analyse les rapports complexes entre les Arabes, dans la diversité de leurs sensibilités politiques et idéologiques, et la Shoah.

An unprecedented and judicious examination of what the Holocaust means—and doesn't mean—in the Arab world, one of the most explosive subjects of our timeThere is no more inflammatory topic than the Arabs and the Holocaust—the phrase alone can occasion outrage. The terrain is dense with ugly claims and counterclaims: one side is charged with Holocaust denial, the other with exploiting a tragedy while denying the tragedies of others.In this pathbreaking book, p...