The unresolved equation of the Arab world. The table of contents of Oasis no. 31
Last update: 2022-04-22 10:04:43
LEADER
The Missing Parts of the Equation, Michele Brignone
FOCUS
The Ups and Downs of the Tunisian Exception, Khadija Mohsen-Finan
In addition to having inaugurated the revolutionary wave of 2010-2011, Tunisia constitutes the only successful case of institutional transition in the Arab-Spring context. Today, however, the country finds itself in a social and economic emergency to which the new political class seems unable to respond.
Iraq: The State against Society, Pierre-Jean Luizard
Since its creation in 1920, the monopolisation of power by one of its main religious components has been the rule for the Iraqi state. Today, the political system is held hostage by its structural limitations and conflict between Iran and the United States, the two countries that sponsored its creation.
The Hydra and its People. The Algerian Political System’s Contradictions, Thomas Serres
Despite a rhetoric centred on national independence and popular sovereignty, the Algerian state is marked by a self-referential mode of functioning. The protest movement that began in 2019 has helped to highlight its limitations.
Male, Young and Educated. Profile of the Arab Demonstrator, Eugenio Dacrema
After the uprisings of 2010-2011, protests have become a constant in various Arab countries. What are the demographic factors that determine participation in demonstrations? A quantitative analysis of the data gathered by the Arab Barometer identifies three main indicators: gender, age and level of education.
Demography, Family and Politics: the Three Stages of Arab Transition, Youssef Courbage
A profound transformation of Arab society preceded the uprisings of 2011. In particular, a decline in fertility rates, followed by increased literacy rates, resulted in a certain number of changes also at the political level. In recent years, these indicators have signalled a possible change of course.
If Oil Fuels the Flames of War, Giacomo Luciani
The Greater Middle East is experiencing clashes between factions that are complicated by the great availability of hydrocarbons. Whilst oil revenues have had a stabilizing effect at a domestic level, the same is not true at the regional level.
Between Digital Euphoria and Cyber-Authoritarianism. Technology’s Two Faces, Sahar Khamis
Social media played a decisive role in the 2011 revolutions, allowing people to circumvent censorship and setting new forms of mobilization in motion. But the regimes quickly learned how to crush dissent by using the same weapons that had made it possible.
Thinking Islam after Tahrir Square, Michele Brignone
Initially taking no part in the street demonstrations, Islamic institutions and organizations have been closely involved in the post-Arab Spring phase. Changes at the political level have also had an impact on the religious discourse, which has nevertheless failed to respond to the demands voiced during the uprisings.
The Revolutions Seen through Literature’s Prism, Elisabetta Bartuli
Even a mere quantitative analysis of Arab literary output during the years preceding the protests of 2011 would have revealed the turmoil already existing in North African and Middle Eastern societies. Nowadays, the prevailing idea is one of a distressing and inhumane future, but not everyone is giving up.
CLASSICS
How a Revolution Fails, Martino Diez
Anatomy of a Defeat, Sādik al-‘Azm
In his famous Self-Criticism after the Defeat, the Syrian philosopher Sādik al-‘Azm outlines a merciless diagnosis of the ills that have ordained the failure of the progressive Arab regimes, thereby condemning the peoples of North Africa and the Middle East to a profound and still unresolved crisis.
REPORTAGE
Lebanon: If These Keep Silence the Stones Will Cry Out, Riccardo Paredi
A jungle of signs painted on Beirut’s walls gives voice to the demands of a population exhausted by thirty years of misgovernment. In October 2019 the graffiti were angry and hopeful, like the people out on the streets. One year on, they tell the story of a now dramatically impoverished country.
REVIEWS
The Alliance that Stifles the Muslim World, Michele Brignone
The historical roots of the crisis in Islamic civilization.
Side Effects of the Oil Bonanza, Claudio Fontana
Petrodollars: opportunities and risks for the Gulf monarchies.
When the Strong State is not a Just State, Claudia Annovi
Contemporary Arab regimes and their inability to build a nation.
The Theologian You Don’t Expect, Martino Diez
Excesses and contradictions in Ibn Taymiyya and his thought.
COLOPHON
Editor-in-chief
Michele Brignone
Scientific Director
Martino Diez
Managing Editor
Chiara Pellegrino
Editorial Staff
Alessandra De Poli
Riccardo Paredi
Editorial Consultants
Rifaat Bader
Marco Bardazzi
Bernardo Cervellera
Camille Eid
Rafic Greiche
Graphic Design and Layout
Alessandro Frangi
English translations:
The Missing Parts of the Equation, Catharine de Rienzo; The Ups and Downs of the Tunisian Exception, Karen Whittle; Iraq: State against Society, Sophie Brady; The Hydra and its People. The Algerian Political System’s Contradictions, Sophie Brady; Demography, Family and Politics: the Three Stages of Arab Transition, Sophie Brady; If Oil Fuels the Flames of War, Karen Whittle; Thinking Islam after Tahrir Square, Catharine de Rienzo; The Revolutions Seen through Literature’s Prism, Catharine de Rienzo; How a Revolution Fails, Catharine de Rienzo;
Lebanon: If These Keep Silence the Stones Will Cry Out, Catharine de Rienzo; The Alliance that Stifles the Muslim World, Catharine de Rienzo; Side Effects of the Oil Bonanza, Catharine de Rienzo; When the Strong State is not a Just State, Catharine de Rienzo; The Theologian You Don’t Expect, Catharine de Rienzo
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This edition of Oasis was realized with the support of Fondazione Cariplo