Regional Analysis

The Malian Crisis Seen from Algeria

The military blitz by rebels in Northern Mali is far from inconsequential for its Algerian neighbor. The hypothetical secession of the Azawad (in the northern half of Mali) is not viewed favorably in Algeria, to say the least. In addition to the threat of instability across the country's southern border, the Mouvement National de Libération de l’Azawad (MNLA) made the pragmatic choice to form a short-lived alliance with jihadists from Ansaar Eddine and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) during their offensive. Due to Algeria’s own recent history with terrorism, this relationship was viewed with great suspicion. The success of the Tuareg rebels and their allies ...

On Uprisings and Interventions: An Interview with Vijay Prashad

Since the start of the events in the Arab World, termed as the so-called “Arab Spring,” Vijay Prashad has been writing about the different countries where people turned against their regimes across the region. He has done so by consistently contextualizing the events, while still providing thorough analyses of local dynamics and histories. In his book--Arab Spring, Libyan Winter-- Prashad discusses the case of Libya, its similarities and differences with other revolutions in the Arab world, and the history of the Libyan regime, as well as the “international” intervention. Magid Shihade (MS): Were the revolutions in the Arab world sudden events, disconnected from ...

Syria Media Roundup (April 4)

[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on Syria and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the Syria Page Editors or of Jadaliyya.  You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each week's roundup to syria@jadaliyya.com by Monday night of every week]  “Hezbollah’s subtle shift on Syria” Nicholas Noe reflects on Nasrallah’s indirect condemnation of the Syrian regime. “Tales from Cafe Tahrir: Syria’s Greater Revolution” Five Syrians exiled in Cairo discuss their experiences with the Syrian regime in the years under Hafez and Bashar. “Syrian rebels form local command ...

The Problem of Privilege

“To believe in a democratic Jewish state today is to be caught between the jaws of a pincer,” writes Peter Beinart in his widely circulated and hotly debated op-ed. Indeed -- but it was ever thus. Today the pincer is not, as Beinart would have it, the incongruity of the “democratic Israel” inside the Green Line and the “undemocratic Israel” outside it. It is the discrepancy between the notions that Israel -- whether a Greater Israel encompassing West Bank settlements or the pre-1967 Israel for which Beinart pines -- is both “democratic” and a “Jewish state.” This discrepancy is nearly as old as the Palestine conflict itself. In the aftermath of World War I, the ...

The Invention of the Savage: Colonial Exhibitions and the Staging of the Arab Spring

Watching a popular uprising in real time was indeed a dramatic experience. As viewers tuned in (or streamed in) to the violence, courage, and uncertainty of events in North Africa this year, many of them had the impression of witnessing the “actual” events, free from the framing tactics and analytical bias often found on the six o’clock news. A host of new media celebrities became household names as they reported live from Tahrir, and news outlets such as Al-Jazeera saw an unprecedented rise in viewership. Spectators were made to believe that a return to the event “itself” was once again possible after decades of being locked into what Jean Baudrillard called the ...

Crocodiles of Arabia