The End of History in the Middle East
In the summer of 1989, a young political scientist set Washington aflutter with the bold proclamation that, with the West's victory over the Soviet Union in the Cold War, history as we knew it may have just ended. Francis Fukuyama
saw in communism's collapse the "total exhaustion of viable systematic alternatives to Western liberalism." He viewed liberalism's triumph as "the end point of mankind's ideological evolution and the universalization of Western liberal democracy as the final form of human government."
Many sitting Arab governments believe they now have arrived at a similar point of clarity, but they have settled in a different place. Still reeling from the Arab Spring, they are converging on a model that combines authoritarianism with a social safety net, strict limits on religious expression, a more liberalized social space, and an invigorated private sector. It might be called the "GCC consensus," but its practice reaches from Tunisia to Jordan and beyond.
Read Jon Alterman's commentary on the
CSIS website.
From the Middle East Program
New Analysis
Natasha Hall released a
commentary with Karam Shaar and Munqeth Othman Agha on how the Assad regime systematically diverts tens of millions of dollars in aid to Syria. They argue that, "Assad does not merely profit from the crisis he has created. He also has created a system that rewards him more the worse things get. It is time to change the incentives, change the system, and start thinking strategically about Syria’s future."
Will Todman released a
commentary with freelance journalist Lyse Mauvais on the use of hydrogels as a solution to water scarcity in Jordan. They warn that while quick fixes to resource scarcity are appealing to policymakers, the sustainability of these new technologies should be a vital consideration.
Babel: Translating the Middle East
In the
most recent episode of Babel, Jon spoke with New York Times Magazine contributor Robert Worth about Saif Gaddafi's political ambitions in the upcoming Libyan elections and the memory of the Gaddafi regime in Libya.
In
another episode, Bob Springborg talked with Jon about shared aspects of political economy in the Middle East and how political economies of the region differ.
We also released two new mezze episodes:
one on block-chain pharmaceutical technologies in Bahrain and
another about a possible solution to long ambulance wait times in Israel.
Events
On November 16, the Middle East Program
hosted Sally Abi Khalil from Oxfam International, Georges Kettaneh from the Lebanese Red Cross, Dr. Maha Yahya from the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center, and Haneen Sayed from the World Bank for a discussion about the humanitarian aspects of Lebanon's growing crisis.
You can watch the event recording
here or view the transcript from the event
here.
In the News
Jon spoke with
Reuters about regional perceptions of the United States' commitment to the Middle East. "There's dismay that the United States is on its way out the door. I'm not sure messaging addresses that sense of impending American abandonment," Jon said. (11/20/21)
Arab News reported on Jon's meeting with Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs Adel Al-Jubeir in Riyadh earlier this month. (11/11/21)
Business Insider reported on Natasha's commentary about the Assad regime's diversion of humanitarian aid in Syria. (10/21/21)
