Near Eastern archaeology and the Arab Spring: avoiding the ostrich effect

Antiquity ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 88 (340) ◽  
pp. 639-643 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael D. Danti
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
Arab Spring ◽  
Turning Point ◽  
Near Eastern ◽  
Rural Village ◽  
The Past ◽  
Syrian Civil War ◽  
The Future ◽  
Major Turning Point ◽  
The Arab Spring

As an American archaeologist who has worked in Syria, living in a rural village in Raqqa Province off and on for decades, I am frequently asked: did you see it coming? Were there early signs of the Arab Spring and the Syrian civil war? The answer is both yes and no. In retrospect, the signs were there, but foreign archaeologists did not always identify them. More often we simply chose to ignore them. Regardless, we have come to many important realisations. Foremost, Near Eastern archaeology has reached a major turning point, which raises a more pressing question: what now? Our answers will profoundly shape the future of our field. As archetypal students of history, we must learn from the lessons of the past and act. Playing the part of the metaphorical ostrich and burying our heads in the sand would be far easier, perhaps even customary, but this cannot be our course. A strong and engaged field is needed now more than ever—my primary intent here is to dissect what this means.

New Portrayals of the Arab World in TV Series

2021 ◽  
pp. 107-122
Author(s):  
Alfonso Corral ◽  
Brenda Pérez ◽  
Héctor J. Oliva
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Arab Spring ◽  
Arab World ◽  
Edward Said ◽  
Syrian Civil War ◽  
The Arab Spring

This work reflects on how the representation of the Arab world has evolved in three fictional works that have emerged in the second decade of the 21st century: Homeland (Showtime Networks, 2011-2020), Tyrant (FX Network-Fox, 2014-2016), and Jack Ryan (Amazon Prime Video, 2018-). The goal is to determine whether the main socio-political milestones that occurred during this period (the Arab Spring, Syrian Civil War, appearance of ISIS, etc.) have transformed the already classic theories of authors such as Edward Said, Jack Shaheen, or Evelyn Alsultany, among others. A viewing and analysis of the first season of each show demonstrates that the panorama has not improved in terms of discourse, topics, and stereotypes. It is clear, therefore, that the lens of 9/11 is still very present in the Hollywood mindset regarding Arabs, Muslims, and Islam.

scholarly journals The Saudi–US Alliance challenges and resilience, 2011: 2019

2019 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ghada Ahmed Abdel Aziz
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
Arab Spring ◽  
Strategic Partnership ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Past ◽  
Bilateral Relations ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Alliance Theory ◽  
The Arab Spring ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This paper aims to explore to what extent can the Saudi–US alliance endure, given the several challenges it has faced over the past decade. Using a conceptual framework from the alliance theory, the paper will trace the historical evolution of the alliance between the two countries, then will identify some of the challenges that have faced the alliance on both the regional and bilateral levels, and finally will assess the impact of these challenges on the resilience of the Saudi–US alliance. Design/methodology/approach This paper will use the alliance theory literature to analyze the challenges and the resilience of the Saudi–US relations. Findings The Saudi–US alliance has encountered several challenges in the past decade such as the Arab spring, the Iranian nuclear deal and the Civil War in Syria and Yemen. However, this alliance proved to be resilient, and the strategic partnership between the two countries managed to overcome these challenges. Originality/value The importance of this paper stems from the fact that the USA and the Saudi Arabia are two pivotal countries, and their relationship affects regional and international dynamics. The paper contributes to the literature on the Saudi–US bilateral relations as well as their views on recent regional issues such as the Arab Spring, the civil war in Yemen and Syria. Assessing the limits and potentials of the alliance between the two countries could also help us understand the future of regional developments in the Middle East.

Does realism explain the Arab Spring? Neorealist alliance formation theories and the Syrian civil war

2021 ◽  
pp. 002070202110215
Author(s):  
Mohammed Nuruzzaman
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
Civil Wars ◽  
Arab Spring ◽  
Balance Of Power ◽  
The United States ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Alliance Formation ◽  
Syrian Civil War ◽  
Syrian Conflict ◽  
The Arab Spring

Dominant International Relations theories—realism/neorealism, liberalism/neoliberalism, and constructivism—have so far developed no rigorous theoretical attempts to interpret the Arab Spring, though some marginal efforts have been made to critique the failure of realism to interpret this historical development. This article presents a neorealist interpretation of the Arab Spring focusing on the Syrian civil war, where conflicts between the pro- and anti-status quo forces have unfolded in alignments and counter-alignments centering around rival domestic and external groups. To explain the involvements of rival alliances in the post-2011 Syrian conflict, namely, the United States–Saudi Arabia–Israel alliance and the Russia–Iran–Syria alliance, this analysis employs neorealist theories of alliance formation—the balance of power and balance of threat theories—as articulated by Kenneth Waltz and Stephen Walt, respectively. The dynamics of these formations in Syria lend more support to Walt’s theory that states balance against threats rather than against power. The complex nature and dynamics of the Syrian war, however, calls for refinements of Walt’s balance of threat theory. Accordingly, the article also explores various refinements of Walt’s theory to better explain future complex civil wars involving highly polarized domestic and external parties.

Introduction

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.N.C. Hill
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
Political Development ◽  
Arab Spring ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Arab Spring

The Maghreb’s political development continues to confound expectations. Few specialists anticipated the start of the Arab Spring. Fewer still thought it would begin in Tunisia, long regarded as one of the region’s most stable and prosperous countries.1 Then, when the demonstrations did break out, most assumed Ben Ali would easily deal with them. Not only had he overcome similar challenges in the past, but he had the support of a large, well-funded and experienced security apparatus. Their shock at his downfall less than a month later was compounded by the simultaneous outbreak of copycat protests elsewhere and Libya’s descent into civil war. Many now issued millennial predictions about what would happen next. Unrest would sweep the region. None of its leaders would be spared. Algeria was especially vulnerable....

scholarly journals Cocktails of pesticide residues in conventional and organic farming systems in Europe – legacy of the past and turning point for the future

2021 ◽  
pp. 116827
Author(s):  
Violette Geissen ◽  
Vera Silva ◽  
Esperanza Huerta Lwanga ◽  
Nicolas Beriot ◽  
Klaas Oostindie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Farming ◽  
Pesticide Residues ◽  
Turning Point ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Future ◽  
Organic Farming Systems

The Time Machine

1987 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 171-172
Author(s):  
Robert H. Guinter
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
Time Machine ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Future

Just before Christmas, my 12-year-old son was reading The Time Machine by H. G. Wells. According to the story, the driver of this machine could travel to any date in the past or future, and he could return to the present time whenever he wished. We enjoyed talking about the story and about how much fun it would be to own a time machine. Where would we go and what would we see? He decided, among other things, that we should see his grandparents as children, to see whether their way of life really was as different from his as they say it was. Then we should visit some famous persons from the past and witness some great event, such as a Civil War battle. Then we should look to the future. What will we be like in 10 or 20 years? What will our city or country be like in 100 or 1,000 years? What will our planet be like in 1 million years? We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves as we talked about owning and using such a machine.

26. Conflict and Chaos in the Middle East

2020 ◽  
pp. 643-669
Author(s):  
John W. Young ◽  
John Kent
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Civil War ◽  
Middle East ◽  
Arab Spring ◽  
Islamic State ◽  
International Intervention ◽  
The Arab Spring

This chapter examines the unrest across the Middle East in the 2010s. The first section focuses on the civil war in Syria and the role of so-called Islamic State., examining the causes of the Syrian uprising and the development of protests against President Assad into civil war. It describes the growth of Jihadism, formation of Ahrar al-Sham, and emergence of ISIS, and the subsequent declaration of a Caliphate. The escalation and destructive impact of the conflict is examined in the context of increasing international intervention and the involvement of foreign powers in both exacerbation of the conflict and efforts to restore peace. The second section describes the growing regional importance of Iran alongside the 2015 nuclear deal and tensions with Saudi Arabia. The chapter concludes with the Arab Spring in Tunisia and Egypt, conflict in Yemen, and the downfall of Gaddafi in Libya.

“State of Barbary” (Take Two): From the Arab Spring to the Return of Violence in Syria

2014 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philippe Droz-Vincent
Keyword(s):  
Social Movements ◽  
Civil War ◽  
Arab Spring ◽  
National Movement ◽  
Syrian Revolution ◽  
The Arab Spring ◽  
The Ideal

Unlike the Tunisian and Egyptian uprisings in 2011, the Syrian Revolution has endured for more than three years. The uprising burst from the “peripheries” of the regime into an organized national movement, clinging at the beginning to the ideal of a nonviolent, nonsectarian upheaval aiming at a democratic Syria. Yet, the dynamics of contention between the regime and social movements have been re-shaped, leading to a return of violence with the risks of sectarian civil war looming.

History as trauma and the possibility of the future: Theo Angelopoulos’ Voyage to Cythera

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean Homer
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
Traumatic Event ◽  
Psychoanalytic Theory ◽  
Narrative Structure ◽  
The Other ◽  
Political Prisoners ◽  
Cultural Trauma ◽  
Fundamental Characteristic ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Future

Theo Angelopoulos has described Taxidi sta Kythira (Voyage to Cythera) (1984) as an attempt to ‘exorcise the past’ and offer the Greek audience a possibility to face the future without the traumas of the past. This article explores the question of the extent to which we can exorcise the past and asks if a future is possible without acknowledging the traumas of the past. Drawing upon cultural trauma theory, the article analyses the Greek Civil War (1946‐49) as a cultural trauma for the Greek Left, especially concerning the recognition of political prisoners and exiles. Psychoanalytic theory, on the other hand, suggests that a fundamental characteristic of trauma is the un-representability of the event itself, as a traumatic event is only known through its persistent reiterations. Through its multi-layered narrative structure and aesthetic strategies of deferral and displacement Voyage to Cythera stages the trauma of the Greek Civil War for both the returning exiles and the generation that followed. As a representation of presence through absence, the article considers Voyage to Cythera in terms of Thomas Elsaesser’s concept of the parapractic text and Max Silverman’s notion of palimpsestic memory whereby the film does not exorcise the past as such but reveals a past haunting the present. The article concludes with the reflection that a traumatic past has a tendency to return however much we may wish to lay it rest.

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