Long War for Freedom - Barry Rubin

Long War for Freedom

By Barry Rubin

  • Release Date: 2013-02-13
  • Genre: Political Science

Description

This book foresaw the "Arab Spring" of 2011. It was obvious years before that the old Arab nationalist dictatorships had failed and were being challenged by two forces: liberal democracy advocates and revolutionary Islamists. While the Long War for Freedom focuses on the moderates, it also, by necessity, presents the worldview and strategy of the Islamists.
In brief, the book's theme is that while the moderates were right about the direction the Arab world should take, that in no way meant they would win. On the contrary, while sympathetic with this group the book shows the many reasons they were poorly positioned to compete with the Islamists and thus the likelihood that the latter would provide the next wave of regimes in the Middle East.
As far as I know, The Long War for Freedom is the only book that tries to present a comprehensive picture of the liberal reformist tendency, its arguments, and those of its adversaries. I'm particularly pleased with this book and its prophetic aspects and believe that it reads as very up-to-date a number of years after it was published by John Wiley Publishers in 2005.