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In Chaos and Counterrevolution, international law scholar Richard Falk explores the wave of popular protests that swept North Africa and the Middle East in 2011—and the rapid demise (or reversal) the protest movement suffered in most countries, soon thereafter. The protests of 2011 inspired a new generation to imagine a future without authoritarianism. Yet, this sense of hope soon gave way to pessimism, counterrevolution, and sectarian strife.
In this unique collection of blog posts and essays, Falk explores these developments in key countries like Egypt, Libya, Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Iraq, pairing his reflections on developments as they unfolded with his later analysis of the events.
This is a companion volume to Falk's Palestine: The Legitimacy of Hope.
"Richard Falk did it again. A masterly survey and critical analysis by an expert with knowledge and wisdom. Chaos and Counterrevolution is a subtle and sophisticated assessment of what is going on in the MENA region After the Arab Spring. It is a major contribution to the field as well as (Critical) International Relations Theory. Highly recommended."
—Fuat Keyman, director of Istanbul Policy Center; professor at Sabancı University
"The blogposts collected in this volume showcase both the immediacy of contemporaneous reporting and the reflective, thoughtful analysis that has characterized all of Falk’s writing over many decades. His deep knowledge of the region (especially Turkey) gives extraordinary depth and texture to his compelling insights; and the power of his narrative and the excitements—and disappointments—he records impel the narrative forward with intense force."
—Laleh Khalili, author of Time in the Shadows: Confinement in Counterinsurgencies
"Richard Falk’s groundbreaking investigative work on Palestine and Israel is well known. But he has also followed the swift tide of events in the rest of the Middle East with fine attention to the complex questions of international law and morality that they inevitably raise. Chaos and Counterrevolution provides crucial analysis, helping readers worldwide to understand what has been happening in many Arab countries, and in Turkey and Iran."
—Marwan Muasher, vice president for studies, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
"Chaos and Counterrevolution: After the Arab Spring offers a tour de force inside the Middle East region. It presents candid and lucid analyses of interconnected complexities ranging from a lurking colonial past and hegemonic policies, to rising expectations and dashed hopes following the Arab spring. Richard Falk depicts the essence of the struggle between hegemony and emancipation in the region. He tells it as it is: painful but very real."
—Emad El-Din Shahin, editor-in-chief, the Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Politics