The Middle East Crisis Factory: Tyranny, Resilience and Resistance [Paperback]

Has autocracy won out in the Middle East? Two Arab dissidents explain how tyrants rule, and explore the region's horizons of change.Why is the Middle East a crisis factory, and how can it be fixed? What does the future look like for its 500 million people? And what role should the West play?Iyad El-Baghdadi and Ahmed Gatnash tell the story of the modern Middle East as a series of broken promises. They chart the entrenchment of tyranny, terrorism and foreign intervention, showing how these systems of oppression simultaneously feed off and battle each other. Exploring demographic, economic and social trends, the authors paint a picture of the region's prospects that is alarming yet hopeful. Finally, they present ambitious and thoughtful ideas that reject both aggressive military intervention and cynical deals with dictators.This book, written by two children of the region, is about the failures of history, and the reasons for hope.The Middle East Crisis Factoryoffers a bold vision for those seeking peace and democracy in the Middle East.IntroductionPart 1: HistoryChapter 1: A history of social contracts: The nineteenth century to 2011Chapter 2: The vicious triangle: Tyrants, terrorists and the WestChapter 3: Breakage and its aftermath: 2011 to presentPart 2: HorizonsChapter 4: Where are Arab regimes heading?Chapter 5: Where are Arab societies heading?Chapter 6: The next twenty yearsPart 3: HopeChapter 7: Tyranny and civil societyChapter 8: Foreign policy to isolates dictatorshipsChapter 9: Foreign policy to support civil societyChapter 10: Managing the end gameAfterword: A bold new visionIyad El-Baghdadi is an Arab writer, activist and entrepreneur, and founder/president of the Kawaakibi Foundation and its website The Arab Tyrant Manual. He tweets as @iyad_elbaghdadi.Ahmed Gatnash is a British-Libyan intellectual, activist and entrepreneur, and co-founder of the Kawaakibi Foundation, hosting its Arab Tyrant Manual podcast. He tweets as @gatnash. A rare genuinl£)