The Fires of Spring

March 14, 2016
Culbertson, a RAND Middle East analyst, travels through Tunisia, Turkey, Iraq, Qatar, Jordan, and Egypt, trying to understand the 2011 political upheavals that were "optimistically," and, she ultimately argues, inappropriately, called the Arab Spring. Shifting gender roles and the relationship between Islam and democracy are among her central concerns, as is the huge increase in the number of young people that will shape the region's future. Culbertson walks through the citadels of Amman and Carthage and the pyramids of Egypt, vividly illustrating the omnipresence of the ancient in the modern; her treatment of the Ottoman Empire's demise is particularly illuminating. She is quick to note that the Middle East is not monolithic and that the six countries had varying roles and experiences in the Arab Spring; but without a manageable focus, she writes like a travel writer with a tight deadline, seeking to concisely answer questions an academic might probe over several hundred more pages. At the end of her "journey," Culbertson articulates what might be the work's greatest drawback: "Now it was time to try to make sense of what I had learned for this book." Her conclusion is useful, if not unexpected: "Pessimistically declaring the Arab Spring a failure in 2016 would be as naive as optimistically declaring it a success in 2011." Agent: Don Fehr, Trident Media Group.

Starred review from January 15, 2016
A journey through the Middle East in the post-Arab Spring landscape. A journalist and RAND Corporation research manager in Qatar, American-born Culbertson (Education of Syrian Refugee Children: Managing the Crisis in Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan, 2015, etc.) traveled recently to six Middle East countries she believes are most indicative of the vast changes taking place in the region since the political upheavals in 2011. Tunisia was the catalyst when in January of that year, the self-immolation of Mohammed Bouazizi ignited national unrest, and a true revolution then convulsed Egypt with the overthrow of a long-running dictator. The author's curious choice of non-Arab Turkey underscores the profound and unsettling changes in the region that mirror the collapse of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I. Indeed, she posits, the struggle for the formation of legitimate nation-states began then, accompanied by "a troubled story of population swaps, ethnic cleansing, iron-fisted dictators, civil wars, and popular backlash," all establishing a pattern similar to what is occurring in these countries today. After presenting an overview of observations about the region as a whole--including the emphasis on the region's diversity, the struggle to delineate Islam's role in government, balancing the modern versus the past, the emancipation of women, and the inclusion of the overwhelming youthful demographic--Culbertson takes a deep look at each country in turn and asks the people involved what the revolution achieved for them. The answers vary widely: Egypt, having slipped back into dictatorship, is the bad example, and yet Egyptian women are leading the way in demanding change; Tunisia remains the imperfect model for reconciling the secular and the religious; Iraq, beset by the Islamic State group, threatens to splinter; entrepreneurial Jordan has proven surprisingly stable despite its massive refugee crisis; and Qatar, the wealthiest of the lot, is meddlesome and interventionist. Authoritarianism continues to strangle the region and its emerging institutions, and Culbertson follows it all with aplomb. A well-documented, brave, and useful overview.

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May 15, 2016

Culbertson, a journalist and analyst with long experience in the Middle East, traveled through the region between 2014 and 2015 to evaluate the impact of the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings. Combining extensive interviews with both leaders and ordinary citizens with expansive research, the author surveys the waves of demonstrations, riots, and political changes over six diverse countries: Tunisia, Turkey, Iraqi Kurdistan, Jordan, Qatar, and Egypt. Providing historical perspective from the breakup of the Ottoman Empire after World War I, the author explains the popular anger and frustration over decades of political repression, economic stagnation, and limits on individual freedom imposed by government or tradition. As Culbertson describes the limits and disappointments among the movement activists, she also sees incremental changes, fragile steps toward democracy in Tunisia and government responsiveness in Turkey and Jordan, for example, that suggest the beginning of a revolution incorporating broader political participation and government accountability. VERDICT This recommended overview of a complex set of upheavals in the Middle East explains both the causes and outcomes of the widespread unrest with clarity and a tone of affection and concern for the region. [See Prepub Alert, 10/26/15.]--Elizabeth Hayford, formerly with Associated Coll. of the Midwest, Evanston, IL

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2016
In December of 2010, a poor Tunisian street vendor named Mohammed Bouazizi set himself on fire to protest his ill treatment by a bureaucratic official, thereby sparking an antigovernment revolution in several Middle East nations that quickly became known as the Arab Spring. Although some countries, like Tunisia and Qatar, made big social and political improvements in the revolution's aftermath, others, like Syria, where civil war still rages, fared considerably worse. For this comprehensive and probing analysis of the Arab Spring's impact on the area over the last half decade, journalist and RAND Corporation researcher Culbertson spent nearly a year visiting the countries most affected by the turmoil: Turkey, Iraq, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, and Tunisia. From interviews with hundreds of citizens and statesmen, Culbertson came away with several key observations, including an appreciation for the improving status of women and a recognition that across the region Muslims are undergoing rapid changes in their faith. A book rich in invaluable information about both current conditions and possible future trends in Middle Eastern life and politics.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)