Gilbert Achcar

An unprecedented and judicious examination of what the Holocaust means—and doesn't mean—in the Arab world, one of the most explosive subjects of our time There is no more inflammatory topic than the Arabs and the Holocaust—the phrase alone can occasion outrage. The terrain is dense with ugly claims and counterclaims: one side is charged with Holocaust denial, the other with exploiting a tragedy while denying the tragedies of others. In this pathbreaking book, political scientist Gilbert Achcar explores these conflicting narratives and considers their role in today's Middle East dispute. He analyzes the various Arab responses to Nazism, from the earliest intimations of the genocide, through the creation of Israel and the destruction of Palestine and up to our own time, critically assessing the political and historical context for these responses. Finally, he challenges distortions of the historical record, while making no concessions to anti-Semitism or Holocaust denial. Valid criticism of the other, Achcar insists, must go hand in hand with criticism of oneself. Drawing on previously unseen sources in multiple languages, Achcar offers a unique mapping of the Arab world, in the process defusing an international propaganda war that has become a major stumbling block in the path of Arab-Western understanding.

The Arab-Israeli War of Narratives

The Arabs and the Holocaust

Relapse in the Arab Uprising

Morbid Symptoms

تفكيك الثورة 

Michel Warschawski

Israel's War on Hezbollah in Lebanon and Its Consequences

The 33-Day War

G. M. Goshgarian

A Radical Exploration of the Arab Uprising

People Want

The sponsoring of the Muslim Brotherhood by the Emirate of Qatar and its influential satellite channel, Al Jazeera, contributed to shaping the prelude to the uprising. But the explosion's deep roots, asserts Achcar, mean that what happened until now is but the beginning of a revolutionary process likely to extend for many more years to come. The author identifies the actors and dynamics of the revolutionary process: the role of various social and political movements, the emergence of young actors making intensive use of new information and communication technologies, and the nature of power elites and existing state apparatuses that determine different conditions for regime overthrow in each case. Drawing a balance-sheet of the uprising in the countries that have been most affected by it until now, i.e. Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain, Libya and Syria, Achcar sheds special light on the nature and role of the movements that use Islam as a political banner.

The People Want

Marxism, Orientalism, Cosmopolitanism

Cet ouvrage présente une analyse de la guerre des 33 Jours et de ses conséquences nourrie d'une observation minutieuse du contexte politique et stratégique et d'une mise en perspective historique. Loin d'obliger le Hezbollah à déposer les armes, elle a transformé l'organisation intégriste islamiste chiite en ennemi le plus prestigieux d'Israël, métamorphosant le chef du Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, en héros arabe le plus populaire depuis Nasser. Au fil du temps, le Liban a confirmé sa position de Vietnam d'Israël: la dernière guerre a engendré la crise la plus grave qu'Israël ait eu à affronter depuis la guerre du kippour en 1973. Les auteurs appartiennent à ces deux pays ennemis que, sont Israël et le Liban. Ils sont liés depuis plus de trente ans par une amitié qui est d'autant plus forte qu'elle transcende les frontières les plus brûlantes.

la guerre d'Israël contre le Hezbollah au Liban et ses conséquences

La guerre des 33 jours

Leader of the international Trotskyist movement, lifelong revolutionary and scholar of world renown, Ernest Mandel managed to combine the role of respected intellectual and political leader. This book critically appraises his theoretical work.

The Legacy of Ernest Mandel

Since the first wave of uprisings in 2011, the euphoria of the "Arab Spring" has given way to the gloom of backlash and a descent into mayhem and war. The revolution has been overwhelmed by clashes between rival counter-revolutionary forces: resilient old regimes on the one hand and Islamic fundamentalist contenders on the other. In this eagerly awaited book, foremost Arab world and international affairs specialist Gilbert Achcar analyzes the factors of the regional relapse. Focusing on Syria and Egypt, Achcar assesses the present stage of the uprising and the main obstacles, both regional and international, that prevent any resolution. In Syria, the regime's brutality has fostered the rise of jihadist forces, among which the so-called Islamic State emerged as the most ruthless and powerful. In Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood's year in power was ultimately terminated by the contradictory conjunction of a second revolutionary wave and a bloody reactionary coup. Events in Syria and Egypt offer salient examples of a pattern of events happening across the Middle East. Morbid Symptoms offers a timely analysis of the ongoing Arab uprising that will engage experts and general readers alike. Drawing on a unique combination of scholarly and political knowledge of the Arab region, Achcar argues that, short of radical social change, the region will not achieve stability any time soon.

Noam Chomsky

The volatile Middle East is a region of vast resources, frequent crises and long-standing conflicts, as well as a major source of international tensions and a key site of direct US intervention. Noam Chomsky, the preeminent critic on US foreign policy, and Gilbert Achcar, a leading Middle East specialist, bring a keen understanding of the Middle East and the role of the US, covering such key topics as terrorism, fundamentalism, oil and democracy, as well as the war in Afghanistan, the invasion and occupation of Iraq, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the origins of US foreign policy.

Dialogues on Terror, Democracy, War, and Justice

Perilous Power:The Middle East and U.S. Foreign Policy

In their new book, Chomsky and Achcar bring a keen understanding of the internal dynamics of the Middle East and of the role of the United States, covering such topics as terrorism, fundamentalism, conspiracies, oil, and democracy as well as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Middle East & U.S. Foreign Policy : Dialogues on Terror, Democracy, War, and Justice

Perilous Power

This book assesses the causes and consequences of the impact on the recent Middle East war. The authors describe the popular basis of Hezbollah in Lebanon among the Shiites, but also its relation to the country's other religious communities and political forces. They analyze the regional roles of Syria, Iran, and Hamas as well as the politics of the United States and Europe. The authors dissect the strategic and political background behind recent actions taken by Israel; the impact of Israel's incursion into Lebanon and effects on Lebanon's population -- and the consequences of the war on Israel polity and society.

33 Day War

Stephan R. Shalom

The volatile Middle East is the site of vast resources, profound passions, frequent crises, and long-standing conflicts, as well as a major source of international tensions and a key site of direct US intervention. Two of the most astute analysts of this part of the world are Noam Chomsky, the preeminent critic of U.S, foreign policy, and Gilbert Achcar, a leading specialist of the Middle East who lived in that region for many years. In their new book, Chomsky and Achcar bring a keen understanding of the internal dynamics of the Middle East and of the role of the United States, taking up all the key questions of interest to concerned citizens, including such topics as terrorism, fundamentalism, conspiracies, oil, democracy, self-determination, anti-Semitism, and anti-Arab racism, as well as the war in Afghanistan, the invasion and occupation of Iraq, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the sources of U.S. foreign policy. This book provides the best readable introduction for all who wish to understand the complex issues related to the Middle East from a perspective dedicated to peace and justice.

Gilbert Achcar

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