Mecca of Revolution: Algeria, Decolonization, and the Third World Order (Oxford Studies in International History)

Mecca of Revolution examines the history of anticolonial internationalism, or “Third Worldism,” through the prism of Algeria’s decolonization and the international relations of independent Algeria. It argues that the Third World movement evolved from a subversive transnational phenomenon in the late-colonial era into a diplomatic collaboration among postcolonial elites to exalt state sovereignty and national authority. Its examination of international affairs places equal, or even greater, emphasis on “South-South” relations than the more typical North-South perspective. New evidence from the archives of Algeria, Yugoslavia, and numerous other countries demystifies the Third Worldist phenomenon. The book looks past the rhetoric of Bandung, nonalignment, and Afro-Asianism to analyze the nascent geopolitics of postcolonial Africa, the Middle East, and the Southern Hemisphere as a whole. Refuting the notion that the Third World project ended in failure, Mecca of Revolution reveals the development of a Third Worldist normative framework that shapes global affairs in the early twenty-first century, its import felt in matters as diverse as the Arab Spring revolutions, nuclear proliferation, and global trade negotiations. It also argues that the most important effect of the Cold War in the Southern Hemisphere was to push the process of decolonization toward its eventual state-centric outcome. In that regard, the Algerian case shows that the industrialized world’s new methods of political mobilization (such as Wilsonian diplomacy and Marxist-Leninist revolution) were much more influential in the postcolonial world than were the underlying ideologies that informed those methods. Mecca of Revolution traces the ideological and methodological evolution of the Algerian Revolution, showing how an anticolonial nationalist struggle culminated in independent Algeria's ambitious agenda to reshape not only its own society, but international society too. In this work, Jeffrey James Byrne first examines the changing politics and international strategies of the Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN) during its war with France, including the embrace of more encompassing visions of "decolonization" that necessitated socio-economic transformation on a global scale along Marxist/Leninist/Fanonist/Maoist/Guevarian lines. After independence, the Algerians played a leading role in Arab-African affairs as well as the far-reaching Third World project that challenged structural inequalities in the international system and the world economy, including initiatives such as the Non-Aligned Movement, the G77, and the Afro-Asian movement. At the same time, Algiers, nicknamed the "Mecca of Revolution," became a key nexus in an intercontinental transnational network of liberation movements, revolutionaries, and radical groups of various kinds.Drawing on unprecedented access to archival materials from the FLN, the independent Algerian state, and half a dozen other countries, Byrne narrates a postcolonial, or "South-South," international history. He situates dominant paradigms such as the Cold War in the larger context of decolonization and sheds new light on the relationships between the emergent elites of Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America.Mecca of Revolution shows how Third Worldism evolved from a subversive transnational phenomenon into a mode of elite cooperation that reinforced the authority of the post-colonial state. In so doing, the Third World movement played a key role in the construction of the totalizing international order of the late-twentieth century. Mecca of Revolution traces the ideological and methodological evolution of the Algerian Revolution, showing how an anticolonial nationalist struggle culminated in independent Algeria's ambitious agenda to reshape not only its own society, but international society too. In this work, Jeffrey James Byrne first examines the changing politics and international strategies of the Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN) during its war with France, including the embrace of more encompassing visions of "decolonization" that necessitated socio-economic transformation on a global scale along Marxist/Leninist/Fanonist/Maoist/Guevarian lines. After independence, the Algerians played a leading role in Arab-African affairs as well as the far-reaching Third World project that challenged structural inequalities in the international system and the world economy, including initiatives such as the Non-Aligned Movement, the G77, and the Afro-Asian movement. At the same time, Algiers, nicknamed the "Mecca of Revolution," became a key nexus in an intercontinental transnational network of liberation movements, revolutionaries, and radical groups of various kinds. Drawing on unprecedented access to archival materials from the FLN, the independent Algerian state, and half a dozen other countries, Byrne narrates a postcolonial, or "South-South," international history. He situates dominant paradigms such as the Cold War in the larger context of decolonization and sheds new light on the relationships between the emergent elites of Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America. Mecca of Revolution shows how Third Worldism evolved from a subversive transnational phenomenon into a mode of elite cooperation that reinforced the authority of the post-colonial state. In so doing, the Third World movement played a key role in the construction of the totalizing international order of the late-twentieth century. Amid the burgeoning literature on the connections between the global north and the global south, Mecca of Revolution is a pure example of post-colonial, or "south-south, " international history. Through an examination of Algeria's interactions with the wider world, from the beginning of its war of independence to the fall of its first post-colonial regime, the Third Worldist perspective on the twentieth century comes into view. Hitherto dominant historical paradigms such as the Cold War are situated in the larger context of decolonization and the re-inclusion of the large majority of humanity in international affairs. At the same time, groundbreaking research in the archives of Algeria and a half-dozen other countries enable Mecca of Revolution to advance beyond the focus on discourse analysis that has typified previous studies of Third World internationalism. It demystifies terms like Non-Alignment, Afro-Asianism, and Bandung, and sheds new light on the relationships between the emergent elites of Africa, the Middle East, Asian, and Latin America. As one of the most prominent sites of post-colonial socialist experimentation and an epicenter of transnational guerrilla activity, Algeria was at the heart of efforts to transform global political and economic structures. Yet, the book also shows how Third Worldism evolved from a subversive transnational phenomenon into a mode of elite cooperation that reinforced the authority of the post-colonial state. In so doing, the Third World movement played a key role in the construction of the totalizing international order of the late-twentieth century. Ultimately, Mecca of Revolution shows the "post-colonial world" is all of our world.-- Provided by Publisher Through An Examination Of Algeria's Interactions With The Wider World From The Beginning Of Its War Of Independence To The Fall Of Its First Post-colonial Regime, 'mecca Of Revolution' Provides The Third Worldist Perspective On Twentieth Century International History. Featuring Pioneering Research On Multiple Continents, It Rejuvenates The Fields Of Diplomatic History And Post-colonial Studies. Method Men : The Praxis Of Anti-colonial Resistance -- Our Friends Today : Algeria Joins The Third World -- Real Existing Third Worldism : National Development In The Age Of Ideologies -- The Allure Of Globalism : Algeria Amid Continents, Colors, And The Cold War -- Mecca Of Impatience And Anxiety : Globalizations And The Third World Order. Jeffrey James Byrne. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 347-364) And Index.