Neoliberal Governmentality and the Future of the State in the Middle East and North Africa

## List of Illustrations 1.1 The Middle East and North Africa in revolt by Murat Palta. 9.1 Gezi protestors under attack in Taksim, Istanbul, June 2013. 9.2 Gezi protests continued for months despite immense police violence. 9.3 Women have played a leading role in the Kurdish liberation movement. 10.1 "We are the poor and they are the kings (building on Sheikh Imam's popular song) . . . Down with the sectarian regime" ("toppling the sectarian regime" flyer). 10.2 Demonstrators filling the streets of Beirut. 10.3 "I won't change my country, I want to change the regime." 10.4 The nationalist figure of Handala on a placard outside the Jaffa camp. The sign reads in Arabic: "I await a house!! And so is he." 10.5 "A cage needed from Egypt for 120 people (the number of Israel's MPs): Details with the People." CHAPTER 1 Introduction: Neoliberal Governmentality and the Future of the State in the Middle East and North Africa Emel Akçalı F rom the inception of the "Arab Spring" in Tunisia in December 2010, the popular revolts soon spread across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) to other Arab countries including also non-Arab countries such as Israel, Iran, and Turkey. The uprisings have not been limited to the region, however. Southern European cities (notably in Spain and Greece) saw hundreds of thousands of protesters responding to the democratic agenda of the Arab revolts as well as to local grievances such as austerity measures, national financial crises, neoconservative agendas, urban gentrification, human rights violations, and the European sovereign debt crisis (Monterescu and Shaindlinger 2013, p. 6). Protests considered to be inspired by the Arab uprisings also took place in the United States, Chile, and Brazil with varying degrees of success (ibid.). Political scientists and historians have long argued that economic crises and the subsequent societal and political mobilization are the most significant variables behind the social revolutions ( Cover 1 Half-Title 2 Title 4 Copyright 5 Contents 6 List of Illustrations 8 Acknowledgments 10 List of Abbreviations 12 1 Introduction: Neoliberal Governmentality and the Future of the State in the Middle East and North Africa 15 2 Squaring the Circle? Transitology and the Arab Revolts 29 3 The Failure of the State (Re)Building Process in Iraq 44 4 Welfare Genocide: Rentierism, Neoliberalism, and the Corporatization of the Public Sector in Jordan 57 5 Islamism and Neoliberalism in the Aftermath of the 2011 Arab Uprisings: The Freedom and Justice Party in Egypt and Nahda in Tunisia 72 6 Jihadism in the Aftermath of Arab Revolutions: An Outcome of the “Failed State”? 95 7 “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”: The Israeli Nuclear Taboo and the Limits of Global Governmentality 114 8 Neoliberal Policies and the Egyptian Trade Union Movement: Politics of Containment and the Limits of Resistance 131 9 The Kurdish Question, Urban Protests, and the Neoliberal Transformation of the Turkish State and Society 150 10 The Impossible Revolution: Why Did the Arab Spring Fail to Materialize in Lebanon and Israel/Palestine? 174 11 In Lieu of Conclusion: From Bare Life to Dignity 196 Bibliography 203 Notes on Contributors 225 Index 230 Front Matter....Pages i-xiii Introduction: Neoliberal Governmentality and the Future of the State in the Middle East and North Africa....Pages 1-14 Squaring the Circle? Transitology and the Arab Revolts....Pages 15-29 The Failure of the State (Re)building Process in Iraq....Pages 31-43 Welfare Genocide: Rentierism, Neoliberalism, and the Corporatization of the Public Sector in Jordan....Pages 45-59 Islamism and Neoliberalism in the Aftermath of the 2011 Arab Uprisings: The Freedom and Justice Party in Egypt and Nahda in tunisia....Pages 61-83 Jihadism in the Aftermath of Arab Revolutions: An Outcome of the “Failed State”?....Pages 85-103 “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”: The Israeli Nuclear Taboo and the Limits of Global Governmentality....Pages 105-121 Neoliberal Policies and the Egyptian Trade Union Movement: Politics of Containment and the Limits of Resistance....Pages 123-141 The Kurdish Question, Urban Protests, and the Neoliberal Transformation of the Turkish State and Society....Pages 143-166 The Impossible Revolution: Why Did the Arab Spring Fail to Materialize in Lebanon and Israel/Palestine?....Pages 167-188 In Lieu of Conclusion: From Bare Life to Dignity....Pages 189-195 Back Matter....Pages 197-231 "Through an analysis of diverse regional case studies, this edited volume aims to shed light on the ways in which neoliberal governmentalities have developed and functioned in various Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) countries. By scrutinizing whether resistance and a genuine revolutionary transformation in this important region have been futile or not, the authors seek to offer an outlook on the future of the state and society in the MENA. This volume aims to problematize furthermore the ways in which global neoliberal discourses of democracy, modernity, emancipation, liberty, secularism, individual rights, and liberalism translate on the ground in the region."-- Provided by publisher This volume is a theoretical analysis of the current crises of state and societal transformations in the Middle East and North Africa. The emphasis on the impact and limits of neoliberal governmentality places these uprisings within the specific contextual and structural environment of neoliberal globalization.