Skip to content
The Long War for Freedom: The Arab Struggle for Democracy in the Middle East book cover

The Long War for Freedom: The Arab Struggle for Democracy in the Middle East

by Barry Rubin

Save 8% Save 8%
$25.95
$25.95 - $25.95
$25.95
$23.95
$23.95 - $23.95
$23.95
SKU 9780471739012
"An extremely important book. The Long War for Freedom finally presents to the Western world an in-depth portrait of those 'small voices' in the Arab world waging the most critical battle of the twenty-first century--the battle for the soul of the Middle East. No one with any interest in the struggle for economic and political reform in the Arab world can afford to neglect this penetrating and provocative work, which lays bare both the importance and the great difficulty of helping the Arab world to transform itself." --Kenneth Pollack, author of The Threatening Storm and The Persian Puzzle


The Long War for Freedom is the first book to investigate whether a real base of support for reform, moderation, and democratization even exists in the Middle East. Barr Rubin, one of the West's most trusted experts on Arab opinion and political culture, takes a close look at the brave, promising group of Arab liberals who have shown great personal courage and faced overwhelming odds to advocate new freedoms for their fellow citizens. 

Rubin's key insight is that the dynamic isn't a simple two-way fight--as it was with democratic reformers in Communist countries whom the Arab liberals are often compared to--between hardliners and reformers. Instead, the interplay is among the rulers, the religious radicals, and the reformers, who constantly pair off in different ways in different countries. 

Yet the questions remain: How Receptive are Arab states to reform? What are the obstacles that stand in the way of its establishment there, and how can they overcome? Would any further actions by the United States or Israel do more harm than good? 

The future of the world may rest in large part on what happens to the small band of heroes celebrated in The Long War for Freedom, since they may turn out to be the only real hope for peace and progress in the Middle East.

We earn a commission for purchases made through the following links.

shop for this title at Amazon

shop for this title at Bookshop.org

Book details

Author
Barry Rubin
Imprint
Trade Paper Press, an imprint of Turner Publishing Company
Published
Pages
304
Formats
Hardcover
Subjects
History › Middle East
Political Science › Political Ideologies › Democracy
Topics
Arab world · Middle East politics · political reform · democratization · economic reform · Middle East history
ISBN-13
9780471739012

About the author

BARRY M. RUBIN authored or edited more than 55 books on the Middle East. His recent books include Israel: An Introduction, The Truth About Syria and Hating America: A History.

Rubin held a Ph.D. in Middle East studies from Georgetown University and directed the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Israel. He served as editor of the Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA) and the journal Turkish Studies, and wrote a Middle East column for the Jerusalem Post.

Rubin was an American-born Israeli scholar, journalist, and political analyst specializing in terrorism and Middle Eastern affairs. He died on February 3, 2014, in Tel Aviv after an 18-month battle with cancer.

More books by Barry Rubin →

Format: Hardcover