The Arab Springs by James E. Kelvin offers a holistic and synthesized understanding of the Arab world. The book tackles geo-political, historical, and economic trends and ultimately paints the landscape by which the uprising of the Arab springs emerged from.
It's a well written book, anyone can begin to understand it right away. But that's not the reason why I am writing this blog. I was fascinated with this quote:
Maya Mikdashi's professorial bio can be found here
Her analysis on neoliberalism is quite fascinating. It made me start connecting other products neoliberalism engendered. Say the Internet? Could it be possible that after the 70s--the neoliberal project towards a more laissez faire economy inadvertently produced it's on demise?
The Internet protocol is a revolutionary platform that allows applications like:Gmail, Facebook, MySpace, Napster, Youtube, Blogger, Amazon, Ebay, to develop a new economy. Now there is a new protocol, a "trust protocol" technologies like blockchain, smart contracts, and other disrupting technologies aiming towards autonomy, that neoliberalism so blindly represented. If her theory is correct, was the neoliberal project such a disaster? Yes and no.
Yes in the austerity measures and in the fork tounge attitudes of global adminstrations (IMF) it imposed on other non-Western countries.
No on the technological products that disintermediates on third parties.
This are just my thoughts and rambles, what do Y'ALL think? Comment share and spread. And as always keep Steeming!