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arab spring
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Remembering, not commemorating, creates life
[Editor’s note: This article is the third in a series published in collaboration with Mada Masr to mark the tenth anniversary of the Egyptian revolution. It is also available in Arabic.] In the experience of Syrians’ dispersal and our diaspora—and before it, during the revolution, with its territorial shifts from one region to another in Syria—we were offered a paradox and rare opportunity. This was for Syrian groups…
Absurd history, absolute future
[Editor’s note: This article is the second in a series published in collaboration with Mada Masr to mark the tenth anniversary of the Egyptian revolution. It is also available in Arabic.] The embodied insight I gained the evening of Mubarak’s abdication in February 2011 is that absolute freedom corresponds to the feeling of being trapped in a crowd. This doubled-edged sentiment has allowed me to…
How not to remember the revolution
[Editor’s note: This article is the first in a series published in collaboration with Mada Masr to mark the tenth anniversary of the Egyptian revolution. It is also available in Arabic.] It is the tenth anniversary of the Arab Spring, and we can’t quite escape the act of remembrance. Yet, rather than reenacting facile modes of nostalgia or tragic lamentation, we opt to remember with…
Officially incompetent
Why Western officialdom is inherently stacked against unexpected democracy movements such as the Arab Spring.
Syrian Youth: Why is Political Action Still Missing?
An amalgam of unease and dread overwhelm me as I write this piece, especially after a friend warned me that this issue is infinitely thorny and difficult to tackle. I nonetheless maintained the idea of writing and formulating my own perspective. As a young man who lived through years of revolution, I was amongst those who were overly optimistic in the beginning, then grew dismayed…
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