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The Arab Spring Brought Varieties of Anarchy

(Foreign Policy) Edward Luttwak - The Arab Spring has indeed been consequential in awakening populations from passivity. But this merely precludes dictatorial rule, even while these countries' fundamental conditions continue to preclude democracy. Only varieties of anarchy remain. Tunisia would seem to have the preconditions for democratic governance. Yet it is now ruled by an ineffectual Islamist party that is plainly incapable of restarting the economy and cannot or will not protect secular institutions from Salafi attacks. Libya is a tapestry of heterogeneity that devolves into a multitude of rival tribes, some of which are locked in blood feuds. In Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood won the elections, while a Salafi movement that seeks to import Saudi extremism grabbed some 20% of the vote. The writer is a senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
2013-05-09 00:00:00
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