The Allure of Populism in the Arab World

Hassan Aourid

"This book is an important document for Arab readers everywhere, providing political and theoretical, historical and contemporary information about Arabs, their past and their destinies, and what looms in the future of their existence and the dynamics of their presence on the international stage. The author states in his research:

«The Arab world has exhausted grand narratives, from Arab nationalism to political Islam, and euphoria during the ‘Arab Spring,’ but it has met with failure in the wake of every wave, finding no alternative to the scorching heat of setbacks except the mirage of populism. Can the cure be from the core of the disease: escaping the fiery heat of political distortion, economic stagnation, and cultural decline, to the scorching heat of populism? No alternative appears on the horizon of the Arab world, other than authoritarianism wrapped in a populist guise, or, in less pedantic terms, voluntary enslavement, to which the masses lead themselves to their own demise. And how can societies be effective while they are under the yoke? All powers that have relied on civilization paved their way after breaking free from the yoke of enslavement and the burden of humiliation, such as China and India... And even powers that are the product of the impetus of Islamic civilization, such as Iran and Turkey, have become influential. So why have non-Arabs progressed while Arabs have not?»

Hassan Aourid - a Moroccan writer and novelist who won the Pushkin Prize for Literature in 2015 for his literary works, including: "Rawaa Makkah," "Ribat al-Tanabi," "Rabi' Cordoba," "Al-Morisco," and "Biography of a Donkey." His intellectual books have also achieved widespread popularity, including "A World Without Landmarks" and "The Decline of the West."