Egypt, the Arabs, and the World: Reflections at the Turn of the Twenty-First Century

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In a collection of articles originally published between 1995 and 2011 in Cairo\'s Al-Ahram Weekly and Ahram Online (as well as in the Guardian, and on Salon.com), Egyptian journalist Hani Shukrallah examines his own culture and society during what he terms \"a tempestuous period of history for the region and for its relations with the rest of the world.\" He makes unflinching observations and asks difficult questions in his attempts to reveal underlying truths about democracy, human development, regional power relations, and the demonization of Arabs and Muslims in the west.Why is it that democracy\'s \"winds of change\" can roam the globe, but as soon as they hit Arab shores they turn into the mildest breeze? How is it that one of the least successful regions of the world in terms of human and technological development is able to put itself forward to be framed as the greatest source of threat to international peace and security in a post-Cold War world? And while the American empire might well need a \"demonic other\" to renew itself, why were Arabs and Muslims such willing volunteers to play the role of demon?Hani Shukrallah does not provide ready answers, but merely suggests ways of reexamining our reality and the world around us that may help point the way toward solutions.