real utopias

In the book; Arabs at the Crossroads: Political Identity and Nationalism, Hilal Khashan, an associate professor of political science at the American University of Beirut, provides a vivid description of Arab political performance since the decline of the Ottoman Empire in the nineteenth century and the subsequent formal abrogation of the Islamic Caliphate in 1924 amidst rising European colonialism and Zionism. The book is small (149 pages of text) but concise and well written. Despite raising some very controversial issues, Khashan has combined the coolness of scholarship with intellectual rigor and political concern. His dispassionate perspective is refreshing and makes the book unapologetically independent and provocative.

Housing in most of the Arab world cities is an informal affair. After having founded a family, or to remain near employment opportunities, most people trying to find a place to live inend up building their houses themselves, or participating in construction projects managed either by families or by modest real-estate developers. Due to the government’s inability to provide or support affordable housing on a large scale, people have to cope on their own to access shelter and neighbourhoods. Despite the importance of the issue, very few studies have been conducted in the domain, and it remains relatively unnoticed. In fact, after the 2000s, the interest in the subject has even begun to dwindle. Urban studies were more focusing on megaprojects, which renew and extend the urban landscape in a much more spectacular manner, such as the making of new towns, luxury housing, malls, historical downtowns, new business districts, and coastal resorts...

NEW YORK – From Turkey to Egypt, Bulgaria to Thailand, and Brazil to India, the rise of an urban, entitled, angry middle class is one of the most striking trends of the last few years.  Rebellions have different proximate causes, but protestors are united by a profound sense of disillusionment with self-interested and inefficient regimes. They are also technologically savvy, aware of their rights, and economically ambitious.  Their countries have benefited to varying degrees from emerging market growth and investment, but their regimes have all failed to evolve politically to meet the expectations of their people. As liquidity tightens and growth slows, this state-level dysfunction is increasingly exposed.  It is no surprise then, that a common theme drives all these protests – corruption.

It's been three years of tumultuous activity and protests and demonstrations in Egypt. Recently it has resulted in an election. Yet, if you were looking at the mainstream media and how it's covered the elections, you will see that they have described it as a success story.