Wednesday 9 October 2013

Anarchist, Liberal, and Authoritarian Enlightenments: Notes From the Arab Spring

Confirmatory yet insightful and revitalising article from 2011, written in the early days of the Arab Spring.

"Thus in these revolutionary experiments we encounter a rare combination of an anarchist method and a liberal intention: the revolutionary style is anarchist, in the sense that it requires little organization, leadership, or even coordination; tends to be suspicious of parties and hierarchies even after revolutionary success; and relies on spontaneity, minimal planning, local initiative, and individual will much more than on any other factors. On the other hand, the explicit goal of all Arab revolutions is the establishment of a liberal state—explicitly, a civic state--not an anarchist society."
Jadaliyya.com - Anarchist, Liberal, and Authoritarian Enlightenments: Notes From the Arab Spring