Nationalist sentiment has played a pivotal role in uprisings throughout history, from eastern Europe to the United States to Africa. In the Arab world, nationalism has played less of a role. Attempts at a pan-Arab movement fell apart while nationalism evolved over the years into Islamism. But recent uprisings in the Middle East aren’t springing entirely from any of the three. So, which “ism” is inspiring revolution in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and the Gulf? Aviel Roshwald is a professor of history at Georgetown University.
The story you just read is available to read for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, the reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
When you make a gift of $10 or more a month, we’ll invite you to a virtual behind-the-scenes tour of our newsroom to thank you for being with The World.