Credit: Arab Center
The Middle East’s return to repression provides a tragic epitaph to the post-9/11 era, notes Brookings’ analyst Shadi Hamid. Over the past two decades, Arabs have repeatedly demonstrated that their desire for political alternatives goes far beyond the nihilism of jihadi groups such as al Qaeda and ISIS. People in the region have displayed considerable courage, as protesters and dissidents have risked their lives and livelihoods in pursuit of self-determination. But it wasn’t enough. The moment has passed, and there is little reason for hope or optimism, he writes for Foreign Affairs.
