This talk was given at the National SJP conference in October 2017

This panel will provide an analysis of the Arab uprisings of 2011 and the Counter-Revolution that has overtaken them, with a focus specifically on the Syrian Revolution. What were the socioeconomic reasons for the uprisings, and why did they erupt in 2011? How did counterrevolution come to overtake the region after a period of optimism and mass organization? Syrian leftist Yassin Al Haj Saleh, author of The Impossible Revolution, will speak on the particular case of the Syrian Revolution and its trajectory. We will examine the relationship of the Arab uprisings to prospects for Palestinian liberation. The panel will also discuss the lessons we must take from the last six years, as we take a step back and maintain a long-term understanding of historical processes in the Middle East and long-term prospects for revolution, democracy, and social justice.