Sources and Prospects of the Anarchist Method in the Arab Spring

Drawing on various reports and my own field observations, this paper aims at four objectives. First, it shows how the Arab Spring movements were characterized from their inception by a certain intuitive anarchist method. This method was evident in a general resistance to any collective leadership, and preference for loose coordinating structures in lieu of solid organizations.  The paper introduces some propositions about the likely sources of this intuitive anarchist style (to be distinguished from anarchist intention). Second, the paper explores the ramifications of this anarchist style to political developments at the level of the state, arguing that it is likely to give rise to shaky political structures that are not aligned with the broad sentiments that had generated the Arab uprisings, suggesting further crises ahead. Third, the paper explores the long-term ramifications of this anarchist style in the culture, showing that it is giving rise to a new culture of engagement and debate, in which individuals constantly revisit the original “meaning” of the revolution, as well as its status as a transformative life event at the individual level. These practices give rise to new realities and new perspectives from below that are missed in most reporting. Fourth, the paper ends by exploring the ramifications of this analysis to anarchist perspectives on social movements in general.