The Arab Cocktail: From Revolution to Counter-Revolution

The Western media called it hopefully 'the Arab Spring', because things were finally going in the right direction in the Middle East. The region was on the threshold of democracy and would largely banish extremism to the history books. But not everyone was convinced of the good outcome. Only that vision was taboo and we continued to believe in the fairy tale for longer than was good. Events were hushed up or exaggerated, guesses posed as the truth. One of those mirages, the uprising of the non-violent people against the brutal oppressor, slowly but surely faded away. The conclusion was sobering. In line with The Arab Revolution and more than a quarter of a century of reporting on this turbulent region, Jef Lambrecht is one of the very few to report on the Arab cocktail with appropriate detachment and impartiality. Jef Lambrecht (1948) was a journalist at VRT radio from 1978 to 2010, specializing in the Middle East. He previously published IX-XI. How 9/11 Became Possible (2002), The Black Cradle. Iraq, Nazis and Neoconservatives (2003), The Holy World War. Halfway to the Crusade Against Muslim Terrorism (2009). The Arab Cocktail is the sequel to that.