In this newsmaker interview, Marc Lynch, author of The Arab Uprising, The Unfinished Revolutions of the New Middle East, discusses his recently published book and the future of the new Middle East with host Carol Castiel and VOA Middle East senior reporter Cecily Hilleary. Listen and find out why Lynch identifies Turkey, Qatar, Egypt and possibly Iraq as ultimate “winners” and Israel, Iran and the non-state actor al-Qaida, as the “losers” of the uprisings. Lynch contrasts former President George W. Bush with with current President Barack Obama, and explains why he believes the latter has handled the “Arab Spring” in a mostly positive way. As to Saudi Arabia, Lynch believes Riyadh may have supported the intervention in Libya and would like to see Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad out, but not because it supports reform. On the other hand, the author also sees Saudi Arabia as a “counter-revolutionary” force which would like to postpone change and reform as long as possible.
Listen to the full podcast (30:24):
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