Civil Society in the Arab World: Cover for Capitalism?

Leftists have a responsibility to not allow a liberal consensus of civil society—easily compatible with capitalism—to be presented as a model of success, whether in the Arab world or elsewhere.

Egyptians holding up flyers from the Tamarod or "Rebel" movement, a grassroots initiative that toppled President Mohamed Morsi on July 3, 2013.

by Peter Hill

In the aftermath of the Arab uprisings, a consensus has slowly been building in the West about the merits of “civil society” in the Arab world.

Exactly what the term “civil society” covers is disputed and complex – there was an entire BBC World documentary about it. It is, however, generally taken to mean a third public sphere alongside the market and the state: both non-commercial and non-governmental.

Many in liberal, leftist, and generally well-meaning circles of academia and policy regularly extol the virtues of “civil society.”