This chapter examines the decline of Soviet influence in global politics during the early 1980s and its repercussions on the Middle East, particularly following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. It highlights the changing dynamics of power among regional regimes and the increasing dominance of the United States, as well as the fragmentation of Arab unity and the emergence of radical movements.
Featuring Abdel Razzaq Takriti, this is the SIXTEENTH and final episode of Thawra (Revolution), our series on Arab radicalism in the 20th century. Today’s installment traces a massive defeat for the Palestinian Revolution: Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon and brutal siege of Beirut. Under severe pressure and isolated in the wake of Egypt’s normalization with Israel, the PLO evacuated its headquarters. What followed was a giant massacre of Palestinian civilians and the end of the decades-long era of Arab revolutionary politics to which this series has been dedicated. A substantial epilogue is coming soon.
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