The Curious Case of the Three-Legged Wolf analyzed the use of nonviolence as a tactic by powerful interests to actively counteract popular movements for political change. This is groundbreaking because it redefines the way in which we understand nonviolence, reclassifying it as a neutral tactic that can be used in the service of revolutionary and reactionary forces alike. In advocating this novel approach, Ziada demonstrates her ability to adopt a truly objective attitude toward political movements, eschewing facile, ready-made narratives for complex political phenomena. As such, The Curious Case of the Three-Legged Wolf is invaluable reading, not only for the insights it lends on the Egyptian experience of the Arab Spring, but for our understanding of political movements in general, and the factors that inform the actions of all parties involved.
This book is the first publication to introduce “reverse nonviolent action” as a new theory within the socio-political field of nonviolent action and strategies. Through studying the curious case of Egypt during and after the waves of Arab Spring revolutions, the author proposes an insider’s answer to Arab Spring’s academic and political complicated questions. This is the first Arab Spring-related study to analyze the strategic choices made by the military institution, official and non-official Islamists, and the young liberal democratic activists to employ violent aggression, nonviolent strategies, and reverse nonviolent action to achieve social change and win political power.
About Dalia Ziada
Dalia Ziada is the Founding Director of the Liberal Democracy Institute. It is a Cairo-based think tank dedicated to studying, promoting, and advising policymakers on advancing liberal democracy and countering violent extremism and political Islamism in Egypt and the Middle East. She is also a civil society professional and socio-political analyst. her areas of expertise include Civil-Military relations in Egypt and the Middle East, Political Islamists and terrorism, Countering violent extremism and radicalization, International Security Studies, Internal political affairs in Egypt, Regional political and security dynamics in the Middle East, Liberal democracy, human rights, and women’s rights in the Arab world, Nonviolent action and strategies, Civil Society in the Arab world, United States Foreign Policy in the Middle East. She studied international relations, with a focus on international security studies, at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University (USA). She authored a number of books including, The Curious Case of the Three-Legged Wolf: Egypt: Military, Islamism, and Liberal Democracy (2019).
