In the latter half of the twentieth century, a revolutionary idea promised to upend the global order. Anti-imperialist militancy, bolstered by international solidarity, would lead to not only the national liberation of oppressed peoples but universal emancipation, shattering the division between the prosperous nations of the capitalist West and the poorer countries of the Global South. The idea was Third Worldism, and among others it inspired struggles in Iran and Palestine. By the early 1980s, however, progressive visions of independence and freedom had fallen to the reality of an oppressive Islamic theocracy in Iran, while the Palestinian Revolution had been eclipsed by civil war in Lebanon, Israeli aggression and intra-Arab conflict. This thought-provoking volume explores the dramatic decline of Third Worldism in the Middle East. It reveals the lived realities of the time by focusing on the key protagonists – from student activists to guerrilla fighters, and from volunteer nurses to militant intellectuals – and juxtaposes the Iranian and Palestinian cases to offer a riveting re-examination of this defining era. Ultimately, it challenges us to reassess how we view the end of the long 1960s, prompting us to reconsider perennial questions concerning self-determination, emancipation, change and solidarity. Contents Introduction: The Transformation of Third Worldism in the Middle East Sune Haugbolle and Rasmus Elling 1 Demystifying Third World Solidarity: Cuba and the Palestinian Revolution in the Seventies Sorcha Thomson 2 Nursing the Revolution: Norwegian Medical Support in Lebanon as Solidarity, 1976–1983 Pelle Valentin Olsen 3 Searching for Friends Across the Global South: Classified Documents, Iran, and the Export of the Revolution in 1983 Simon Wolfgang Fuchs 4 The Gendered Politics of Dead Bodies: Obituaries, Revolutionaries, and Martyrs between the Iranian, Palestinian, and Dhufar Revolutions Marral Shamshiri 5 Brothers, Comrades, and the Quest for the Islamist International: The First Gathering of Liberation Movements in Revolutionary Iran Mohammad Ataie 6 Abu Jubran and Jabal ʿAmil Between the Palestinian and Iranian Revolutions Nathaniel George 7 The Islamic Republic Party and the Palestinian Cause, 1979–80: A Discursive Transformation of the Third Worldist Agenda Maryam Alemzadeh 8 Translation, Revolutionary Praxis, and the Enigma of Manuchehr Hezarkhani Nasser Mohajer and Eskandar Sadeghi-Boroujerdi 9 The Front of our Friends: Shu’un Falastiniyya as an Archive of Palestinian Third Worldism Klaudia Wieser 10 Fragile Solidarity: The Iranian Left and the Kurdish National Question in the 1979 Revolution Rasmus C. Elling and Jahangir Mahmoudi 11 The ‘Ends’ of the Palestinian Revolution in the Fakhani Republic Sune Haugbolle Afterword: Towards a Praxis-Centred Historiography of Middle East Third Worldism Toufoul Abou-Hodeib and Naghmeh Sohrabi

The emergence of the 'Third World' is generally traced to onset of the Cold War and decolonization in the 1940s and 1950s. In the 1960s and 1970s the "three worlds of development" were central to the wider dynamics of the changing international order. By the 1980s, Third Worldism had peaked entering a period of dramatic decline that paralleled the end of the Cold War. Into the 21st century, the idea of a Third World and even the pursuit of some form of Third Worldism has continued to be advocated and debated. For some it has passed into history, and may never have had as much substance as it was credited with, while others seek to retain or recuperate the Third World and give Third Worldism contemporary relevance. Beginning with a comprehensive introduction this edited volume brings together a wide range of important contributions. Collectively they offer a powerful overview from a variety of angles of the history and contemporary significance of Third Worldism in international affairs. The question remains; did the Third World exist, what was it, does it still have intellectual and political purchase or do we live in a global era that can be described as After the Third World? This book was previously published as a special issue of Third world Quarterly.

"A fascinating interpretation of Algeria's past and present agonies, set against the broader backdrop of the rise and fall of 'Third Worldism.' Essential to anyone following Middle East politics and the extrapolation of the old 'North-South' struggle into the 'New World Disorder.'"--Graham E. Fuller, RAND, coauthor of "A Sense of Siege: The Geopolitics of Islam and the West"

Israel has had an unusual experience as both a recipient of foreign aid and as a donor country. Although it is small in area and population, it has developed the political, economic, and military capacities of a middle-range power. It has thus been able to offer expertise to others while it has continued to develop at a rapid pace. In terms of location and ethnic background of the majority of the population, Israel belongs to Asia and therefore is an integral part of the Third World of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Israel's economic, cultural, and political interactions with the Third World are the focal points of this volume. The articles reflect the evolution of Israel's position in the Third World, the range of its programs and activities, and the problems and constraints of its international relations. Many of the contributors are Israelis who have been personally connected with diplomatic, economic, or technical assistance activities. In addition to this practical treatment, Israeli and American scholars have tried to offer a more detached and objective view of the situation. The contributors indicate the contrasting conditions that have affected interchanges with Asian, African, and Latin American states. These views outline the possibilities and limitations of a small or middle-range power engaged in a persistent regional conflict to interact normally with other developing countries and share the benefits of its own development experiences. Contributors: Moshe Alpan, Shimeon Amir, Ehud Avriel, Joel Barromi, Michael Brecher, Michael Curtis, Samuel Decalo, Ephraim Dubek, Akiva Eger, Jacques Fomerand. Eli Ginzberg, Susan Aurelia Gitelson, Irving Louis Horowitz, Eliyahu Kanovsky, Edy Kaufman, Ran Kochan, Mordechai E. Kreinin, Netanel Lorch, Meron Medzini, Benjamin Rivlin, Dan Segre, Yoram Shapira, Yaacov Shimoni.

The ten essays in this volume represent state-of-the-art surveys of ten singular episodes in U.S. interaction with the Third World since 1945. Each author seeks to present a unique approach to a specific topic within U.S. -- Third World relations. The essays cover the globe and include studies of the Middle East, Latin America, Africa, and Asia. They make use of a variety of source material and employ a wide range of analytical devices, such as the national security paradigm, the idea of economic development, and culture. The essays present a multihued portrait of the different ways policy makers in the United States dealt with Third World problems. The essays make clear the multitude of considerations that affected policy making; the many different actors, both official and nonofficial, who came to influence the policy-making process; and the possibilities for future research into U.S. relations with the nations of the Third World. They are designed not only to present the current state of the literature but also to suggest some avenues for future research.

"A fascinating interpretation of Algeria's past and present agonies, set against the broader backdrop of the rise and fall of 'Third Worldism.' Essential to anyone following Middle East politics and the extrapolation of the old 'North-South' struggle into the 'New World Disorder.'"—Graham E. Fuller, RAND, coauthor of A Sense of Siege: The Geopolitics of Islam and the West