“The Fate of Third Worldism in the Middle East: Palestine, Iran and
Beyond” explores the region’s shift from Third Worldism—a evolutionary, anti-imperialist ideology of the 1960s, aimed at universal emancipation—to authoritarian religious governments in the 1980s. Rasmus Christian Elling and Sune Haugbolle’s book discusses how the promising liberation movements in Iran and Palestine succumbed to oppressive regimes and Islamic fundamentalism, respectively. Analyzing the decline of Third Worldism, the work reflects on global neoliberal shifts, the end of leftist movements, and the rise of Islamist politics, suggesting that by the mid-1980s, third-worldist rhetoric was co-opted by authoritarian states. Spanning 320 pages and part of the “Radical Histories of the Middle East” series, the book provides a comprehensive study for understanding current Middle Eastern political dynamics and the legacy of Third Worldism.