MER Article A New International Division of Labor? A number of theorists have recently put forth the notion of a “new international division of labor” in which the old colonial division of labor involving Third World exports of raw materials and imports of finished goods has been transcended. [1] According to this thesis, Third World countries have James Petras • 7 min read
MER Article "I Have Not Seen a Good Day in My Life" Interview with Hilmi Zaki: Are you married? Yes, and my wife is an orphan. I chose an orphan woman so that she struggles with me the way I struggled when I was young. Her father was a lawyer -- he died when she was young. Where do you live? (Author not identified) • 10 min read
MER Article "I Am Definitely a Product of the Revolution" Interview with Ibrahim Araq: We would like to begin by asking you the usual questions about your marital status, your salary, your age and so forth. I am 31, married, but with no children. I work as an accountant at the National Library in Cairo (Dar al-Kutub). My net monthly pay is 29.77 pounds. (Author not identified) • 4 min read
MER Article Formation of the Egyptian Working Class The roots of the Egyptian working class reach back into nineteenth century when Muhammed ‘Ali (1805-1849), founder of the dynasty which ruled Egypt until 1952, initiated his abortive industrialization program. Beginning in 1819 his regime built European style factories in three major sectors: Milita Joel Beinin • 31 min read
MER Article Origins of the Algerian Proletariat In the first part of this essay, not included here, Bennoune notes that in pre-colonial Algeria’s rural sector land was the basic factor of production, consisting of four predominant subsistence activities: agriculture, animal husbandry, fruit tree plantations and horticulture. Ecological conditions Mahfoud Bennoune • 30 min read
MER Article Introduction The embryonic proletariat of the towns is in a comparatively privileged position. In capitalist countries, the working class has nothing to lose.... In the colonial countries the working class has everything to lose. —Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth Such are the workers of the Middle East. James Paul • 7 min read
MER Article From the Editors (January/February 1981) The Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearings on the nomination of Gen. Alexander Haig to be Ronald Reagan’s secretary of state were indeed, as the general put it, “a special education.” Henry Kissinger’s former aide, a strong proponent of the notorious Christmas bombing of North Vietnam in 1972, The Editors • 3 min read
