Echoes of "Sednaya": liberation and repression in the Arab world

The multifaceted mechanisms of repression in the Arab world are analysed through both visible and invisible dimensions rooted in Arabism and authoritarian governance. Sednaya Prison exemplifies the persistence of fear as a tool of control, reflecting the broader failures of Arab political-republican systems. Arabism, initially conceived as a unifying ideology grounded in shared linguistic and cultural heritage, has evolved into a repressive construct. Its colonial legacy reveals how it perpetuates systemic poverty, alienation, and a ‘prison culture’, undermining efforts toward pluralistic governance. While republican regimes in the region promised progress and unity, they often devolved into patrimonialism and stagnation, contrasting sharply with the relative stability of monarchies that have avoided the ideological excesses of nationalist fervour. The enduring interchange of these mechanisms continues to constrain prospects for liberation and societal progress across the Arab world.