“In this book, Sadiq Al-Azm wanted to analyze the causes of the defeat and theoretically propose a response to it, before he realized that, like many others, it was a recurring defeat, not resulting from “external conspiracies,” but rather from a persistent Arab inability, shared by both the peoples and the authorities. And this defeat The recurring nature that responds to every defeat with a new defeat is what makes the book retain its relevance. The defeat whose causes were explained is still continuing, the reasons it criticized are still present, and the mentality that justifies what cannot be justified is growing, growing, and active. However, the true importance of the book is not It consists in illuminating a historical tragedy, specific to time, but rather in the free critical approach, which explains human disappointments with human causes, without referring to a vague reference.” Faisal Darraj