...Global Interactions November 20, 2014 Paper 1: Arab Spring The Arab Spring refers to a series of popular uprisings throughout the Arab world that began in December, 2010. The catalyst for these uprisings was a twenty-six year old Tunisian, who lit himself on fire outside of a civic building.[1] Mohamed Bouazizi was a fruit and vegetable cart vendor and was trying to sell produce on the streets when his cart was confiscated by a Tunisian government official. This was one of a series of harassments that he had experienced, and the last indignity that he suffered was being slapped by a female Tunisian government employee.[2] He then subsequently set himself on fire, and this event is was set off the Arab Spring, or the Arab Awakening, as it is also called.[3] However, this was only the catalyst; the Arab Spring is a fluid, ongoing event that is steeped in history with economic, political, and social factors contributing to its occurrence. After Mohamed’s self-immolation there were thirty days of national protests in Tunisia before the former Tunisian dictator Zine El Abidine was removed from power.[4] During this time there were others in the Arab world watching this on satellite channels like Aljazeera, so there was an increase in cases of self-immolation in other parts of the Arab world, including Egypt.[5] Many in Egypt were watching this going on and thought that if a small country like Tunisia can overthrow a dictator through popular uprising then perhaps they...
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...MBA 7592 Current Event Paper: Arab Spring 07 December 2014 Wilmington University Abstract What is most interesting about what began in the smallest country in Northern Africa is that it had escalated to the most sweeping movement that changed the face of the Middle East for years to come. The Arab spring began to wield its head around December of 2010 in Tunisia but was truly set off once Mohamed Bouazizi a local vendor was humiliated in public by a police officer and was not permitted to sell his fruits (Staff, 2011). This has proven to be a normal practice in Tunisia, in a country where most of its population is college educated. They are unlike other Arab nations in neighboring areas; the majorities of all Tunisians are educated and have been education abroad. This was a wide spread practice across the region with regard to the inhabitants of these countries, the cruel and unjust treatment from these authoritarian leaders, corrupted law enforcement, and suppression of their religious leaders by their very own law enforcement agents. Being able to witness this first hand, observing the way of life within the region and oppressive living conditions they are subjected too, while their monarchs, military and state leaders live a very lavish life. While reviewing why the Arab spring happened, the impact it has had in the Middle East and on its economic system, we will analyze the outcome and the overall consequence it will have on the region. We will also touch on the...
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...The “Arab spring” also known as the Arab revolution is referred to a revolutionary wave of demonstrations, protest, and violence occurring in the Arab world in the Middle Eastern and North African regions beginning in December of 2010. The Arab spring has had a large impact on the worlds foreign affairs for the past 3 years. Many Arab countries in the last few years have had their own revolutions and protest almost reaching levels to be considered civil wars. The largest and most violent demonstrations have been and are currently happening in a country on the western border of Iraq and south of Turkey known as Syria. Syria has been in an inner conflict since the country won its independence from France in 1946. Though recently because of the large amount of different social ethical and religious groups all looking for power and authority in the same region, the country has been in a violent turmoil. To get a better understanding on why and how Syria has fallen into this state of power struggled violence you should first look at the other countries involved in todays Arab spring and how this whole mess started in the Arab world. On December 17, 2010, in a small North African country called Tunisia, a twenty six year old street vendor by the name of Mohamed Bouazizi started a revolution that would change the world forever. Earlier that day Mohamed had been selling goods from his wheelbarrow in his rural home town when local authorities seized his wheelbarrow and all of his goods...
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...research was to answer the main research question: ‘What caused the Arab Spring’ In order to tackle this question; desk research, case studies and an interview with Mr Farrid Benkaddour have been conducted. Farrid Benkaddour is a Moroccan sociologist, he started his career in Morocco after obtaining his baccalaureate in 1984. Since then he has been a teacher in Morocco, afterwards he went to the Netherlands to teach Dutch people about Moroccan culture. He currently works for Arabika, a company that specializes in legal assistance, translations, language trainings and intercultural communications. The desk research revealed the opinions of the Arab spring’s countries inhabitants. Inflation, unemployment and poor housing conditions prevailed as a direct consequence of insufficient dictatorial regimes. Freshly graduated youth was left jobless with no sign of improvement in the near future. People became more and more aware of the lack of political influence they had and started idealizing the western political democratic models. The interview and case studies showed there have been negative thoughts about the dictatorial regimes ever since their instalment. Protests have been seen throughout the history of the Arab world. The difference, however, between those protests and the Arab Spring is the modern age. Where earlier protests failed due to lack of support, the modern age tools such as (social-)media carried the Arab spring’s unfolding events throughout the world, reaching a lot...
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...QUESTION 1 The research theme of the article is the Arab Spring and democracy. The Arab Spring as a revolutionary act got people from western countries excited as the Arabians were fighting for their liberation. As the Arab people were fighting to get democracy, it was thought that if the people who were fighting were to get that democracy, there would peace among states (Coetzee 2013: 310). The Arab Spring served as a confirmation that the world would eventually get to a point where it was liberal democratic and that if the Arab world was to be liberated, there would be tranquillity. Even though the aims of the Arab Spring were intended for good, it did not achieve positive results. It actually created more problems and threatened the security and stability of the Arab countries. The theoretical perspective that the author used is a structural realist one. He drew on the theory of Kenneth Waltz and argued that the future of international politics is going to be filled with complications and difficulties. The theory of structural realism argues that the highest goal of states is to attain power (Jackson & Sorensen 2013: 81). Even though this is so, the states are guided by the principle of anarchy and are restricted by the structure of the system since it is the one that determines how states behave. The power of states such as Russia and China is increasing which threatens to move the balance of power from unipolar to multipolar which will be dangerous because the rise...
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...27 collective effectiveness. This finding illustrates how the impact of social ties on individuals’ perceptions manifests itself in different ways. Moreover, it shows that there is a privileged path (highlighted with bold arrows in Figures 1 and 2) leading to strong participation in social movements. Of all perceptions, individual effectiveness is the factor in the decision process that most closely influences the level of participation in both the Bern Declaration and the WWF. Prospective members with a strong feeling that if they engage in protest, their participation will serve at least to a certain extent to bring about social change will actualize their potential for mobilization at the highest level of involvement. Individual effectiveness is also one of the perceptions of the model that is most influenced by social networks, directly but also indirectly via interest in the political issue and the perception of the organization’s effectiveness . This last result highlights the close interweaving between social ties and individual effectiveness. In other words, it stresses the interconnectedness of relational factors and human agency, and demonstrates that both structuralist and rationalist accounts are indispensable to explanation of individual participation. Conclusion Social networks matter, but they do so by performing various functions in the process of individual participation. They intervene at least three different ways. First, they intervene in the socialization...
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...of this article. Climate change has been charged with many numerous and insidious effects on the planet and human affairs in general, but how far reaching are this effects the economic, social and political structures. In this article we shall explore the proposition that climate change can lead to massive political upheavals and specifically if climate change could have caused Arab Spring. Arab Spring is the widespread revolutions and protests that have rocked that Arab world. There has been a wave of protests, riots and armed conflicts that has swept through the Arab world beginning on 18th December 2010 continuing to present day, with various revolutions accompanied by toppled governments and civil wars resulting from the Arab Spring. The following countries has their governments kicked out; Yemen, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt who kicked out two consecutive governments. Syria and Bahrain had major civil uprisings with the Syrian one presently considered a civil war. Riots have broken out in Jordan, Kuwait, Sudan, Morocco and Algeria with minor protests occurring in other Arab countries. Arab Spring has been undoubtedly been motivated by mainly political reasons, to topple the tyrannical governments. The desire for freedom and recognizance of the right of the people seems to be...
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...Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafiwas the longest-serving leader in the Arab world. He ruled Libya after he took it over from King Idris I in 1969.Gaddafi was born on 7th June, 1942 in Qasr Abu Hadi located outside the town of Sirte in western Libya. He attended a Muslim elementary school in Sabha. During his schooling, he was profoundly influenced by major events in the Arab world especially the Arab nationalist movement. Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser became his idol. Gaddafi joined the army in the 1960s as a supporter of Arab nationalism. In 1959, significant oil reserves were discovered in Libya. Revenue from petroleum exports moved Libya from being one of the poorest nations, to becoming a wealthy state. However, people began to resent the increased concentration of wealth in the hands of King Idris. This discontent grew with the rise of Nasserism and Arab nationalism throughout North Africa and the Middle East. In August 1969, King Idris was in Turkey for medical treatment. On September 1, 1969 a group of 70 junior Libyan military officers led by Muammar Gaddafi took the opportunity to stage a bloodless overthrow (coup d’état). The coup started in Benghazi, by members of Libyan Signal Corps. They placed the crown prince, Sayyid as-Sanussi under house arrest The coup leaders were referred to as the Free Officers’ Movement. They declared an end to monarchy in Libya and renamed the country the Libyan Arab Republic. The movement then evolved into the Revolutionary Command...
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...Arab Spring: Ben Ali and Hosni Moubarak knocked out by Mark Zuckerberg Source: Egyptian Internet Revolution, crazyjunkyard.com 26 years old Mohamed Bouazizi supported a large family selling fruits on the streets of Sidi Bouzid. For years, corrupted local officials who demanded backhander at every term have tormented him and other sellers in the market. On Friday December the 17th Mohamed set up his tools near the central mosque. This day, he did not have the money needed to pay the bribes to be there. The corrupted police officers arrived and took everything from him. They stood in front of him smacked him in the face and kicked him on the floor. Humiliated, Mohamed got upset and started to cry. He headed to the town police station and tried to press charges against those who assaulted him. No one listened to him. He was terribly upset and disappointed by the fact that he could not rely on his authorities for justice to be done. He then went to the closest shop and bought a bottle of fuel. He returned in front of the police station with the fuel, chose a spot in front of the building, poured the fuel over himself and then set himself on fire as a sign of protest and disagreement toward those who refused to listen to his complaints. Horrifically injured, Mohamed was taken to the hospital. Bouazizi hopeless act quickly became popular throughout the city and across the Arab world. The next day, hundreds of people gather at the spot where Mohamed had set himself alight....
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...A Man lights himself on fire after being assaulted by a policewomen, this is only the beginning of the Arab Springs. Have you ever thought to compare the Arab Springs to the American Revolution? You would be surprised how many similarities and differences they have. Both points in history are considered flash points, a major point in time. Even though they were both big points in history they were fighting for different things. Arab springs were protesting for different rules and The American Revolution was about gaining independence from Britain. Although the American and Arab Spring revolutions happened in very different times and places, the conditions that led to rebellion were similar. Media was used during both the American Revolution...
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...Role of Al Jazeera in the Arab Spring Since December 2010, the entire Arab world has gone through major political transformation. Monarchies that had enjoyed absolute power for hundreds of years have been overthrown; some are in the process to be overthrown and other state leaderships have adopted some flexibility in their system of administration to protect themselves. The public revolt against the state leadership, popularly known as the ‘Arab Spring’ or the ‘Arab Awakening’ “took everyone by surprise not because people had no reason to revolt” (Khanfer 2012, p. 2) but because it took unprecedented scope and speed. An act of self immolation by a street vendor in Tunisia in a show of public revolt against corrupt government not just toppled centuries old dictatorial regime but also became a source of inspiration for Arab masses to revolt against their governments. “The self-immolation triggered unrest in Tunisia and ultimately the resignation of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. This was followed by unrest in a number of Arabian countries that the global press dubbed the ‘Arab Spring’” (Friedman 2011). So far, the spring breeze has entered into 20 countries in the Persian Gulf and the North Africa. Four countries—Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen—have overthrown their governments. Algeria, Iraq, Iranian Khuzestan, Israeli border areas have witnessed major protests. Syria has landed in a civil war. Jordan, Oman, Kuwait, Morocco, Lebanon have gone through protests and governmental...
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...on revolutions in the twenty-first century. I use the Arab Spring as a means to point out the strengths and weakness that social media forums can have on a revolution. Primarily looking at Twitter and the role that Tweets played during the Arab Spring, I outline the role that Social media can play in times of uprising. Like most things, moderation is key. While social media offers many benefits, in excess, it can generate chaos and present an apparent lack of directions. This ultimately raises the question of how will changes in technology change us and how we change humanity. Nathan Willis William Penman Interpretation and Argument December 2, 2013 Not Following the Leader: How Social Media Impacted the Arab Spring Introduction As long as there have been established governments, there have been revolutions to test them. In times past, these revolutions frequently came from people discussing their dissatisfaction with other members of their towns. The advent of the telegram allowed people to overcome the barrier that distance created. Yet, two major problems remained: the time that elapsed between correspondences and the lack of ability to communicate with masses of people. However, developments in technology and the birth of social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, have overcome these barriers. The effectiveness of social media as a way to facilitate a revolution was tested during the Arab Spring of 2011. The revolutions...
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...Book Review: The Invisible Arab: The Promise and Peril of the Arab Revolution Written By: Marwan Bishara Lilia Gomez INTL 5000 (Fall Semester) The book that I am reviewing is titled The Invisible Arab: The Promise and Peril of the Arab Revolution. It is written by a well-known political analyst named Marwan Bishara. Mr. Bishara works for the Al Jeezera (the primary news channel for the Arab world) as a Senior Political Analyst. The book is in the perspective of an Arab and not by someone within the Western media/culture. He writes about the Arab revolutions and the history behind it. Mr. Bishara debunks several thoughts of how the Arab revolutions started and how the media (both Arabic and Western) have played a major role within these causes. Mr. Bishara’ book is self-described as an essay in which he reflects on the history of the revolutions up until present and how social media and the Arab youth population played a part. He credits the youth of being able to over throw decade old customs, governments, and regimes. In addition, he describes the rise of many positive organizations that formed because of the revolutions such as women’s groups, sports teams, and a higher employment rate. Although he praises the rise of these types of organizations, Mr. Bishara faults the lack of organization and commitment to principles as the basis of...
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...the Middle East as a volatile region, but for a time experts saw the region as relatively stable. Entrenched authoritarian regimes were seen as pillars of the region that rested on their coercive apparatus as well as rentierism to maintain their rule. Thus, it came as a shock to experts when the Arab Spring bulldozed regimes that had been in power for as long as forty years. The hope of the Arab Spring was to eradicate the despotic rulers of the Middle East and replace them with democratic institutions. However, this hope has not been realized as civil war, failures of newly democratic institutions and unscathed monarchies continue to plague the region. Still, the Arab Spring is in its infant stage. The outcomes in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Syria remain to be seen while it appears that the monarchies of the region are stronger than ever. The future of the Middle East will be divided between the monarchies and the republics. The monarchies will most likely keep the status quo (with the help of the United States) while the republics will shape the future of democracy in the region. While it is impossible to predict the future of the Middle East due to a number of factors including the Arab-Israeli and Kurdish conflicts and the drying of oil wells, most experts on the Middle East would agree with the notion that monarchies will continue to remain unscathed in comparison to their non-monarchical neighbors. However, these same people believe in the robustness of authoritarian regimes...
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...Surname: Professor: Year: Subject: “THE ARAB SPRING” The term “Arab spring” is a connotation used by both Khalidi and Rozenman in their articles in reference to the Arabs’ protests for democracy overtime. The articles are a response to the mass action taken by various Arabs worldwide after the throw of despondent rulers such as Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak, Yemen’s Ali Abdullah Saleh and Libya’s Muammar Ghadafi. The two articles attempt to delve deep into the consequences of such historical actions, drawing precedence from nations such as Turkey and Lebanon. Khalidi and Rozenman are both keen on the influence of a new democracy in the Arab nations and the impact that such “fresh rule” would have on the society; especially the Arab and Western worlds. The Arab world as a better place Khalidi (2011) is keen on stating that the Arab world has become a better place. This, he says, is due to the ability of Arab countries to shake themselves loose from the shackles of dictatorship that have bound them over the years. Evidence of this could be seen through the positive press coverage that Arab countries are getting from the west. Rozenman is, however, of a different opinion. He opines that the end of autocracy in the Arab world is something worthwhile. Despite the downfall of the despots in Egypt, Syria and Lybia; the democracy model that the said countries are eager to develop would be retrogressive. He further writes that Arab democracy drawn from Islamist ideas ,which are Anti-western...
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