The Arab Spring. Research Essay. PDF

Preview

Summary

Full Research Essay. Final Essay that we had to do....

Description

Niel Rossouw ID:1506278

The Arab Spring Intro: What is politics? Politics is deciding who gets what, when and how. It is to many people a far-off concept that they know is important but never really bother getting into. However, Politics is one of the most important facets of any society, because it decides who gets to have and who doesn’t. This essay will focus on the politics surrounding the event of the Arab Spring, the history of the region and the aftermath of the event. Background The Arab Spring was a series of revolutions, protests and civil wars that erupted all over the Middle East around the 2010’s. It came about because the people of these countries felt that they were not being served by their leaders and that their countries had been in the grip of oppression for too long. Protests started in Tunisia and spread across the rest of the Middle East and North Africa, leading to many regime changes and lots of changes to the regimes that managed to stay in power. While the protests and uprisings happened in many countries all around the Middle East and the Arab world, this research essay will focus on the countries of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and the Syria area. The Arab Spring was important because of the impacts that it had on the stability and security of the region. It showed the world that the people of the Middle East are not content to live their lives under corrupt governments and dictators. It led to the creation of the Islamic State (ISIS), the deaths of hundreds of thousands and the displacement of millions. The Arab Spring gets its name from the ‘Spring revolutions’ in Europe which was during 1848 where many revolutions took place all around Europe[ CITATION His18 \l 5129 ]. Background: The history of the Arab Spring goes back to the end of WW2 where the colonial powers of Great Britain and France were broken and debt-ridden by the costs of war. They could no longer maintain their grip on their provinces in places like the Middle East. The withdrawal of the French and British left a power vacuum that caused many wars in the Middle East, especially after the establishment of the state of Israel. For many of the Arab nations this was their first chance at self-governance in hundreds of years. After World War 2 the Cold War was also an important part of the history of the Arab Spring because it was during this time frame that the dictators and governments that were in power at the time of the Arab Spring made their moves to claim power. It is also important because the rival powers of the USA and USSR stoked instability in the region and supplied different groups with weapons as part of their worldwide struggle for dominance. How the region differs from the west & what political systems dominate The Middle east is not as developed by and large as the West is and as such the people who live in the Middle East are far hardier and more willing to fight and take risks than the average European. Another factor that impacts this is the fact that families in the Middle east are far bigger and have more children on average than those in Europe. Factors such as this makes for a population that will only endure oppression for so long before they move or stage a revolution. This is because they want a better life for themselves and their children but at

Niel Rossouw ID:1506278

the same time having more children means that they are far more likely to let their children go and protest because they aren’t too worried about their family line dying off. Different countries While the Arab Spring occurred in many countries, this essay will focus on the countries of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Syria. In Tunisia the government was being headed by a man called, Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali who was the President. In Egypt the government was headed by the Mubarak administration with Hosni Mubarak as the President. In Libya the man in charge was the Dictator Muammar al-Gaddafi. In Syria the government is led by Bashar Hafez al-Assad. Each of these men whether dictator by name or by actions had to control their country through use of power and as such this warrants a definition. Power has been defined in this paper as “the ability to get someone to do something that they may not otherwise have done.” As such Power is an incredibly important part of the dictators toolbox and it is imperative for them to learn how to control the masses if they wish to stay in power. Event Tunisia The event which triggered the explosion that was the Arab Spring and subsequent conflicts was the self-immolation of a Salesman called Mohamed Bouazizi. He had, like many people in Tunisia, been having a very hard time and was barely able to feed his family with the meagre income he was making. However, in December 2010[ CITATION Cam12 \l 5129 ] his stall was confiscated by the corrupt police. Finally driven to the last straw by a failed and corrupt institution of the government of Tunisia he walked to the front of the prosecutions office and lit himself on fire. His act of desperation and cry of frustration galvanised the people of Tunisia into open rebellion, “I realized only two decades later the momentous power of such a moment – how an egregious act can electrify a population until then ambivalent…”[ CITATION Eba06 \l 5129 ]. Not just the usual protest, but a large-scale revolt that swept across the country. He became the symbol of the revolution, a man driven to suicide by the very structures that were supposed to protect him. Social Media One of the big differences in the way that the Arab Spring revolutions were fought as opposed to previous uprisings is the use of social media. “Millions of people around the world have become connected through social media, which has made it easier to mobilize for collective action. However, sceptics claim that the impact of these technological changes on the movements’ success has been exaggerated.”[ CITATION Wol13 \l 5129 ]. This was the first time that Media outlets such as Facebook were used to, spread the message of a revolution and to spread footage of it, to such an extent. What happened in each major country In Tunisia, the protests gathered force and after a month of protests and clashes with Police, the president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia. In Egypt the president Hosni Mubarak was forced to abdicate after mass protests that were not deterred by police. However, this resulted in the military taking over the country and lead to further problems for the people who had hoped for change for the better.

Niel Rossouw ID:1506278

In Libya the protests escalated to a full uprising against dictator Muammar Al-Gaddafi and resulted in civil war when he would not step down. However, after The UN intervened in the civil war, Gaddafi was put on the back foot and eventually captured and executed by some of the revolutionaries. However the power vacuum left in his absence has allowed the country to fall into further fighting and chaos. In Syria the uprisings against the president Bashar Hafez al-Assad escalated like they did in Libya, however Assad managed to retain a lot of power in large part thanks to support from outside sources such as Russia. The country has been plagued by civil war and conflict ever since, with groups such as ISIS forming and causing a lot of destruction all throughout the country. Aftermath What happened to the people? All in all, life for the majority of Arabs involved with the Arab Spring did not change all too much in the sense that one dictatorship was replaced for another. It is true that in places like Tunisia Life may have gotten slightly better for the common man, but in many places, such as in Syria, the quality of life has actually worsened quite significantly. For example the conflicts in Syria have now claimed the lives of upwards of 400,00 people and displaced millions more[ CITATION Spe18 \l 5129 ], creating the worst refugee crisis of the modern era. In the short-term scope of history, the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East has changed significantly since the removal of stable political power structures. It has caused increased poverty over much of the region and wars have been raging for the last 10 years. However, in the broader scheme of history, the Middle East has for as long as recorded history has been available, always been a place that has been a hot bed for dissent and conflict. It has been notoriously difficult to govern and maintain. Even empires such as the Ottoman Empire never truly controlled all the various tribes and groups who lived There. So, in that sense the changes that have happened in the last 10 years are not that uncommon an occurrence in the region. However, for the sake of the countries in question, as previously stated, almost every country involved in the Arab Spring resulted in governmental change or reform. Those that didn’t change government or government type are now embroiled in conflict. Has this been good or bad? Why? Some commentators have claimed that the Arab Spring has shown that “that millions of people living in Islamic nations believe in free expression and democratic governance.”[ CITATION Bla19 \l 5129 ]. The hope is that the Middle East would see sweeping change and become more westernised and more democratic. To some this change for people wanting a governmental structure that is more democratic and less corrupt, is seen as a change for the good. However, to others this is seen as a threat to their way of life and the way that things were done. One of the big voices of dissent against the modernization of the Arabian region is that of the fundamentalist and extremist religious Islamist sects that hold a lot of power in the region, They see a Westernisation of their countries as both heresy and a threat to their power and hold over the people.

Niel Rossouw ID:1506278

Overall though the situation of Human rights and the voices of the oppressed has as a overall measurement improved in many of the affected countries. One of the biggest changes has been the allowance of free speech and the willingness of people to speak out in public about what they think is wrong with their society. Of course, the biggest failures of the Arab Spring is those countries that dissolved into anarchy. Syria and Yemen being prime examples. The deaths of thousands and the fact that the majority of the countries which had uprisings did not result in democracies or significant reform leaves a definite black mark on the legacy of the Arab Spring. As such it is difficult to say whether the Arab Spring resulted in a overall positive change for the region, or if it was a negative result. Conclusion In conclusion, the Arab Spring was a major event of the 21st century, one which is often overlooked or ignored by many in the west. It ended the reign of dictators and corrupt governments, just to have many of them be replaced by institutions just as bad if not worse than the ones that were previously in place.

Niel Rossouw ID:1506278

Bibliography:

References Blakemore, E. (2019, March 29). What was the Arab Spring and how did it spread? Retrieved from National Geographic: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/topics/reference/arabspring-cause/ Campante, F. R. (2012). Why was the arab world poised for revolution? schooling, economic opportunities, and the arab spring. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 167-188. Ebadi, S. (2006). Iran awakening: one woman's journey to reclaim her life and country. The Journal of North African Studies, 33. Editors, H. (2018, January 10). Arab Spring. Retrieved from History.com: https://www.history.com/topics/middle-east/arab-spring Specia, M. (2018, April 13). How Syria’s Death Toll Is Lost in the Fog of War. Retrieved from The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/13/world/middleeast/syria-death-toll.html Wolfsfeld, G. S. (2013). Social Media and the Arab Spring: Politics Comes First. The International Journal of Press/Politics, 115-137....