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Causes and effects of the Arab Spring
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The Tunisian uprising of January 2011 started a chain reaction of collective political violence that ignited the Arab world. Tunisia is the northernmost country in Africa, it was commonly known as the most European country of North Africa, with a relatively large middle class and luxurious Mediterranean beaches. Tunisia was dominated by the authoritarian government of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali for twenty-three years preceding his exile to Saudi Arabia on January 14, 2011. The civilians of Tunisia tolerated Ben Ali’s authoritarian regime which suppressed them economically, socially, and politically. Tunisians believed that the Jasmine Revolution would lead the nation to a new beginning, encompassed with a government that would grant the civil liberties that were previously deprived. Presently, the future of Tunisia remains uncertain. To foretell whether the historical uprising will lead to a new beginning or merely a new leader many aspects of the country must be studied, such as, the history of Tunisia, the factors that initiated the protests, and the developments that have taken place since the revolution.
First, the history of Tunisia must be reviewed to fully understand the present state of the nation. Taoufik Djebali notes, “For historical and geographical reasons, Tunisia seems to be the most ethnically homogenous country of the Maghreb.” (Djebali, 2005:152) The majority of modern Tunisians are considered Arab-Berber, and speak Tunisian Arabic. In 1987, Ben Ali became the second president of Tunisia, he procured the position by a constitutional coup against eighty-four year old Habib Bourguiba. Ironically, Ben Ali’s coup was intended to lead to a more democratic nation. Larbi Sadiki noted, “It can be said that man...
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... Tunisia as a whole; it indirectly generated what is now historically known as the Arab Spring. In conclusion, I believe that the Jasmine Revolution will induce Tunisia to become a successful democratic Arab nation.
References
Marzouki, Moncez. 2011. Springtime: The New Student Rebellions. Verso Publishing.
Sadiki, Larbi. 2002. “Bin Ali’s Tunisia: Democracy by non-democratic means.” British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, 29, no.1 (May): 57-58.
Pickett, Holly. 2011. “Unrest in the Arab World: Tunisia.” The New York Times. (October 28).
Schraeder, Peter and Hamadi Redissi. 2011. “Ben Ali’s Fall.” Journal of Democracy, 22 no.3 (July): 6-19.
Economist Intelligence Unit. 2011. Tunisia: Country Outlook. The Economist Intelligence Unit ViewsWire. (February).
Djebali, Taoufik. 2005. Race and Nation: Ethnic Systems in the Modern World.
Routledge Publishing.
Jackson, G. (2005). Benjamin Chavis Muhammed. In We're Not Going to Take it Anymore (pp. 124-126). Beckham Publications Group, Inc.
Ridel, B, 'The real losers in Egypt's uprising', The Daily Best Online, 13 February 2011. Retrieved 19 March 2011< http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-02-13/al-qaeda-absent-in-hosni-mubaraks-fall-and-egyptian-revolution/>
The largest community in France is that of Algerian origins. The North Africans and Muslims in France create controversy amongst the citizens. The French government believes that the m...
The time is 5:44 pm. The setting is in a restaurant. Here you will see the faces of many people whose fate has been sealed for them. Some seems happy, some seems confused, while some seems sad. A happy bartender is talking and enjoying the accompanies of his customers,
Before 1954, Algeria was not considered to be a French colony - rather it was seen as an integral part of France. The region was composed of departments, like those of the mainland. There were over a million white French nationals living in Algeria at the time and around eight million Muslims.3 This was a greater proportion of French nationals than in the other major North African colonies of France - Morocco, and Tunisia.4 Although there were benefits to remaining with France, the colonial administration was heavily weighed against the Muslims - particularly with regards to voting rights. In 1936, for instance, the Popular Front Government of Blum introduced legislation to the Assembly proposing to extend French citizenship to over twenty thousand Algerian Muslims.5 The initiative failed when all the European mayors of Algerian towns resigned in protest.
The Age of Revolutions was a period of time in which many global revolutions took place, especially within America and Europe. A revolution is an overthrow of government or social order in favour of political change. There were many revolutions that took place between 1760 and 1840, most notable being the American Revolution from 1775 to 1783, and the French Revolution beginning in 1789 and ending in 1799. These, along with the Napoleonic Empire, which carried on from the French Revolution and lasted until 1815; all greatly transformed the Atlantic world. This occurred through these global revolutions, which inspired another revolution within the slave island of Haiti. The focus of this essay will be on the aforementioned revolutions,
A comparative essay between the Jasmine Revolution of Tunisia and the Jasmine Revolution of China.
In 2010 the Middle East experienced a disturbing series of protests and riots against the government. The term Arab Spring was coined as an allusion for the 1848 revolutions that rocked the Arab world. This devastating revolution saw its inception in a chain of small scale protests for the democratization of the Arabian governments. With its start in Egypt and Tunisia it has not failed in affecting every Arab country from Libya, Sudan and Morocco in the West to Yemen and Saudi Arabia in the East. A branch of the same revolution has successfully managed to become the cause for a civil war outbreak in Syria and even stretched its influence outside the Arab world to affect Iran and Mali.
The authoritarian regimes of the Middles cycled through a pattern of anti-western policy until the globalization effects of economics and information demanded reform. As conservative Arab states try to maintain the autocracy they relied on after gaining independence, their citizens, affected by information and education expansion, challenge their resistant governments as typified by Syria’s unwillingness to capitulate. The proliferation of information and education underscored the protest movements of the Arab Spring because citizens’ contempt for their obstinate governments grew to large under economic pressures, as the current situation in Syria demonstrates.
Early 2011 uprisings swept across the Middle East and North Africa, and many rebellions are still going on today. The Arab region has seen revolts and conflict since the 1800‘s, but only recently have these revolts been redirected to the problems of Arab society (Ghannam, J. 2011 pg 4-5)The Arab Spring Uprising was first sparked in Tunisia and eventually struck Algeria, Jordan, Egypt, Yemen and then spread to other countries. Citizens throughout these countries were dissatisfied with the rule of their local governments. Issues like human rights violations, political corruption, economic decline, unemployment, extreme poverty, dictators...
Ibnouf, Fatma Osman. “Women And The Arab Spring.” Women & Environments International Magazine 92/93(2013): 18-21. MasterFILE Elite.Web.31 Mar. 2014.
What is often called “the spark that started it all,” occurred on December 17, 2011 in Tunisia. A street vendor named Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire to protest the corruption of the government. (Arab Spring, 2013) The 26 year old Bouazizi sold vegetables on the streets of Tunisia to make a living. His self-immolation was brought on when his cart of vegetables was confiscated by a policewoman. (Abouzeid, 2011) Bouazizi then went to the provincial headquarters to complain to officials about his situation. However, they refused to see him. Angered at the way he was being treated, Bouazizi set himself on fire in protest. (Abouzeid, 2011) He was taken to the hospital and stayed there until his death on January 4, 2011. Bouazizi’s self-immolation caused such an uproar that even Tunisia’s dictator, President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, visited him in the hospital. Bouazizi’s mother, Mannoubia, said, “Mohamed did what he did for the sake of his dignity. He lives on, his name lives on. I am proud of what happened in Tunis, I am proud that he is known throughout the Arab World.” (Abouzeid, 2011) Bouazizi’s self-immolation had such a huge impact on Tunisia that Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia on January 14.
As the Arab Spring enters its second year, major uprisings and revolts have occurred all over the Middle East, pushing for an end to the corrupt autocratic rule and an expansion of civil liberties and political rights. Most recently, images from Syria have emerged, depicting the government’s use of force to suppress the voice of its people. One might ask, “Is this the beginning of a revolution? Is the country on the path to democracy?” To assess this question and examine the future trends in the region, one must look back on the country’s somewhat tumultuous history, the relationship between the citizens and the state, and the political economy.
The process of decolonization in Africa during the 1950’s through the 1970’s was a very smart yet risky idea. For some places independence was easily gained yet in other areas it was a battle. During the time periods where colonization existed, Africa was peaceful and kept things in order. People had control over their specific locations and there were no questions to be asked. Once it was decided to remove these rights, things got out of hand rather quickly. Violence was a main occurrence during the decolonization timeframe because rules, rights, leaderships, etc. got altered and drastically changed. Sometimes nonviolence was used but it usually wasn’t as effective. A major example of using nonviolence actions to gain independence is when Gandhi protested in India. African leaders have tried very hard to lessen the influence of Western powers and the broader international community but they’ve never been completely successful because they continuously needed support in state building, economic development, and public health initiatives.
...the awakening of the people of Africa and Asia; the awakening would have been devoid of any historical significance.4 Many problems were presumed, but any country has its own problems within giving negative feedback, especially for the people of Africa and Asia.