1 Ramy Essam, ‘Irhal’ [Clear Off!]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pz7ehLoP6OU
2 Libya, Feb 2011
3 http://www. youtube. com/watch(Revolutions per minute till 2011, 2 mins)
4 Modern Revolutions in Comparative PerspectiveHannah Elias
5 Announcements Dissertations due on 28 April at 1pm.Late papers will not be accepted without documentation supporting extenuating circumstances Course survey:
6 Week 19: Arab Spring as Revolution?Introduction Course of the Arab Spring Reflecting back on ‘Modern Revolutions in Comparative Perspective’
7 Week 19: (1) Arab Spring as Revolution?Some have described the Arab Spring as ‘a failure’
8 (1) Arab Spring as Revolution?… Particularly those who have framed the Arab Spring as a ‘Quest for Democracy’ John Davis calls this period merely an ‘interregnum’ that will ‘set the stage for democracy’; portrays democracy as inevitable end state of revolution; liberal modernity as teleology
9 Week 19: (1) Arab Spring as Revolution?Arab Spring as Revolution? Question = interesting because it forces us to define revolution more generally
10 (1) Arab Spring as Revolution?Other interpretations? Dabashi calls the Arab Spring the ‘delayed defiance of both European colonialism and its extended shadow and postcolonial aftermath’. A rejection of postcolonial authoritarianism
11 (1) Arab Spring as Revolution?‘These were not conclusive revolutions as we have understood them in the exemplary models of the French, Russian, Chinese, Cuban or Iranian revolutions of the last three centuries. ‘Revolution’ in the sense of a radical and sudden shift of political power with an accompanying social and economic restructuring of society – one defiant class violently and conclusively overcoming another – is not what we are witnessing here.’ (Debashi, 2012, p.5).
12 (1) Arab Spring as Revolution?So what is the Arab Spring? Something that allows us a chance to open up our understanding of what revolution is… Not just revolutionary process vs outcome We have to acknowledge that our concept of ‘modern revolution’ itself is teleological New postmodern conceptual tools may open up alternative understandings of what ‘revolution’ entails
13 (1) Arab Spring as Revolution?Expanding our ideas of ‘Revolution’… Debashi argues: ideological grand narratives (inclu: anticolonial nationalism, third world socialism, militant Islamism) were replaced during Arab Spring by: A cosmopolitan worldliness and a restructured geography of liberation and transformation of consciousness creating a permanent revolutionary mood focused on a transnational retrieval of civil liberties ‘Cosmopolitan’ – meaning, worldliness in which alternative notions and practices of civil liberties can and ought to be produced Distinct from the civil society arguments evaluated last week… Writing in 2012… optimism?
14 Week 19: (1) Course of the Arab SpringRegarding nomenclature: ‘Arab Spring’ = misnomer because the situation varies too much from country to country Challenging Orientialism: unchangeable Orient, Islam = considered conservative religion the single ‘Other’ glosses over national, ethnic, religious (Sunni, Shiite) etc. differences
15 Week 19: (2) Course of the Arab SpringTunisia Dec. 2010: self-immolation of street vendor (protest against police harassment) mass protests
16 Week 19: (2) Course of the Arab SpringJan 2011: President Zine El Abidin Ben Ali announces concessions, then flees to Saudi Arabia; elections follow Al Jazeera: ‘The Arab world wonders: Is this really possible? Is it that easy?’ Reasons for demonstrations: food inflation, unemployment, corruption, lack of political freedom, poor living conditions
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18 Week 19: (2) Course of the Arab Spring‘Jasmine Revolution’ – compromise and coexistence; collaboration between parties early alliances between Islamist and secular politicians No army involvement Postive economic growth of 1.8% in first year 2013 – fighting, but ‘National Dialogue Quartet’ of Labour Union, Confederation of Industry, Human Rights League and Order of Lawyers work to mediate peaceful democratic development 2015 – Nobel Peace Prize for ‘building a pluralistic democracy’ 2016 – high unemployment, people back on the streets in protest. Ridha Yahyaoui – dies in protest over job.
19 Week 19: (2) Course of the Arab SpringEgypt 25 January 2011 – ‘Day of Rage’ demanding Mubarak step down after 3 decades in power Succession issue: Mubarak wants dynastic presidency Protestors seek: redistribution of power within state away from presidency (+inspired by Tunisia) New players on political stage: young leftist and liberal activists; mass mobilisation of millions of ordinary Egyptians frustrated with despotic rule ‘Anti’ movement; united in opposition
20 Week 19: (2) Course of the Arab Spring
21 Week 19: (2) Course of the Arab Spring11 Feb 2011: Mubarak resigns, SCAF* takes command *Supreme Council of Armed Forces May 2012: Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party candidate Morsi elected President in second round of voting caught in competition with SCAF and old Mubarak era-elites: accept unfair terms for election, instead of challenging for entirely new system (First choice al-Shater disqualified for being imprisoned during Mubarak regime) Muslim Brotherhood: candidates broadly in the Islamic-modernist tradition, though conservative rather than progressive
22 Week 19: (2) Course of the Arab SpringJune 2012: ‘Welcome to our coup’ civilians to be tried in military courts procedural decree to dissolve assembly under pretext of irregularities in some constituencies Presidency = ‘poisoned chalice’ (Roberts, 2013); powers stripped back and reassigned to SCAF 2013: New series of mass protests directed against Morsi; supported by Tamarrod protest movement. Result: coup. Morsi ousted, General al-Sisi takes power ‘Sisi and the army took their cue from the people’ May 2014: Sisi wins 96% of vote in election; low voter turnout Recommended Viewing: The Square
23 Week 19: (2) Course of the Arab SpringLibya February 2011 – inspired by Egypt and Tunisia, violent protests break out in Benghazi b/w security forces and anti-Gaddafi rebels March 2011 – UN Security Council authorises no-fly zone over Libya to protect citizens, NATO has command; ‘leading from behind’ August – October 2011 – Gaddafi in hiding; killed General National Congress elected Civil War, present: GNC fails to disband after mandate expires; protests May 2014: New parliament elected: fight between forces loyal to GNC and new parliament Renegade General launches military assault inclu airstrikes vs militant Islamist groups in Benghazi; Ansar al-Sharia seizes control of city
24 Week 19: (2) Course of the Arab SpringLibya Rise of ‘Islamic State’: October 2014 Ban Ki-Moon negotiates with parliament and Islamic militias 100,000s displaced Daesh/ISIS extremists seize control of port of Derma in Eastern Libya Jan 2016: UN announces new Tunisia-based interim gov’t but many groups refuse to accept its authority Daesh/ISIS expands attacks and threatens more territory Recommended listening: Podcast with autobiographical account of conflict from Irish-Libyan soldier
25 Week 19: (2) Course of the Arab SpringSyria https://youtu.be/w_88DhYEAzU ISIS/Daesh: a revolution of ‘reactionary modernism’? ‘conservative revolution’? Where do we go from here? Epistemologically and geopolitically… the future is uncertain.
26 (2) Course of the Arab Spring‘Social Media Revolution’ - Changing cultures of time and space Nov 2011: Wired magazine calls social media the pamphlets and posters of the Arab Spring. But – as we have learned – the implications of the medium must be considered, as well as the message itself. The medium is not benign. A clear outcome of the Arab Spring – heightened awareness of interconnectivity; collapsing spatial boundaries, gap between rich and poor bridged, instantaneous connection Larbi Sadiki – In this space-time collapse, there is an emerging tendency towards the reclamation of rights of ‘peoplehood’ as well as interrogation of state-society relationship Routledge Handbook of the Arab Spring, 2015 Arab Spring: occupation of public space as major nexus where revolution is acted out. Inspires #occupywallstreet
27 (2) Course of the Arab SpringThe Revolution will be Tweeted: Immediate; powerful; transnational; ‘democratic’ #blacklivesmatter
28 (2) Course of the Arab Spring“The dream of democracy and freedom might have died at the foot of extremism and dictators, but in the hearts and minds of young people there is another revolution happening. They might come across as helpless and unable to make change but deep inside they are rejecting the status quo. They are silently revolting against the same taboos that were deemed untouchable. They are questioning everything. Nothing is sacred. Nothing is off limits.” Bassem Youssef in 2015
29 Week 19: (3) ModRevs in Review“The most dangerous moment for a bad government is the moment it sets about reform. The social order destroyed by revolution is almost always better than that which preceded it.” Alexis de Tocqueville (1856) Or, in the case of the Arab Spring… when opportunities for reform denied completely .
30 Week 19: (3) ModRevs in ReviewDefining Modern Revolution… New notions of time and history New symbols and rituals Mass mobilisation Often motivated by concerns for social justice Violence Analysis must factor in: social structure, politics, ideology, AND global context/geopolitics Important to understand differences in action and experience across class, gender, race – subaltern voices
31 Please fill in a course evaluation asap!