21. The Onset of the Syrian Uprising and the Origins of Violence

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reinoud Leenders
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
Arab Spring ◽  
Mass Mobilization ◽  
Short History ◽  
Authoritarian Rule ◽  
Early Stages ◽  
Arab Uprisings ◽  
Syrian Civil War ◽  
History Of ◽  
Popular Mobilization

This chapter examines the early stages of mass mobilization in Syria that sparked the Arab uprisings. Starting from December 2010 in Tunisia, Arabs from various walks of life took to the streets in protest against decades-long authoritarian rule, repression, and corruption in what came to be known as the Arab uprisings, or Arab Spring. These waves of protest reached Syria in March 2011. While Syria’s protests initially were largely peaceful, they soon gave way to violence, which culminated in an armed insurgency by the end of 2011 and, combined with regime brutality, a civil war. Before explaining how, when, and why the uprisings happened, the chapter provides a short history of growing popular discontent that resulted in the onset of the Syrian uprisings. It then analyses the roots of the uprising’s militarization and the ensuing popular mobilization and concludes with an assessment of the Syrian civil war.

15. The Arab Spring: The ‘People’ in International Relations

2019 ◽  
pp. 339-367
Author(s):  
Larbi Sadiki
Keyword(s):  
New Media ◽  
International Relations ◽  
Arab Spring ◽  
Arab World ◽  
Authoritarian Rule ◽  
External Interference ◽  
Arab Uprisings ◽  
The People ◽  
Media And Technology ◽  
The Arab Spring

This chapter looks at the Arab uprisings and their outcomes, approaching them from the perspective of the peoples of the region. The Arab uprisings are conceived of as popular uprisings against aged and mostly despotic governments, which have long silenced popular dissent. Ultimately, the Arab uprisings demonstrate the weakness of traditional international relations, with its focus on states and power, by showing how much the people matter. Even if the Arab uprisings have not yet delivered on popular expectations, and the Arab world continues to be subject to external interference and persistent authoritarian rule, they are part of a process of global protest and change, facilitated by new media and technology, which challenges the dominant international relations theories.

Blood Brothers: A Short History of the Civil War.

1993 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 720
Author(s):  
John L. Bell ◽  
Frank E. Vandiver
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
Short History ◽  
History Of

Near Eastern archaeology and the Arab Spring: avoiding the ostrich effect

Antiquity ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 88 (340) ◽  
pp. 639-643 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael D. Danti
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
Arab Spring ◽  
Turning Point ◽  
Near Eastern ◽  
Rural Village ◽  
The Past ◽  
Syrian Civil War ◽  
The Future ◽  
Major Turning Point ◽  
The Arab Spring

As an American archaeologist who has worked in Syria, living in a rural village in Raqqa Province off and on for decades, I am frequently asked: did you see it coming? Were there early signs of the Arab Spring and the Syrian civil war? The answer is both yes and no. In retrospect, the signs were there, but foreign archaeologists did not always identify them. More often we simply chose to ignore them. Regardless, we have come to many important realisations. Foremost, Near Eastern archaeology has reached a major turning point, which raises a more pressing question: what now? Our answers will profoundly shape the future of our field. As archetypal students of history, we must learn from the lessons of the past and act. Playing the part of the metaphorical ostrich and burying our heads in the sand would be far easier, perhaps even customary, but this cannot be our course. A strong and engaged field is needed now more than ever—my primary intent here is to dissect what this means.

New Portrayals of the Arab World in TV Series

2021 ◽  
pp. 107-122
Author(s):  
Alfonso Corral ◽  
Brenda Pérez ◽  
Héctor J. Oliva
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Arab Spring ◽  
Arab World ◽  
Edward Said ◽  
Syrian Civil War ◽  
The Arab Spring

This work reflects on how the representation of the Arab world has evolved in three fictional works that have emerged in the second decade of the 21st century: Homeland (Showtime Networks, 2011-2020), Tyrant (FX Network-Fox, 2014-2016), and Jack Ryan (Amazon Prime Video, 2018-). The goal is to determine whether the main socio-political milestones that occurred during this period (the Arab Spring, Syrian Civil War, appearance of ISIS, etc.) have transformed the already classic theories of authors such as Edward Said, Jack Shaheen, or Evelyn Alsultany, among others. A viewing and analysis of the first season of each show demonstrates that the panorama has not improved in terms of discourse, topics, and stereotypes. It is clear, therefore, that the lens of 9/11 is still very present in the Hollywood mindset regarding Arabs, Muslims, and Islam.

A Short History of a Long Conflict

2020 ◽  
pp. 17-52
Author(s):  
Beth Van Schaack
Keyword(s):  
Arab Spring ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
Islamic State ◽  
Short History ◽  
Peace Processes ◽  
Foreign Intervention ◽  
History Of ◽  
Key Events ◽  
The Arab Spring ◽  
The Impact

This introductory chapter offers a short history of the eight-year conflict in Syria, covering the arrival of the Arab Spring, the transformation of a long-overdue revolution into a full-scale armed conflict, and the evolution of the situation on the ground to date. This chapter prefaces the contemporary violence with a few historical events, surfacing atrocities committed in the 1980s that have never been the subject of any genuine accountability process as well as the entrenchment of authoritarianism under the House of Assad. It describes how the arrival of the Arab Spring reawakened long-dormant revolutionary impulses, which amplified the government’s repression. This, in turn, provoked an armed resistance and a full-scale conflict, which opened space for the arrival of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The chapter recounts this history with reference to several key events and factors: the response of the international community, the opposition’s perpetual rearrangements, the appearance of ISIL, the commission of war crimes and crimes against humanity (including the infringement of the taboo against chemical weapons), the humanitarian catastrophe that ensued, forms of foreign intervention (aid, arms, and air strikes), and failed peace processes. In addition to recounting the involvement of major Western powers in the Syrian battlespace, it also touches upon the impact of spillover conflicts in the subregion. Others will write the definitive history of this tragedy; the goal here is to touch upon key milestones as this conflict unfolded and to set the scene for the efforts to promote justice and accountability for the atrocities underway.

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