Algeria

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.N.C. Hill
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Arab Spring ◽  
The West ◽  
The Arab Spring ◽  
Ruling Party

Drawing on Levitsky and Way’s model, this chapter advances an innovative explanation for the endurance of Algeria’s competitive authoritarian order. Like its Moroccan and Mauritanian counterparts (two of the volume’s other case studies), the Algerian regime emerged from the Arab Spring largely unchanged. Levitsky and Way offer a compelling account of its survival. The European Union’s and United States’s medium links to and low leverage over of the country prevent them from putting decisive democratising pressure on it. While the scope, cohesion and experience of its security apparatus give it sufficient organisational strength to withstand any domestic challenges. Nevertheless, the West could have pressed Algiers to liberalise harder and with greater consistency. And, in a departure from Levitsky and Way’s theory, President Bouteflika did not create and rely on a single ruling party.

scholarly journals Bin Ali Authoritarianism and International Factors in Tunisia (1987-2008)

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 85-111
Author(s):  
Hatice Rümeysa Dursun
Keyword(s):  
Arab Spring ◽  
Transformation Process ◽  
Transition To Democracy ◽  
The West ◽  
Authoritarian Rule ◽  
Political Freedoms ◽  
Democratic Stability ◽  
The Arab Spring ◽  
New Literature ◽  
Shed Light

Despite being shaken by the Arab Spring, authoritarian structures still exist in the regions of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Th is situation highlights the importance of studying the continuity of authoritarian structures more comprehensively. In addition to approaches that reduce authoritarianism to intra-state factors, literature has developed over the last decade emphasizing the importance of international factors. This literature in particular emphasizes the politics, economics, and diplomacy established by the West and that ties are effective in the continuity of authoritarianism in non-Western countries. This study attempts to explain Ben Ali’s period and the continuity of authoritarianism in Tunisia in the context of this developing new literature. Although Tunisia underwent a relatively positive transformation process after the Arab Spring, Ben Ali’s authoritarian rule was supported by the West as a model of an economic miracle and democratic stability; this administration managed to survive for 23 years. The study’s main argument can be expressed as follows: While the economic liberalization process imposed on Tunis by Western actors caused an increase in socio-economic inequalities, the instrumentalization of democracy by the West again served to suppress civil and political freedoms. Instead of focusing on the obstacles and opportunities in front of the transition to democracy in the post-Arab Spring period, examining theinternational factors influencing the continuity of authoritarianism in the Ben Ali period will shed light on how authoritarian structures still survive in MENA.

scholarly journals THE EMERGENCE OF STATE SPHERE IN SOCIAL MEDIA: A POLITICAL BALKANIZATION IN MALAYSIA

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 811-819
Author(s):  
Badrul Mohamed ◽  
Mohammad Agus Yusoff ◽  
Zawiyah Mohd Zain ◽  
Dori Efendi
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Arab Spring ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Political Agenda ◽  
News Reporting ◽  
Political Experience ◽  
Political Events ◽  
The Arab Spring ◽  
Ruling Party

Social media has phenomenally replaced the traditional media. Blogs have transformed news reporting; YouTube has reinvented talent sourcing; and the trinity (Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube) have revolutionary changed the rules of the game of regime change. Enabling commoners to be producers and its interactiveness are the two most important characteristics that grant the ordinary citizens to be extra-ordinary. From Tinseltown to Alexandria, the roles of social media has been unstoppably growing. The world political events in the recent times, particularly the Arab Spring have shown a strong correlation between social media and democratization. Malaysias political experience in recent years, in particular the 12th General Election (GE-12) in 2008 is comparable to the Arab Spring in view of the alluring role of social media and its gladiatorial impacts in politics. The failure of Barisan Nasional (BN or National Front, the only ruling party since independence) to retain its customary two-third majority in GE-12 is a proof of peoples growing desire to enjoy democracy that among others offer free and fair elections, good-governance, and social justice which are dissimilar to existing communalism and strong government. At a glance, GE-13 in 2013 produced similar results as GE-12 which displayed fortification of democracy among citizens. In contrast, further analyses toward the details of GE-13 surfaced the revival of communalism and autoritarinism which have shown signs of decay in GE-12. Thus, this article explores the conflictual roles of social media which (has been functioning as an ideal public sphere) when the ruling party together with the state machinery invade the sphere of social media to satisfy their political agenda. This investigation showcases the anarchic sphere in social media is not only capable in catalyzing democratization, but also undermining democracy by propagating political Balkanization that propels disjointed feelings among multi-racial citizens.

Invoking the Name

2019 ◽  
pp. 141-152
Author(s):  
Sophia Moskalenko ◽  
Clark McCauley
Keyword(s):  
Arab Spring ◽  
Green Revolution ◽  
The Other ◽  
The West ◽  
Psychological Reactions ◽  
Mass Politics ◽  
The Arab Spring

The Arab Spring brought to the front pages of Western newspapers stories of people who were hailed as martyrs by Muslims and accepted as such by the West. Two such cases are detailed in this chapter, one of a Tunisian self-immolator who started the Arab Spring; the other of a victim of the Iranian regime’s crackdown on the Green Revolution. The authors use these cases to build on the previous chapter in further exploration of the purposes and pitfalls of misusing the term “martyr.” These cases illuminate the power a word can have over mass politics and individual psychological reactions.

The Arab Spring: A View from Israel

2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haim Bresheeth
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
Arab Spring ◽  
Arab World ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
The West ◽  
Protest Movement ◽  
History Of ◽  
The One ◽  
The Arab Spring

The Arab Spring is one of the most complex and surprising political developments of the new century, especially after a decade of anti-Muslim and anti-Arab western propaganda. While is too early to properly evaluate the process and its various national apparitions, it is important to see it in a historical context. This article places the Arab Spring firmly within the history of pan Arabism, and the threat it posed to the west and Israel in its earlier, Nasserist phase. The work of Amin, Marfleet and others, is used to frame the current developments, and present the limited view offered from an Israeli perspective, where any democratisation of the Arab world is seen as a threat. This is so despite the obvious influence the Arab Spring had on protest in Israel in Summer 1011, a protest which has now seemingly spent itself; it is fascinating to note that the only protest movement in the Middle East not involving violent clashes with the regime it criticised, is also the one which has not achieved any of its aims.

scholarly journals Taking to the Streets

2014 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 111-114
Author(s):  
Jacob Høigilt
Keyword(s):  
Political Science ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Arab Spring ◽  
Political Sociology ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Contentious Politics ◽  
Back Cover ◽  
Middle Eastern Studies ◽  
The Arab Spring

This edited volume consists of ten case studies framed by an introductionwritten by the two editors and a postscript written by Larry Diamond, a leadingscholar of democracy studies today. The Introduction, which places thevolume within the tradition of political sociology and political science, relatesexplicitly to the study of contentious politics and social movements.In doing so, it contributes to a trend in Middle Eastern studies that startedduring the early 2000s in analyses of Islamism and that seeks to add insightsto a field that has so far been relatively neglectful of the Middle Easterncontext.The book promises to “illuminate the concept of activism as an ongoingprocess, rather than a sudden burst of defiance” (back cover) by critically examiningthe ideas that the Arab Spring emerged “from nowhere” and wasdriven by “tech-savvy, disgruntled youth” (p. 2). It sets out to explore the natureof activism before, during, and after the uprisings, as well as how the ...

scholarly journals FORMATION AND SPREAD OF SALAFISM

Al-Farabi ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 146-156
Author(s):  
Ali Almukhametov ◽  
◽  
Nurlan Abzhetov ◽  
Zhuldyz Zhumashova ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Arab Spring ◽  
The West ◽  
Personal Freedom ◽  
Islamic Movements ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Arab Spring ◽  
Islamic Political Parties

The “Arab Spring” led to the rise of Islamists and the influx of Islamic movements throughout the region. Islamists have debated democracy, pluralism, and personal freedom. In this regard, it is important to understand the emerging concept of Islam among them and how the players in this game perceive themselves. The article provides a brief description and identification of modern Islamists. Features of Islamic political parties are described. The authors provide a definition of the most modern trends in neo-Islamism, including areas such as non-traditional religiosity, gradualism, modernization in Islam, nationalism, and pragmatic relations with the West.

Mauritania

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.N.C. Hill
Keyword(s):  
Arab Spring ◽  
Democracy Promotion ◽  
The West ◽  
Power Means ◽  
Eu And Us ◽  
The Arab Spring ◽  
The Eu ◽  
Do So

Drawing on Levitsky and Way’s model, this chapter advances a nuanced explanation of the survival of Mauritania’s competitive authoritarian order. Just a few years before the protests began, the country seemed to offer a near textbook example of their thesis as, under coordinated pressure from the West, its dictatorial regime introduced democratic reforms (only to relapse into authoritarianism shortly thereafter). Yet during the Arab Spring itself, no such liberalisation took place. While the EU and US have only medium linkage to and leverage over Nouakchott, its reduced organisational power means that they still have the ability to put decisive democratising pressure on it (just as they did before). Their failure to do so confirms one of Levitsky and Way’s vital caveats: that the West often allows important strategic considerations to take precedence over democracy promotion.

Introduction: The Middle East and International Relations

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise Fawcett
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Foreign Policy ◽  
Middle East ◽  
International Relations ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Arab Spring ◽  
Political Reform ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
The Arab Spring ◽  
Middle East Studies

This volume offers an account of the international relations of the modern Middle East. It examines the international politics of the region by providing further scholarly engagement between the two major disciplines of international relations (IR) and Middle East Studies. The text focuses on important contemporary themes in Middle East international relations such as political economy, democratization and political reform, the management of regional relations, and patterns of war and security. It looks at key regional case studies incorporating historical, contemporary, and theoretical perspectives. Topics include the foreign policy practices of different states, the Arab–Israeli conflict, and the Arab Spring and its consequences. This introduction considers some of the particular problems that arise in studying the international relations of the Middle East and how they are addressed in this volume. It also provides an overview of the chapters that follow.

Social Media, Participation, and Citizenship

2017 ◽  
pp. 76-94
Author(s):  
Richard Bull ◽  
Monica Pianosi
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Arab Spring ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Environmental Communication ◽  
Digital Tools ◽  
Energy Awareness ◽  
Cautionary Note ◽  
Worldwide Phenomenon ◽  
The Arab Spring

Social media is a worldwide phenomenon with applications like Facebook and Twitter credited with everything from Obama's 2008 election victory to the Arab Spring. But alongside claims of a social media inspired ‘revolution' lay more nuanced questions around the role and impact of digital tools, smartphones, and social media in ‘every day' contexts. The chapter discusses the role and impact of social media in organisations through two case studies where social media and digital technologies were used to increase energy awareness and environmental citizenship within organisations. Encouraging findings are presented that show the potential of such tools to facilitate change within individuals and organisations yet a cautionary note is offered with regards implementing and measuring such campaigns. Results from the interviews are discussed revealing how claims of social media on participation can be tested, and recommendations offered on how to design interventions for future social media and environmental communication initiatives.

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