The Arab Spring: The Challenge and Response to Arab Authoritarianism

1. The Arab Spring: The Challenge and Response to Arab Authoritarianism The Egyptian and Syrian Revolutions

2. Intro • Collapse of the Soviet Bloc • Cold War Legacy & Egypt-Israeli Peace • Socio-Economic Factors (Neoliberal Economics & Corruption) • Authoritarianism (State Terror) • Conclusion

3. Question: What factors led to the revolutions in Egypt and Syria ? Closest example: Soviet Collapse 1990-91 Similarities Authoritarian structure Flagging economy Cold War Legacies Egypt towards the West = Peace w/ Israel Syria towards Moscow

4. Socio-Economic Factors • Neoliberal Economics- School of thought that says a growing economy will spur political reform. • Infitah (Arabic “Openings”) under Sadat in the 1970s privatized many government holdings.

5. Socio-Economic Factors • Corruption : In both countries regime cronies benefitted from government patronage. Examples: • Egyptian government maintaining shares in former state-run enterprises oil, steel, etc. In particular companies owned by Gamal Mubarak. • In Syria Sunni businessmen receiving government contracts in exchange for political loyalty.

6. Authoritarianism • Both countries have operated under what is called “authoritarian bargain” A dictator gives his/her population a certain amount of socio-economic freedom and in exchange the people stay out of politics. • The line of succession from father to son Hosni Mubarak’s heir apparent Gamal Mubarak Hafez al-Assad’s successor Bashar al-Assad

7. Authoritarianism • State terror: In Syria in particular the Assad family have shown they will use violence to ensure their rule Examples: • Hama 1982, HQ the Muslim Brotherhood of Syria leveled by Syrian army leaving between 10-20 thousand dead • Ongoing violence in Syria today which began in March 2011

8. Conclusions • Egypt’s connections with the West economic and diplomatic allowed for Mubarak’s downfall • Syria’s narrow economic and diplomatic relations have insulated it from foreign (Western) pressure

9. References • Almond, Kyle (2 Sept. 2011) Index: Which countries are perceived to be the most corrupt?, CNN.com. Retrieved March 21, 2012 from http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/09/02/country.comparisons.corruption.index/index.html?iref=allsearch • Aron, Leon (July/August 2011) Everything You Think You Know About the Collapse of the Soviet Union is Wrong Foreign Policy. Retrieved April 3, 2012 from http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/06/20/everything_you_think_you_know_about_the_collapse_of_the_soviet_union_is_wrong?page=full • Atassi, Nader (2012) Berkley Political Review: Neoliberalism and the “Arab Spring” Retrieved March 20, 2012, from http://bpr.berkeley.edu/2011/04/neoliberalism-and-the-arab-spring/ • CIA World Factbook (2012).Distribution of Incomes Retrieved March 23, 2012 from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2172rank.html • CIA World Factbook (2012).Egypt. Retrieved March 1, 2012 from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/eg.html • Desai, R., Yousef T. (2009, March). The Logic of Authoritarian Bargains, Brookings Institution. Retrieved March 2, 2012, from http://www.brookings.edu/articles/2009/03_authoritarian_bargains_desai.aspx?p=1 • Egypt (2002). In Encarta Encyclopedia, 2002 ed. [CD-ROM]: Microsoft/Encarta Reference Library. [1 March 2012].

10. References cont. • Freidman, T. (2011, May 28). Pay Attention to Egypt, New York Times. Retrieved March 3, 2012, from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/29/opinion/29friedmanOpEd.html • Gapminder World (April 2012) Global Trends: Health and Wealth of Nations Retrieved April 3, 2012 from http://www.gapminder.org/world • Gelvin, James L. The Arab Uprisings What Everyone Needs to Know. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012. Print. • Lynch, Marc. The Arab Uprising: The Unfinished Revolutions in the New Middle East. New York: Public Affairs, 2012.Print. • Mackey, Robert (14, June 2011) Syria’s Ruling Alawite Sect, New York Times. Retrieved March 14, 2012 from http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/14/syrias-ruling-alawite-sect/ • Nasr, Vali (2011, Sept. 1). Beyond Good Politics, Egypt Needs Economic Remodeling, Bloomberg. Retrieved March 3, 2012 from http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-02/beyond-political-reform-egypt-will-need-economic-restructuring-vali-nasr.html • Nikitin, Vadim (26 August 2011). Did the Russians write the script for the Arab Spring?, The National. Retrieved March 13, 2012 from http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/middle-east/did-the-russians-write-the-script-for-the-arab-spring#full • Shadid, Anthony (13 June 2011) Syrian Unrest Stirs New Fear of Deeper Sectarian Divide, New York Times. Retrieved March 21, 2012 fromhttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/14/world/middleeast/14syria.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1 • State Department Background Note (19 March 2012) Egypt Retrieved March 30, 2012 from http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5309.htm • State Department Background Note (9 March 2012) Syria Retrieved March 30, 2012 from http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3580.htm#econ • Stier, Ken (2011 Feb. 18) Egypt’s Pursuit of the Corrupt: Justice or a Witch Hunt? TIME Magazine. Retrieved March 4, 2012 from http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2052113,00.html • Soviet Union (2002). In Encarta Encyclopedia, 2002 ed. [CD-ROM]: Microsoft/Encarta Reference Library. [14 March 2012]. • Syria (2002). In Encarta Encyclopedia, 2002 ed. [CD-ROM]: Microsoft/Encarta Reference Library. [14 March 2012].