The impact of the foreign intervention on the uprisings during the Arab spring - Essay Example

?Introduction What started as a protest by an unemployed vegetable hawker in a Tunisian in December has spread at unprecedented intensity, engulfing most of North African Arab states and several Middle Eastern countries in chaos. The protests have drastically altered the social, political and economic state of the affected countries and the uprisings are still ongoing, spreading to other non-Arabic states across the globe. The uprisings are described in various terms including upheaval, regime change, revolution, popular protests, digital revolution among others depending on the intention, outcome and the methods used to mobilize people (Kumaraswamy, 2). The uprisings are due to distinct social, economic and political situations in the affected countries. In addition, foreign intervention has played significant role in accelerating the uprising and influencing their outcome (Timo and Mika, 2). This paper examines the impact of foreign intervention on the Arab awakening. Origin of Arab uprising The extent of foreign intervention in Arab uprising varies across the different countries that experienced or are currently undergoing the upheavals. Before investigating the various foreign interventions, it is important to investigate the underlying social, economic and political factors in various Arab countries in North Africa and Middle East. According to Timo and Mika, protests in Tunisia and Egypt were driven by similar social, economic and political motives. Uprisings in both countries took an identical course of events that ultimately resulted to the fall of the existing governments (2). The dissatisfaction with the economic situation played a critical role in causing the uprising in Egypt and Tunisia (Timo and Mika, 3). For several decades, both countries had initiated economic reforms to stimulate and enhance trade in the region in response to globalization. However, the reforms adversely affected the living standards of the majority middle and low-income groups creating resentment. Prior to the uprising in Tunisia and Egypt, majority of the citizens experienced decline in real wages, high inflation, and increasing levels of unemployment. The situation was worse among the youth, especially graduates, who experienced high levels of unemployment (Kitchen, 14). The “Jasmine Revolution” that was precursor to Arab spring in Tunisian was started by unemployed graduate Mohamed Bouazizi who set himself ablaze after he was denied authority to sell groceries in the streets of a Tunisian city(Kumaraswamy, 6) Although the economic reforms generated significant job opportunities, in these regions, most jobs were low skilled and of dismal wages. Moreover, the high population growth in these countries has not been accompanied by proportionate economic growth to absorb the citizens into the labor market. A combination of these factors left many unemployed and middle class youth disillusioned with countries’ political systems (Kumaraswamy, 6). The political structure in Egypt and Tunisia also played a critical role in causing the uprising. According to Timo and Mika, the political governance in these countries is dictatorial, where cronyism and nepotism reigned supreme. The poor, “unconnected” and educated individuals lacked access to employment opportunities while the crony capitalism amassed wealth and power in the country at the expense of meritocracy (5-6). The disenchanted but educated youth formed the core of the uprising in the affected countries. Political oppression is another major defining characteristic of the countries affected by the uprising. For long period, leadership in the affected Arabic countries has been autocratic, suppressing fundamental human rights and freedoms. In Egypt, the leadership of President Hosni Mubarak was characterized by ruthless crackdown on public protests and other forms of expression. In addition, the government manipulated elections in favor of the incumbent, who had remained in power for over three decades. The government utilized state security agencies to suppress violently any form of opposition to the existing leader (Kitchen, 15-17). This dictatorial and oppressive leadership created favorable conditions for widespread corruption within the leadership especially at the top tier of governance. These events created widespread feelings of disillusionment and hopelessness among the citizens, especially the young and educated individuals. Besides these common factors, the Arabic countries had unique issues that inspired the revolution. In Egyptian case, the leadership of Hosni Mubarak had undermined the pride of the country’s citizens that had been firmly established under the leadership of President Abdel Nasser. Egypt under Nasser rule was a “real” Arab republic that had established itself as an independent state, especially from European countries, Israel and United States (Timo and Mika, 8). Several military confrontations between Israel and Egypt during the reign of Nasser had promoted patriotism of Egyptian people significantly. Under Hosni Mubarak’s rule most Egyptian citizens, especially from radical groups such as Islamic Brotherhood were not comfortable with President Hosni Mubarak close association with United States and Israel. Kitchen (21) attributed the persistent cry for pride and dignity during the protests in Egypt to the perceived loss of Egyptian freedom and independence to the United States. Egyptians were also motivated by other Arabic countries such as Turkey and militant groups in the Middle East especially Hezbollah and Hamas. Turkey had managed to assert its position in the region and beyond independently, while militants groups especially Hezbollah and Hamas have managed to withstand Israeli aggression for long period, without backing down on their demands (Kumaraswamy, 16). In a region where cooperation with Israel and United States is viewed as betrayal of Arab cause, Hosni Mubarak’s reign was bound to come under intense internal resistance. It was important for the country to regain its past dignity in the global perspective. In a region with significant social and political similarities the motivations for revolution united the all the people in the countries, initiating an unstoppable and contagious movement that has spread across the entire region and other countries as well. Although economic and political factors played a significant role in the revolution, the fight for dignity among the Arabic countries played the major role in uniting all the people in the countries (Timo and Mika, 20). This explains why countries such as Libya and Tunisia, which had the lowest proportion of people living below poverty line in the region, experienced the uprising(Kumaraswamy, 23). Better living standards and improved economic conditions in these countries did not appease the population any longer as dictatorial corrupt leadership and brutal crackdown of civilian population in these countries reigned supreme, denying people the freedom to enjoy the provisions. Although it is early to determine the outcome of the protests in the Arab countries, it is clear that they have created more open and democratic society than before, with countries such as Tunisia holding fair electoral process several months after the revolution that ousted the former president. The Arab uprising was contagious, and it quickly spread into several countries in the region after the mass protests began in Tunisia. This contagious effect demonstrates that the entire Arab region suffered the same economic, social and political effects. Although the region is not united, it has almost the same religious and ethnic composition. However, most Arab countries demonstrate different political systems and administration. These distinct internal characteristics have a major influence of the nature and the future of revolutions in the region at large (Aymenn, 1). Many Arabic countries in the region experienced similar economic challenges. These included high unemployment rates that had been partly caused by the global economic crisis in 2009. The period after the crisis witnessed a significant reduction in foreign trade and the subsequent revenues. Consequently, internal economic state of the countries worsened causing high inflation especially on food and basic commodities. The price increase amidst high unemployment levels reduced the standards of living in the region causing despair especially among the educated youth, experiencing greater challenges securing jobs in the despotic administrations. Moreover, economic policies and reforms especially in countries such as Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan and Yemen failed to yield the expected outcomes causing widespread public discontent in the region (Kumaraswamy 18). Protests in several significant oil producing countries in the region demonstrated distinct difference especially in their intensity and subsequent outcome. According to Kitchen (17), increase in global pries of oil during the protests enhanced the economies of major oil producing countries in the region such as Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Although the countries were experiencing mass protests, the authorities managed to forestall uprising in the countries by offering financial incentives to the youths forming the bulk of protesters. However, countries such as Egypt that attempted to make political concessions during the uprisings without making tangible economic changes failed to prevent the uprising (Kumaraswamy 22). In spite of vast oil exports in Libya, the protests intensified and Muammar Gaddafi regime increased military crackdown on its own citizens, causing high fatalities. In unusual response, the Arab league demanded enforcement of a no- fly zone in Libya, a situation that lead to the United Nations Security Council resolution to intervene militarily. Eventually Muammar Gaddafi government was overthrown and the former president killed after several months of intense fighting (Aymenn). The level of freedom, especially liberty of expression exhibited remarkable differences in the affected Arab countries. Although conducting free and fair elections has remained one of the most unlikely outcomes in previous elections in the region, various countries demonstrated remarkable differences in the levels of media freedom and public administration. According to Timo and Mika, Morocco and Jordan, demonstrate a higher level of democracy compared to Egypt and Libya. Morocco and Jordan have organized comparatively fair elections that allowed participation of Islamic groups (25-27). Other countries such as Kuwait and Bahrain have consistently increased democratic space while Egypt under Hosni Mubarak suppressed democracy but enhanced freedom of the media. In Tunisia, media freedom was one of the most restricted in the Arab world. In addition, youth below the age of 25 years comprises about a half of the entire population in the region. This group consisted of the most educated but disillusioned segment of the population. Their competence in modern technology especially in the use of social media sites enhanced their networks at both local and international levels which promoted mass mobilizations and widespread of the uprisings across the region (Kitchen, 40). Impacts of foreign intervention Foreign intervention in the Arab awakening played a significant role in influencing the cause and the outcomes of the revolution. For long period, United States and other western countries have had vested economic and political interests in Arab region. Economically, the region is one of the highest producers of oil, the most important source of energy in the globe. The region is one of the biggest suppliers of oil and other petroleum products to the United States and hence it is of strategic economic importance to the country. In addition, oil from the Middle East plays a critical role in determining the global prices of the commodity in the world. Due to the critical economic importance of the region, countries such as United States have increased their presence in the past decades with an objective of ensuring steady supply of the commodity in the market (Kitchen, 29). One of the major threats in the region is insecurity and political instability that has had significant impacts on supply and global prices of oil in the world. In this respect, United States has established military bases in critical oil producing countries in the region such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The increased presence of United States and other western countries in the region has been a major cause of conflict for a long time. The Arab countries view these developments as threat to their sovereignty and contravention of Islamic holy grounds. In the course of the years, several militant groups and terror organization have carried out attacks on western interests in the region and beyond. These terror groups are purported to obtain financial and logistical support from Arab countries such as Libya, Iran, Iraq and other Persian Gulf countries with substantial mineral deposits (Tilley). Creation of Israel state in the Middle East and subsequent displacement of Palestinians from their ancestral land has also been a major political issue in the Middle East that has defined foreign intervention. Since the establishment of Israel state, the country has experienced intense aggression from the neighboring Arab countries in the region including Egypt especially during the regime of Abdel Nasser. Hence, continuous presence of United States in the region serves an important role in maintaining peace and stability between Israel and its hostile neighbors. Western countries consider fostering democracy in Arab countries the most pragmatic strategy of maintaining peace and stability in the volatile region (Tilley). Hence, foreign intervention was necessary in the uprising in order to bring relevant democratic change. The Arab uprising was in the best interests of western powers in the Middle East. According to Tilley, Israel would benefit from the resulting instability caused by the uprising. Historically, Israel is renowned for creating regional instability because it causes disintegration of formidable Arab countries that would otherwise create security problem for the Jewish state. One of the major conflicts that Israel initiated was the Lebanese civil war by supporting Maronite Christians to fight Sunni and factions associated with Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) (Tilley). NATO military intervention in Libya uprising is the most conspicuous foreign measure that eventually led to overthrow and killing of the long serving President Muammar Gaddafi. Political scientists and critics have intensely debated on why NATO decided to intervene militarily in the Libyan case, but not in other countries such as Egypt and Syria. In Libyan case, the role of NATO military intervention was to destroy the capacity of Gaddafi’s force that had caused heavy loss of civilian lives in attempts to suppress the uprising (Aymenn). By neutralizing Libyan military capacity, NATO aided the Libyan rebels into overpowering Gaddafi’s loyalists, ending over four decades of the dictator’s regime. However, NATO intervention in Libya was a strategic political and security operation for United States, Israel and other western countries for several reasons. For long period, Muammar Gaddafi regime had supported terrorist attacks and organizations targeting mainly United States and Israeli interests. Intelligence findings established that Libya government under the ousted Muammar Gaddafi funded Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and other terror groups that carried out daring attacks on Israeli interests. Some of the major terror attacks that the regime funded include the 1988 Pan Am airlines disaster in Lockerbie, Scotland and the hijacking of Israeli plane in Entebbe in 1976 (Kitchen, 24). In addition, the Libyan government persistence on developing weapons of mass destruction threatened peace and stability in the Middle East region (Aymenn). These factors in addition to the fact that the country is major oil producer prompted the direct military intervention led by the United States. Besides the NATO allied members, some Arabic countries, notably Qatar supported the imposition of no-fly zone in Libya and the subsequent military attacks on Libyan defense forces. The foreign intervention is gradually expected to introduce democratic governance in Libya. Currently, the country is still in transition and it is expected to be handed over to civilian rule soon (Aymenn). Foreign media has played a critical role in the Arab spring revolution. Besides the social media networks that were used extensively to mobilize protesters, mainstream media helped in broadcasting information about the successful uprising in countries such as Tunisia where the Arab spring started. The spread of information in countries with similar economic, social and political challenges inspired ongoing revolutions in various parts of the world. Syria is one the countries where the revolution is ongoing (VOA). The success of NATO military intervention in overthrowing Gaddafi has prompted some policy makers to consider similar response in Syria. However, foreign military intervention by NATO and other forces in the country remains a distant possibility. Diplomatic attempts to resolve the crisis have so far failed and Syrian citizens are still demanding social, economic and political reforms amidst deadly crackdown by Assad government. So far, Syria has been suspended from Arab League and the organization is requesting United Nations Security Council to form a joint peacekeeping force in the country to prevent further civilian deaths (VOA). According to VOA Syrian uprising involves various rebels, government forces and militant groups, which have thrown the county at the blink of civil war. Al-Qaida terror organization is one of the recent militant groups that have called for the overthrow of President Assad administration in Syria (VOA). The high fatality rate in Syrian uprising is the highest recorded in the short history of Arab spring. The recent use of suicide bombs in the country demonstrates the possibility of multiple foreign involvements in order to undermine the existing government and cause further fragmentation in one of the country that has been Israel‘s most severe critic in the Middle East region. Conclusion The Arab uprising has caused dramatic social, economic and political changes in the world, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa. The uprisings started in Tunisia and spread quickly in the Arab world. So far, three long serving presidents in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt have been overthrown and the country’s political systems are undergoing transformations from previous dictatorial administration to a more open and democratic society. The uprisings were motivated by internal factors, which include the need for political, economic and social reforms in the affected countries. For long period, these countries were ruled by dictators, with no or little respect for human dignity and the rule of law. Consequently, the masses felt isolated from the government and running of the state affairs, leading to disillusionment and resentment. Although the uprisings were caused by internal factors, foreign intervention has played a critical role in determining the spread and outcome of the uprising. NATO’s military intervention helped the Libyan rebels to overthrow Gaddafi’s administration. In addition, diplomatic foreign intervention has provided an opportunity for the countries to transform into an open and democratic society. In Syria, foreign intervention especially by militants has worsened the conflict, causing more fragmentations and bloody conflicts. Foreign intervention continues playing a critical role in determining the political, social and economic outcomes of the countries affected by the uprising. Further research should be undertaken to investigate effects of the uprising in the affected countries. References Aymenn, J. “Military intervention in the Arab spring.”Nov 10, 2011. Feb 8 2012. Retrieved from http://www.meforum.org/3094/military-intervention-arab-spring. Kitchen, N.(Ed). “The Arab Spring’. London School of Economics and Political Science. 10 (2011): 2-26. Kumaraswamy, P. “Uprisings in the Arab world: Options for GOI”. March 30 2011. February 9, 2012. Retrieved from http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/documents/IDSA_UprisingsintheArabWor ld_OptionsforGOI.pdf Tilley, V. “Crying wolf: Foreign agendas and Israel’s role in destabilizing Syria”. Feb 1 2012. Feb. 9, 2012. From http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/01/20121281167973520.html. Timo, B. and Mika, A. “The Arab uprising: Causes, prospects and implications.” The Finnish Institute of International Affairs, Briefing Paper 76 (March 2011):1-10. VOA (Voice of America). “Arab league calls for UN Arab peacekeepers in Syria”. February 12, 2012. Feb 13 2012. Retrieved from http://blogs.voanews.com/breaking-news/2012/02/12/arab-league-calls-for-un- arab-peacekeepers-in-syria/ Read More