Analysis Of News Articles About Recent Political Events In Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, And Syria - Essay Example

Rhetorical Analysis of news articles about recent political events in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Syria In various incidents involving massive protests and demonstrations from various Arab nations became apparent. These protests started a wave of uprisings against the government and this trend was replicated in other Arab countries. This wave of uprisings and protests were labeled as the Arab Spring, a term which largely implied an awakening of the Arab region, springing away from their norms of oppression and difficulties as a people. This paper shall be a rhetorical analysis of news articles about recent political events in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Syria. In particular, this paper shall study the use of the metaphor Arab Spring by the news media. This paper is being carried out in order to analyze the term and its application within the news media, including its current understanding in the Arab context. The term Arab Spring was first used by George Packer in his article ‘Dreaming of Democracy,’ published in the New York Times in March, 2003. This term is mostly a western media construct, one which is largely associated with the incidents of uprising and rebellion among various Arab nations. In the article by Packer, the author declares that in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, the US launched its War against Terror and labeled various countries in the Arab as primary supporters of terrorism, including countries like Iraq and Afghanistan. These countries were also dominated by dictatorial leaders who were bringing their people significant hardships. Many Arab countries, especially those in the Middle East, according to the Western media, were in conditions ripe for revolution and political change. In other words, a possible Arab spring was already in place. This implied a time where the people could ventilate their goals and push against the tight hold of their governments. As such, Arab spring became a term which represented change for Arabs who were suffering under dictatorial regimes. Most of the articles (McCann, Farrell, Kershner, MacIntyre, Fox News, Strauss) declare that countries like Libya, Tunisia, Syria, and Egypt have long been under the influence of dictatorial leaders. Moreover, these leaders have built a reputation of prolonged leadership or dominance in their countries (McCann). They have amassed great wealth at the expense of the people, and as a result, the economic status of their people has generally been unfavorable. These countries have also suffered great poverty; moreover, various issues in human rights abuses have become apparent during the reign of their leaders (McCann). The economic status of the people have therefore prompted uprisings, rebellions, and revolt among insurgents and the general population (Farrell). Some of these revolts have achieved isolated success, and in areas like Egypt and Libya, they were able to depose their dictator leaders. Writers like Kershner and MacIntyre were more or less one in associating the Arab spring to instances of rebellion among the people – rebellion which was triggered by corruption, poverty, hardships, and human rights violations against the majority population. Some journalists have even tested the limits of Arab spring in terms of free speech. In MacIntyre’s article, the author immediately makes the connection between what they refer to as Arab spring to these revolts and uprising, arguing that one incident triggered another and yet another uprising. These articles (Kershner, MacIntyre, Farrell) also seem to agree in the fact that the Arab spring is slowly making its way to the other countries in the Arab region and that eventually, many of these states would soon achieve democratic status, very much in line with the western and democratic ideals. Farrell, Kershner, and McCann also express a disdain for the various issues in these Arab countries, which are mostly attributed to bad, corrupt and dictatorial leadership. In evaluating the articles and the use of the term Arab spring, there is a significant relationship seen with incidents of what would be considered as uprising, revolt, or rebellion (Strauss, Wasco, Farrell). These incidents seem to imply a manifestation of an Arab spring – a time where some Arab countries are seeking more economic progress and leverage. Most of the papers discuss revolts and uprisings under the same banner or phenomenon as Arab spring (Wasco, Strauss, and MacIntyre). There is however no firm proof that these revolts and incidents in the Arab nation are related or that one has triggered the other revolts (Wasco). Nevertheless, the relationship has been made and made public. Ten of the articles considered now seem to indicate that the Arab people are not happy with their government and how they are all expressing their feelings and preferences by revolting against their government. In some level, there is some truth to be found in such reasons, however not all Arab states are going through such turmoil (Wasco). Moreover, whatever their desires may be for a better life is not also equivalent to a desire for a western-style or a democratic-style of governance. The connection between uprisings and the so-called Arab spring has however been made by various newspapers and media offerings and the general western population have considered these as truths – that an Arab spring is indeed finding its way slowly in the Arab world. There is a difference in how the metaphor is used. This metaphor has established a picture of renewed people empowerment in the Arab region. Under any setting, this is always a favorable condition, especially when the suffering people are able to free themselves from oppressive political regimes (Wasco). The metaphor also has its positive impact in terms of inspiring other people under similar circumstances to actually aim and express their desire for a better political rule. Spring implies a time of rebirth and a time for growth and for the land to be restored into its potential beauty and bounty. In associating such conditions with the Arab region, there is certainly a favorable quality which can easily be seen, mostly in relation to encouraging changes for the suffering people and lands, and for essential changes in the governance. Various negative elements however can be seen from the metaphors drawn. The media has focused on these protests as a unique Arab phenomenon, however the term Arab spring has also been drawn out from the so-called Prague Spring in 1968 where there was a political and democratic awakening in the communist region of Czechoslovakia (Kundera). Prague Spring also marked a time where protests and uprisings were common in the region. And yet, despite this close association with events in Prague, the international media seem to consider the events in the Arab region as event unique to the region. Nevertheless, the media was able to note the impact of minority groups in some of these Arab countries and their revolts. Regional revolts in relation to the Arab spring have not been limited to the Arab countries. Uprisings in North African in 2009-2010 were actually triggered by uprisings in Iran. The wave of protests seem to have started in Iran, moving to North Africa, and covering Middle Eastern and North African areas, and then followed by repeat protests in Iran last year and to date. The media was able to document these protests under one category – Arab spring (Chomsky and Bishara). In effect, most activities which had anything to do with any revolts or protests against the government were associated with the so-called Arab spring. The media also claims that these protests have been inspired by each other. The media also associated the Palestinian bid of statehood filed with the UN as part of the inspiration offered by the Arab spring (Randeree). As these protests spread beyond Arab countries, the western world was soon inspired by these protests. The Occupy Wall Street also seems to be associated with the events seen in the Arab nations where the protesters used the revolutionary Arab Spring technique in order to reach their aims in controlling economic and political power. Due to the media attention given to what was termed as Arab spring, international support was also gained and the corrupt and dictatorial government regimes were given worldwide attention. Until international attention was established by the media on these dictatorial governments, not many people knew that these regimes were in existence. Critics have also been vocal about the western states of hypocrisy in their reactions to the Arab Spring (Randeree). Even Obama was accused of suppressing the revolutionary trends in the Middle East, seeking to control the democratization goals of these countries. These critics declare that this is tantamount to hypocrisy on the part of Western nations who are largely democratic and who are always advocating for rights, equality, and freedom of all people and of all nations (Randeree). In the current context, the phrase seems to have become synonymous with rebellion. The protests in Egypt are considered a people power revolution and Hosni Mubarak is considered to be the first Arab Spring leader to have been deposed and tried in his country (Associated Press/Fox News). In Tunisia, a month long uprising from the people led to a more significant Arab spring and this pushed their leader Zine Abidine Ben Ali to free to Saudi Arabia (Associated Press/Fox News). He was later convicted in absentia for his corrupt practices. A major rebellion in Libya was also seen and this eventually led to the killing of their leader Moammar Gadhafi. In Yemen, massive protests against the ruling regime of Ali Abdullah Saleh eventually forced him to hand over his office to his vice president (Associated Press/Fox News). Based on the above incidents alone, Arab spring has become synonymous with any rebellion, especially rebellion in the Arab region. These comparisons serve to bring a sharper focus on the real conflict in the Middle East. The Middle East is currently a very volatile region, based on transition governments for several states, as well as unstable political rule for some other states (Associated Press/Fox News). Issues in relation to terrorism, abject poverty and corruption is still rampant in many of these countries, and the term Arab spring is not being served adequate purpose in terms of providing transition tools for the people and the for the current political powers (Hannity). As a result, although the Arab spring conflicts have highlighted the needs of the people in the Arab region, the uprisings which have come about have not gained sufficient strides in improving the lives of the people in the region. The patterns in these articles all lean towards the fact that the Arab region is in the midst of an Arab spring (Hannity). These articles also support the notion that the Arab spring has led to various uprisings and revolutions in the Arab region. Arab spring has become largely associated with any form of protest, both violent and non-violent, against the ruling political power (Franzen). In the general context, deposing such powers is considered against legitimate democratic rule, however, where the ruling political power is corrupt, dictatorial, and is oppressive, the people are ordained with the right to depose such powers (Franzen). These are the very ideals of the Arab spring. These are the patterns in the ideas which the news articles seem to declare. Based on reports from various countries, The Aljazeera online website, cites materials on Arab spring in a more muted tone, minimizing the labeling of these actions as “Arab Spring,” instead preferring to consider these as merely revolutionary or significant political incidents. The US conservative media under Fox News touts the ideas of President Bush in declaring that the uprisings are part of Middle Eastern nations realizing the importance of democratic ideals (Associated Press/Fox News). In the UK, as allies to the US, the articles provide an analytical take on the term Arab Spring. Nevertheless, they more or less share the same interpretation of Arab Spring as the US articles. There is not much difference in the reporting of the US and the UK articles, and the Arab articles are less likely to relate the uprisings with the so-called Arab Spring. Since the Arab papers have a more grassroots level of understanding of events in the Arab nations, they are also less likely to label these as part of any form of Arab Spring. These papers know that there are other elements which have to be considered in order for any form of Arab Spring to be observed in any phenomenon. Without these elements, they are wary to adapt the same western approaches to labeling. Most of the media reports and news articles on the term Arab spring associate the term with uprising, revolution, and protests. These articles express how an Arab spring has sprung in the Arab region sparking protests and uprisings against oppressive governments. The media has also forwarded these notions based on their belief in the power of democracy and how many Arab countries are now clamoring for democracy and freedom. Arab spring is however a largely western construct and its actual application to the Arab nations are not necessarily based on democratic ideals. The US media is quick to make the association to democracy, however, the Arab media is less eager to do so, opting instead to make a more reserved and critical evaluation of various events in the Arab region. Works Cited Associated Press, ‘A nation-by-nation look at Arab Spring dictators’. Fox News. 2012. Web. 25 June 2012. Associated Press. ‘Bush touts Arab spring, says US cant fear freedom’. Fox News. 2012. Web. 25 June 2012. Chomsky, Noam and Bishara, Marwan, ‘The genie is out of the bottle. Aljazeera Online. 2011. Web. 25 June 2012. Packer, George. ‘Dreaming Of Democracy’. New York Times. 2003. Web. 25 June 2012. Farrell, Stephen, ‘Demonstrations Whisper of an Arab Spring in Jordan,’ New York Times. 2012. Web. 25 June 2012. Franzen, Johan, ‘The Fallacy of the Arab Spring. The Huffington Post. 2012. Web. 25 June 2012. Hannity, Sean, ‘Should US taxpayer money aid Arab Spring countries?. Fox News. Web. 25 June 2012. Kershner, Isabel, ‘Arab Spring Spurs Palestinian Journalists to Test Free Speech Limits. New York Times. 2012. Web. 25 June 2012. MacIntyre, Ben, ‘2011: The Arab Spring.’ The London Times. 2011. Web. 25 June 2012. McCann, Colin, ‘Arab Spring.’ New York Times. 2012. Web. 25 June 2012. Randeree, Bilal, ‘Inside the Arab Spring. Aljazeera Online. 2011. Web. 25 June 2012. Strauss, Steven, ‘Can the Arab Spring Bring Peace to the Middle East?. Huffington Post. 2012. Web. 25 June 2012. Wasco, Michael, ‘Arab Spring and Constitutional Democracy’. Huffington Post. 2012. Web. 25 June 2012. Read More