Arab Spring in Egypt and Bahrain - Essay Example

Outline I. Synopsis II. Background information: The Arab spring in Egypt and Bahrain III. Differences between Egypt and Bahrain IV. How Arab leaders acted in Egypt? V. Why Arab Spring was successful in Egypt VI. Role of the media in Egypt’s Arab spring VII. Reasons for the failure of Arab spring in Bahrain VIII. How the Arab leaders acted in Bahrain? IX. Role of Arab shield in Bahrain X. Conclusion XI. References The Arab spring represents the series of revolts by citizens of Arab countries in 2011 that were characterized by a deep desire for change. In essence, the Arab spring refers to the collection of revolutionary activities that mainly affected the Arab countries and were driven by the same factors. On a broad spectrum, the Arab spring was driven by bad governance, unemployment, oppression and injustice among many other factors. The Arab spring originally began in Tunisia when the citizens stood against the government and successfully led to the overthrow of the government and the institution of a new government. Therefore, Tunisia marked the beginning of political uprising that gradually spread to other Arab and Middle Eastern countries (Stolpestad 32). The expression Arab spring was derived from the fact that the revolt affected Arab countries and was historical in the sense that at one point of time most Arab countries were experiencing political uprising. However, in spite of the fact that the Arab spring involved similar political uprising in several Arab countries, these revolts along with their results differed from country to country. As a result, the outcome of the Arab spring in Egypt was different as compared to Bahrain. In brief, the Arab spring was successful in some areas and not in others; this was dependent on a number of factors. It is evident, therefore, that though the Arab spring involved similar political events in Arab countries, these events were actually shaped by different internal factors and they derived divergent results. This paper tackles the broad subject of the Arab spring with special reference to Egypt and Bahrain. In particular, the paper will address the differences between the Arab springs in these two countries specifically why it was successful in Egypt and not in Bahrain (Manhire 54). Egypt was at the centre of global focus throughout 2011 during the Arab spring as the residents were determined to put an end to the barbaric rule of Hosni Mubarak. The revolt was strategic in the sense that elections were to be held in 2011 as per the political calendar of the country and Mubarak had prepared his son to takeover from him. Therefore, in the absence of the revolt, the people of Egypt had no other means of realizing change in their country. What made Egypt an interesting case study for the Arab spring is the fact that no one could expect Egypt to experience such a revolt owing to the strong grip of Hosni and the military. Additionally, any revolt was not expected to materialize because the government was firmly in control. As a result, Egypt was not regarded as a centre of change during the Arab spring because it was expected that the revolt could be easily crushed (Stolpestad 37). The revolt in Egypt began in a very low manner that no one expected that it could escalate to national and even international levels. However, contrary to expectations the Arab spring in Egypt rose to extra ordinary levels and brought leadership change in Egypt. The resigning of Mubarak was a big step towards ushering a new era in the country’s politics and marked the victory of the people as their wishes became a reality. Though there have been numerous challenges in Egypt ever since the fall of Hosni Mubarak, there is great hope and optimism that the country will realize democracy (Mako 44). Egypt represents the success of the Arab spring as the revolt was successful in realizing the ideals of the Arab spring. Therefore, in evaluating the successes of the Arab spring Egypt is a formidable case study. In Bahrain the Arab spring started in a small village where residents were dissatisfied with the royal family, which controls the country’s politics. This was the beginning of a lengthy quest by a people for their right to participate in governance as well as their right to access the necessary facilities like education, employment and welfare from the government. However, democratization of the monarchy controlled nation was the significant fact in the revolt. Just like other countries affected by the Arab spring, Bahrain was a serious case where the people desperately needed change in order to enjoy the benefits of good governance and a better society. As noted in the beginning of this essay, though the factors behind the Arab spring were similar in all countries, certain dynamics differed from country to country that affected the outcomes of the revolts (Manhire 30). The Arab spring was basically mild in comparison to Egypt in the sense that the royal family and the government occasionally managed to keep the protesters under control and eventually succeeded in quelling the uprising. There were several factors that led to the failure of the Arab spring in Bahrain but most important was the fact that the government had an upper had in dealing a blow to the protesters. In essence, Bahrain was a paradox because the revolt started at a very high note and was expected to lead to great changes in the countries structure of governance. Bahrain was expected by many to rise beyond monarchy and institute a democratically elected government after the spring but this did not happen. Somehow the royal family managed to quell the revolt but the damage created by the revolt is visible and has slowed down the royal family. Whether this will lead to any prospects of change in the country’s governance is yet to be seen. The Arab spring began in Tunisia with the people expressing their frustration over barbaric government, corruption as well as unemployment. Just like all revolts this was followed by calm moments as reality dawned on the opportunity of change (Mako 51). Egypt and Bahrain represent the quest of people to achieve their goals through risks in different ways. A part from the application of diverse methods of revolt, Egypt and Bahrain also had different outcomes. Egypt represents the biggest among the Arab countries to undergo revolution, which mostly targeted the government of Hosni Mubarak. At the end of the revolt Mubarak was overthrown and the military took control of the nation paving way for a civilian president. Though true revolution is yet to come to Egypt, it is obvious that Egypt is on the path towards the much needed change. Bahrain is visually a successful nation that is tranquil and habitable. However, just like other countries, Bahrain also experienced street protests of people seeking change in society. The main causes of revolt in Egypt were corruption and what is commonly known as a distant government along with economic inequalities (Anders 41). Both Egypt and Bahrain had central avenues that marked the peak of their respective springs. There were the places where protesters camped to articulate their grievances and capture global attention for their cause. Tahrir square in Cairo was the main centre for revolt during the Arab spring in Egypt. It was the central place where protesters camped for days to force the government to relent and give in to their grievances. For Bahrain, pearl roundabout was the main avenue for protesters though the revolt was not successful. Whereas Egypt’s revolt resulted in a transitional government and new elections, Bahrain’s spring resulted into arrests, torture and end to protests as the government crushed the revolt. The government, which is dominated by minority Sunni’s along with hired personalities, quelled the protesters endeavor to agitate for their rights. In essence, the Arab spring in Bahrain was a Sunni Shia affair as most protesters were majority Shiites who stood against the Sunni domination of government and economy. Eventually, Bahrain became calm as the warring sides reconciled and the spring ended in failure. The Sunni controlled monarchy that dominates government continues to rule the country though the events of the spring had a lot of influence on the country (Fisher 65). Bahrain and Egypt experienced the Arab spring in more or less the same way whereby people were united and bonded together via the avenues of social media. However, the end results of the Arab spring indicate a different reality in the sense that it has been largely associated with class, religious and ethnic differences. This implies that the secular and young architects of the spring have been left in the cold as the real beneficiaries of the spring identified with other ideas based on class, ethnicity and religion. For instance, the Muslim brotherhood emerged victorious in the post revolt elections in Egypt. In the case of Bahrain, the administration along with the media ignited a sectarian strife by creating fears among the nations Sunni who represent the elite that Iran was behind the riots and that Iran plotted a takeover (Anders 88). This created a lot of apprehensions in the country dividing the country into two factions. This can be termed as one of the factors that led to the quelling of the Arab spring in Bahrain. The Arab spring in Egypt started in the form of protests in the beginning of 2011 and proceeded for eighteen uninterrupted days. This was a realization of a prophecy or warning of a likely candidate for the presidency in the Arab country, Elbaradei. Owing to the fact that the internet played a crucial role in the cementing of the revolt, the administration attempted to cut off the use of internet across the country. This was followed by vehement mass action as people opposed the governments move and demanded that their grievances be addressed. Mubarak responded to this by sacking the administration and appointing a new one, additionally, there were several other changes made in government like designating a deputy president for the first time in more than two decades (Hutchins 40). The president gave up all the powers to his deputy in the beginning of February though he declared his intention to complete his tenure as president. The people of Egypt could not accept this and went ahead to demand more action from the president. The deputy president declared the president’s decision to quit and hand power to the military. This was the greatest success of the Arab spring in Egypt, the resignation of Mubarak. The army was quick to assume power and named a popular leader as prime minister, dissolved parliament as well as suspension of the constitution. There was calm in the country but this did not last for long as people became impatient with the military’s sluggish pace towards instituting reform (Fisher 20). In the end, Mubarak along with Habib who served as interior minister were found guilty of not averting the murder of innocent civilians at the beginning of the spring and jailed for life. Mohamed Morsy won the presidency and currently serves as Egypt’s foremost democratically elected presidency. In mid-February, the Arab spring began in Bahrain as people took to the streets to articulate their need for political liberty along with regard to human rights. At the start the protests were not aimed at shaking the monarchy but just to achieve some freedom and liberty. Additionally, the Bahrain spring was mainly driven by the strong desire by the Shiite majority to oppose the Sunni domination of politics, government and economy (Council on Foreign Relations 76). However, the events in Egypt and Tunisia immensely inspired the Bahrain protests as they had set the pace for revolution in the Arab world. Peaceful protests prevailed in Bahrain in the course of the spring until the February raid by law enforcement that led to the brutal murder of four agitators. This was the beginning of more aggressing campaigns with broader aims in Bahrain. More protesters were inclined to end the monarchy, which they believed was responsible for oppression and brutality against protesters. The brutal murder occurred when the police were evacuating protesters from the famous Pearl Roundabout located in Manama. Later, the army wounded a protester while trying to stop the re-entry into the Pearl Roundabout. This was quickly followed by the reoccupation of the roundabout as government troops relented. The number of people camping at Pearl Roundabout rose significantly indicating the seriousness of the protests. In response, the monarchy designated state of emergency that was to last a period of three month during which the military was supposed to take control and assert its supremacy. The Pearl Roundabout was cleared of protesters and the monument desecrated. This marked the beginning of the end of the Arab spring in Bahrain. Later on minute protests and rallies were organized in different places to agitate for change (Gelvin 11). Eventually, the Arab spring of Bahrain ended in failure as the main course was never realized. The monarchy, government and military succeeded in subduing the protests. It became business as usual for Bahrain and the monarchy as it retained control of the state and government. However, the people had their say and though the monarchy is still in charge, its control is much weakened but whether this will lead to change is yet to be seen. There are several differences between the Arab spring of Egypt and that of Bahrain. Even though the Arab spring took place at relatively the same time and represented the same cause for people of the different countries, the truth is that each country was driven by diverse factors and the springs were essentially different (Manhire 67-70). The most common difference between the spring of Egypt and that of Bahrain is that the Arab spring was successful in Egypt and not in Bahrain. It was successful in Egypt because it led to the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak and his oppressive government of more than three decades. Therefore, the change of guard in Egypt is the primary indicator of the access of the Arab spring in the country. On the other hand, Bahrain failed in the sense that the protests were not successful in effecting a change of leadership in the country. At this moment, the monarchy still rules Bahrain and the Sunni minority controls politics and economy. The Arab spring of Bahrain was quelled by the government and the army making the protesters to give up their quest for a better society. In as much as the people had their say through the lengthy protests whereby their grievances were articulated, the monarchy, military and government eventually had their way. Therefore, in all spheres the major indicator of the difference between the Arab spring of Bahrain and that of Egypt was the success factor where Egypt achieved its endeavors through mass protests and Bahrain failed to push for a leadership change (Hutchins 42). Arab leaders acted accordingly in response to the Arab spring in Egypt through a number of ways. At first the protest did not seem serious as the protests were small in number and their actions were not very serious. Therefore, the government was not quick to suppress the protests because they were seen as not posing a huge threat to the administration. However, as the numbers increased and the protests became more aggressive the Arab leaders in Egypt responded by using force to dissuade the protesters from proceeding with their quest. As a result, a number of people were killed by the government forces sparking public rage and international condemnation. In fact, in Egypt, the Arab spring became more popular because of police brutality towards the protesters. Owing to the fact that the protests were peaceful, the government was not supposed to apply more force. However, since the leaders were becoming apprehensive with the magnitude of the protests along with the determination of the people it had to apply all the means possible to end the spring (Council on Foreign Relations 33). Force was one of the Arab leaders’ responses to the Arab spring in Egypt where the government used police and the army to restore calm by dissuading the protesters. These interventions often turned violent with numerous people getting killed. The presence of the global media complicated things for the government as every action of the government forces was captured live on media. International criticism and condemnation created more justification for the protesters as the intentional community exerted pressure of the government to respond in the right way. This pressure from international community forced the Mubarak regime to relent and begin addressing the grievances raised by the protesters. The Arab leaders started offering positive gestures to the public in order to restore order and stability in a country that was experiencing a civilian coup. Mubarak introduced several reforms in the government, which included the designation of a vice president after a long time (Anders 21). Additionally, Mubarak dismissed the government handing power to his deputy but starting as president for the remaining part of the term. All these gestures were rejected by the people who pressed for a total regime change; the protesters were determined to achieve the utmost goal of bringing change to the country. Eventually, the president left power in the hands of the military council which incepted several transitional measures. The Arab spring was successful in Egypt because of a number of factors most of which made it possible for the protesters to achieve their ultimate goal of regime change in the Arab country. Primarily, Egypt represents the largest country to experience revolt during the Arab spring and the success in the country marked the peak of Arab spring as a tool for political change. Among the many dynamics that led to success in Egypt include internet access, social media, international community, media, and determination of the people along with their strategic factors. The success of the Arab spring in Egypt was not expected and is unprecedented in history. It was not in the minds of anyone that the street protesters of Egypt could result in such massive successes. Though the international community was in support of the revolt, the whole world was actually surprised by the turn of events when the revolt eventually ended in victory of the people of Egypt (Warren and Noueihed 48). Wide internet succession in Egypt was a great source of information, motivation and offered a platform for organization of the protests. The availability of internet in the country offered a credible position for the people to share information and inspire each other. As a result, it became easy to coordinate protest activities. The reason why the Arab spring in Egypt succeeded was the availability and easy spread of information that made it possible for the people to understand what they stood for. Young technology savvy people started the campaign of social media that spread across the country inspiring people to move fast and stand for their rights (Council on Foreign Relations 54). Information technology powered by the internet was a huge contribution to the success of the Arab spring in Egypt. The sheer determination of the people of Egypt was major factor in the success of the Arab spring, which made it impossible for the government to crush the protests. During the first days of the protests, the government used force and several people were killed and others wounded. This was meant to dissuade the protesters to give up their quest for change. However, this only made them more passionate about their quest for change. If not for the passion, dedication and determination of the people of Egypt, it could not have been possible to remove Hosni Mubarak from power. The media played a very big role in the Arab spring of Egypt and its contribution to the success of the revolt is well understood (Gelvin 97). In fact, the media was the central factor in the budding and success of the entire revolt. Basically, the Arab spring was developed by young people who shared information through social media. As a result, the awareness of the spring was first developed and transmitted through the media. In essence, the Arab spring was developed by young people who took it upon themselves to articulate their belief in freedom and that they were tired with the current administration. These young people developed a communication network through the media where they met other like-minded individuals who were ready to champion for their rights. The media was not just the catalyst of the Arab spring but it was the starting point of the revolution, which was developed and transmitted through social media. On a broader perspective, the media became the catalyst of the Arab spring through reporting that made the spring a global phenomenon. One of the greatest pillars that catapulted the success of social media was international community. The media was the device through which the protests and unrests of the people of Egypt was transited to the global stage. Global condemnation of government use of force was an equally important factor that led to the success of the revolt. The media portrayed the people as genuine and peaceful in their articulation of their rights. On the other hand, the government was portrayed as insensitive and barbaric in responding to the wishes of the people. Therefore, the international community responded by insisting that the government stops mistreating the people and instead address their grievances. Actually, the stepping down of Mubarak along with the several other reforms instituted was because of international pressure (Fisher 73). Mubarak and his regime became isolated when the international community opposed their continued stay in power. Without the media, the plight of the people of Egypt could not have been understood by the international community. This could have made it hard for them to comprehend the situation on the ground and support their course for democracy. The Arab spring failed in Bahrain because of a multitude of factors chief among them being the strong government crackdown on the protesters, which quelled the revolt. Bahrain was not successful in achieving political change because by the end of the spring the monarchy was still in power and everything had returned to normal. The Arab spring of Bahrain had started off well and all indications were pointing towards the success of their articulation for reform (Hutchins 39-41). However, due to a number of reasons, the spring was not successful. Apart from government crackdown other factors for the failure of the spring included media, poor organizations and absence of international pressure on the leadership. Among all the countries affected by the Arab spring Bahrain ranks highest perhaps second to Syria as regards the efforts to quell the violence. The king particularly involved the army, which dealt a big blow to the protesters. The Bahrain Arab spring was no popularized like that of Egypt, and the international community was not so much interested in what was happening in Bahrain. This made the government to be comfortable because there was no pressure to act upon the grievances of the protesters. Lack of organization was another factor that led to the failure of the Arab spring in Bahrain. The people of Bahrain were not as organized as those in Tunisia and Egypt. Arab leaders reacted to the Arab spring in different ways. For the case of Bahrain, the leaders were cautious and the country’s monarchy was not in any position to relent to the needs and requirements of the protesters. As a result, it was not clear what their opinion was as regards the protesters that were underway (Warren and Noueihed 33). The vast array of Arab leaders basically opposed the revolt but it was not perceived as a threat to the incumbent. With specific reference to the monarchy, government and military, the first response was mild as the temper was low and no one was threatened. But as the protests spread and the people participating in them increased, it became evident that something had to be done. The leaders responded by quelling the protesters through forceful means. However, after realizing that the protesters were not ready to relent and the use of force was attracting attention from other quarters the government exercised restraint in dealing with the protesters. Eventually, the king left it upon the military to deal with the protesters; this was the last and most successful way which led to the failure of the Arab spring in Bahrain. In conclusion, the Arab spring represented a series of revolts across the Arab world where people wanted change in their political administration. The Arab spring started in Tunisia where a small number of protesters began what became a national sensation that led to the overthrow of the government. Other countries that were affected by the Arab spring included Egypt and Bahrain. In as much as the Arab spring was quite similar, there are a number of factors that made each country different from the other. Among the factors included the outcomes of the revolt. The Arab spring in Egypt was successful in sense that it led to the change of government and other reforms. In Bahrain, the Arab spring was a failure as the monarchy retained control of the country and no reforms were instituted. There are several factors that led to the failure of the Arab spring in Bahrain that include poor organization and strong government reaction. On the other hand, a number of factors led to the success of Arab spring in Egypt. The paper has discussed the Arab spring with special reference to Egypt and Bahrain. Works Cited Anders, Julien. 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