#1. Political/Religious Oppression
As economic distress is show to be one of the major causes of the Arab spring, political dissatisfaction may be the biggest of them all to cause these disturbances. It is known that due of the economic distress, and lack of employment, many turned to blame the governments in their countries. The blame spiraled into riots against political leaders. Governments were no where to be found during this time of need, and thus furthering the rise of the Arab Spring.
According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status." Yet, there were countless acts of cruel and unjust treatment of people. This is well known as oppression.
“In 2011, when most of the political uprisings known as the Arab Spring occurred, the Middle East and North Africa experienced pronounced increases in social hostilities involving religion, while government restrictions on religion remained exceptionally high,” according to the report by the Pew Research Center. [1] Egypt and Pakistan had some of the highest restrictions on religion during the time of 2011. The restrictions on religion was extreme for people in these countries. With religions such as Muslim and Christianity being restricted by governmental forces, it blew people into an up roar over religious oppression, which in turn, is a violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights laws.
Politics were also a huge reason for the Arab spring. Leaders were essentially authoritarian dictators. People began speaking out, whether it by non-violent practices such as protests, civil disobedience, strike, lobbying, or violent ways like self-immolation, rioting, arson, bombings, assassinations and armed revolution. Either way, the governments were against any sort of idea that would give their leaders a bad reputation. This led to a repressive government that would eventually resort to violence and death of thousands.
The freedom of speech had also been revoked during this period. This led to severe punishment to anyone who would step out of line in governments eyes. Jail cells began to fill with political protestors. Suppression of political dissent is very common in the Middle East and Central Asia. "Instead of addressing the concerns of the general public and allowing them to peacefully air their views, the Libyan authorities commanded by Moammar Gaddafi, the 68-year-old dictator who has been in the power since the 1969 coup, opened fire on the protestors and used disproportionate force to disperse them. Initially, the masses withdrew from the streets but came back with vengeance after arming themselves with crude weapons and ammunitions." [2] The result was advanced rioting and upheaval toward the government. This would lead to the one thing that would become the savior for majority of Arab spring fighters; Social Media.
According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status." Yet, there were countless acts of cruel and unjust treatment of people. This is well known as oppression.
“In 2011, when most of the political uprisings known as the Arab Spring occurred, the Middle East and North Africa experienced pronounced increases in social hostilities involving religion, while government restrictions on religion remained exceptionally high,” according to the report by the Pew Research Center. [1] Egypt and Pakistan had some of the highest restrictions on religion during the time of 2011. The restrictions on religion was extreme for people in these countries. With religions such as Muslim and Christianity being restricted by governmental forces, it blew people into an up roar over religious oppression, which in turn, is a violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights laws.
Politics were also a huge reason for the Arab spring. Leaders were essentially authoritarian dictators. People began speaking out, whether it by non-violent practices such as protests, civil disobedience, strike, lobbying, or violent ways like self-immolation, rioting, arson, bombings, assassinations and armed revolution. Either way, the governments were against any sort of idea that would give their leaders a bad reputation. This led to a repressive government that would eventually resort to violence and death of thousands.
The freedom of speech had also been revoked during this period. This led to severe punishment to anyone who would step out of line in governments eyes. Jail cells began to fill with political protestors. Suppression of political dissent is very common in the Middle East and Central Asia. "Instead of addressing the concerns of the general public and allowing them to peacefully air their views, the Libyan authorities commanded by Moammar Gaddafi, the 68-year-old dictator who has been in the power since the 1969 coup, opened fire on the protestors and used disproportionate force to disperse them. Initially, the masses withdrew from the streets but came back with vengeance after arming themselves with crude weapons and ammunitions." [2] The result was advanced rioting and upheaval toward the government. This would lead to the one thing that would become the savior for majority of Arab spring fighters; Social Media.
Team, FXStreet. "Arab Spring Rattles Global Markets." FXStreet. FXStreet, 27 July 2011. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
#2. Social Media
Social Media was a huge contribution to the Arab Spring. It brought individuals to power and gave the citizens of countries like Tunisa, Egypt, and Syria the voice that it needed to bring forth a revolution. Social media gave these individuals the power of freedom of speech. Not only in their own country, but around the world. This marked a whole new age of rebellion against their governmental leaders. It was no longer as easy as wiping out the political prisoners, or gunning down protestors. Individuals were able to tweet, Facebook, and email from their own private homes to reach out to the world what injustices were going on in their countries.
During the week before Egyptian president Hosni Mubaraks resignation, for example, the total rate of tweets from Egypt — and around the world — about political change in that country ballooned from 2,300 a day to 230,000 a day. Videos featuring protest and political commentary went viral – the top 23 videos received nearly 5.5 million views. The amount of content produced online by opposition groups, in Facebook and political blogs, increased dramatically. [3]
The amount of videos, tweets, and posts presented a huge amount of backing to the protestors in these countries. The word of the people getting out to the public did a great deal of favorable assistance to the protesting citizens of these countries. Yet, the government was still trying to ban these sorts of freedoms of speech.
There have been multiple documentaries and reporters following around, and interviewing people in these political protests. They take videos and document evidence of violence, news, and organize events for new places to protest. People would use Facebook to arrange movements, where they would have hundreds of followers to come and support the uprising. Tweets would be put out everyday from hundreds of people giving new information and updates about the current situations in these regions. Without social media, the Arab Spring would have been a much harder fight to throw out their corrupt leaders.
During the week before Egyptian president Hosni Mubaraks resignation, for example, the total rate of tweets from Egypt — and around the world — about political change in that country ballooned from 2,300 a day to 230,000 a day. Videos featuring protest and political commentary went viral – the top 23 videos received nearly 5.5 million views. The amount of content produced online by opposition groups, in Facebook and political blogs, increased dramatically. [3]
The amount of videos, tweets, and posts presented a huge amount of backing to the protestors in these countries. The word of the people getting out to the public did a great deal of favorable assistance to the protesting citizens of these countries. Yet, the government was still trying to ban these sorts of freedoms of speech.
There have been multiple documentaries and reporters following around, and interviewing people in these political protests. They take videos and document evidence of violence, news, and organize events for new places to protest. People would use Facebook to arrange movements, where they would have hundreds of followers to come and support the uprising. Tweets would be put out everyday from hundreds of people giving new information and updates about the current situations in these regions. Without social media, the Arab Spring would have been a much harder fight to throw out their corrupt leaders.
"CI3 – Ukraine: A Social Media Case Study | Lonely Outstreets of Sleeping Towns." Lonely Outstreets of Sleeping Towns RSS. WordPress, 2014. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
#3. Economic Distress
Economic distress within the countries of Syria, Tunisia, Egypt, and others had been an enormous factor when facing the uprising of the Arab Spring. Categorizing this issue as 'Economic Distress' is in terms, the simplest way to put a broad range of underlying issue that accompany an economic downfall. With this being said, we can see that this anguish was put forward by reasons such as: Inflation and Shortages, Unemployment and Underemployment, and Social imbalances within these countries.
Inflation and Shortages within countries were one of the main causes of the Arab Spring. Inflation is economically defined as "A general increase in prices and fall in the purchasing value of money" [4] The issue with inflation arrises when a spike in the prices of commodities such as gasoline, electricity, food, rent, transportation, etc. skyrocket beyond the average amount. The prices of these commodities go up immediately, but it may take months for wages to reach a peek. This means that anyone during this time would have to pay much more than they could already afford for these materials.
This situation is worsened by lack of employment. This is where majority of the uproars rooted from. It is debated that the economical downfall and Arab Spring really started with a man named Muhammad Bouazizi in the country of Tunisia. Unemployment among young men began rising at a staggering pace, and Bouazizi was one who could not take it anymore. The economist article on Muhammad Bouazizi stated "Unable to find a job after university, Muhammad Bouazizi moved to a big city and tried to get by, selling vegetables from a barrow. But police confiscated his unlicensed cart, slapping and insulting him. The 26-year-old returned to his home town in despair. Last month he stood in its main square, doused himself in petrol and struck a match. On January 4th he died of his injuries." [5] The lack of jobs was only a part of the situation.
Due to the unemployment rates, The situation gets worst when the shortfall between the income and expenses is further compounded by the lack of healthcare and education services, forcing people to cut back on expenses or borrow money to make ends meet, giving a rise to loan sharks. “It estimated that in 2011, the youth unemployment rate stood at 26.5% in the Middle East and at 27.9% North Africa. North Africa was relatively resilient to the global economic crisis but following the Arab Spring economic growth decreased and the youth unemployment rate increased sharply by 4.9 percentage points in 2011,” the United Nations organization said in the report, which documented joblessness among people aged 15 to 24 around the world. [6]
With four out of every ten young people unable to find a job, it is no surprise that they found ample time to go out and protest against the governments to blame for their hardships. Due to the social imbalance of a young population being vastly poverty stricken and unemployed, it brought nothing but hate against their government. This is what drove demonstrations against government, into riots, and eventually into war.
Inflation and Shortages within countries were one of the main causes of the Arab Spring. Inflation is economically defined as "A general increase in prices and fall in the purchasing value of money" [4] The issue with inflation arrises when a spike in the prices of commodities such as gasoline, electricity, food, rent, transportation, etc. skyrocket beyond the average amount. The prices of these commodities go up immediately, but it may take months for wages to reach a peek. This means that anyone during this time would have to pay much more than they could already afford for these materials.
This situation is worsened by lack of employment. This is where majority of the uproars rooted from. It is debated that the economical downfall and Arab Spring really started with a man named Muhammad Bouazizi in the country of Tunisia. Unemployment among young men began rising at a staggering pace, and Bouazizi was one who could not take it anymore. The economist article on Muhammad Bouazizi stated "Unable to find a job after university, Muhammad Bouazizi moved to a big city and tried to get by, selling vegetables from a barrow. But police confiscated his unlicensed cart, slapping and insulting him. The 26-year-old returned to his home town in despair. Last month he stood in its main square, doused himself in petrol and struck a match. On January 4th he died of his injuries." [5] The lack of jobs was only a part of the situation.
Due to the unemployment rates, The situation gets worst when the shortfall between the income and expenses is further compounded by the lack of healthcare and education services, forcing people to cut back on expenses or borrow money to make ends meet, giving a rise to loan sharks. “It estimated that in 2011, the youth unemployment rate stood at 26.5% in the Middle East and at 27.9% North Africa. North Africa was relatively resilient to the global economic crisis but following the Arab Spring economic growth decreased and the youth unemployment rate increased sharply by 4.9 percentage points in 2011,” the United Nations organization said in the report, which documented joblessness among people aged 15 to 24 around the world. [6]
With four out of every ten young people unable to find a job, it is no surprise that they found ample time to go out and protest against the governments to blame for their hardships. Due to the social imbalance of a young population being vastly poverty stricken and unemployed, it brought nothing but hate against their government. This is what drove demonstrations against government, into riots, and eventually into war.
Khalaf, Roula, Heba Saleh, and Abeer Allam. "The Economics of the Arab Spring - FT.com." Financial Times. The Big Read, 2012. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
Work Cited
[1] "Arab Spring Adds to Global Restrictions on Religion." Pew Research Centers Religion Public Life Project RSS. Restrictions on Religion,
20 June 2013. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
[2] Khawaja, Moign. "10 Reasons Why Arab Spring Happened and Continues a Year on." Outernationalist RSS. Outernationalist, 14 July
2012. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
[3] O'Donnell, Catherine. "New Study Quantifies Use of Social Media in Arab Spring." UW Today. The University of Washington, 12 Sept.
2011. Web. 15 Nov. 2014.
Team, FXStreet. "Arab Spring Rattles Global Markets." FXStreet. FXStreet, 27 July 2011. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
Fleet, Josh. "Religious Oppression Rises Despite Arab Spring, Pew Study Shows." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 21 June 2013. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
"CI3 – Ukraine: A Social Media Case Study | Lonely Outstreets of Sleeping Towns." Lonely Outstreets of Sleeping Towns RSS. WordPress, 2014. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
[4] Oxford. "Inflation." : Definition of in Oxford Dictionary (American English) (US). 2014 Oxford University Press, 2014. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
[5] Cairo. "Sour Young Men." The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 08 Jan. 2011. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
[6] Rosenberg, David. "Arab Spring Boosted Youth Unemployment, UN Says." Arab Spring Boosted Youth Unemployment, UN Says. The
Media Line, 23 May 2012. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
Khalaf, Roula, Heba Saleh, and Abeer Allam. "The Economics of the Arab Spring - FT.com." Financial Times. The Big Read, 2012. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
20 June 2013. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
[2] Khawaja, Moign. "10 Reasons Why Arab Spring Happened and Continues a Year on." Outernationalist RSS. Outernationalist, 14 July
2012. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
[3] O'Donnell, Catherine. "New Study Quantifies Use of Social Media in Arab Spring." UW Today. The University of Washington, 12 Sept.
2011. Web. 15 Nov. 2014.
Team, FXStreet. "Arab Spring Rattles Global Markets." FXStreet. FXStreet, 27 July 2011. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
Fleet, Josh. "Religious Oppression Rises Despite Arab Spring, Pew Study Shows." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 21 June 2013. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
"CI3 – Ukraine: A Social Media Case Study | Lonely Outstreets of Sleeping Towns." Lonely Outstreets of Sleeping Towns RSS. WordPress, 2014. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
[4] Oxford. "Inflation." : Definition of in Oxford Dictionary (American English) (US). 2014 Oxford University Press, 2014. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
[5] Cairo. "Sour Young Men." The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 08 Jan. 2011. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
[6] Rosenberg, David. "Arab Spring Boosted Youth Unemployment, UN Says." Arab Spring Boosted Youth Unemployment, UN Says. The
Media Line, 23 May 2012. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
Khalaf, Roula, Heba Saleh, and Abeer Allam. "The Economics of the Arab Spring - FT.com." Financial Times. The Big Read, 2012. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.