Arab
Spring
The Arab Spring
(or the Arab Revolutions) refers to the
recent revolutionary wave of
demonstrations and protests occurring
in the Arab world.
A revolution
(from the Latin revolutio,
"a turn around")
is a significant change
that takes place in a relatively
short period of time.
What kinds of revolutions have brought
significant changes to humans and their earth?
Political (examples- “American Revolution”
and “Russian Revolution”)
Social (examples- “Civil Rights Movement”
and “Internet Revolution”)
Economic (examples-“Scientific Revolution”,
“Industrial Revolution” and
“Green Revolution”)
Since December, 2010
there have been
revolutions in Tunisia and
Egypt;
a civil war in Libya;
civil uprisings in Bahrain,
Syria, and Yemen;
major protests in Algeria,
Jordan, Morocco,
and Oman.
The protests
have shared
characteristics
of civil resistance
(protests
by the public)
in sustained
campaigns…
…involving strikes, demonstrations,
marches and rallies.
Protesters were generally young people,
who also used the social media, such as
Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, to organize,
communicate, and raise awareness in the face
of their governments’ attempts at censorship.
Many demonstrations have met violent
responses from government authorities,
as well as from pro-government militias.
Citizens have exercised their natural
rights of free speech, assembly, and
petition, to create a wave of unrest…
Numerous factors led to the protests,
but most focused on the overthrow of
authoritarian leaders.
Some governments were dictatorships
(rule by one man), while others were
absolute monarchies (power held by a
king/queen with total authority).
In all countries,
there were
accusations
of human rights
violations,
government
corruption,
unemployment,
extreme poverty…
and a large percentage of educated
but dissatisfied youth
within the population.
These young people studied in democratic
nations, where they learned the value of
representative government and civil rights,
such as found in our First Amendment.
Regional
Changes:
In Egypt, President
Hosni Mubarak
resigned after two
weeks days of massive
protests, ending his
30-year presidency.
Protests in Jordan
have also caused
King Abdullah
to form a new
government with
newly appointed
officials…
Libyan leader Muammar al-Gadafi refused
to step down, causing a civil war …
Tunisia ousted its President for an
elected assembly
In YEMEN, the President and his family fled the
country…
In OMAN,
an elected legislature was created…
Morocco: Ongoing protests resulted in voting
for Constitutional reforms
In SYRIA,
protests have resulted in a continue civil war…
The outside world has also
become involved in the events
of the Arab Spring…
In spring of 2011, a United Nations Security
Council Resolution was adopted, authorizing a
no-fly zone over Libya, and approved "all
necessary measures" to protect civilians.
Two days later, France, the United States and
the United Kingdom intervened in Libya with a
bombing campaign against pro-Gaddafi forces.
(A coalition of 27 states from Europe and the
Middle East soon joined the intervention, too.)
Time will tell if the
events of the Arab
Spring will continue to
influence and inspire
other pro-democracy
movements around
the world.
What ideals from
the First
Amendment
brought about such
changes?
Arab
Spring