This post is due by Tuesday, March 18 @ midnight for full credit.
Email late posts to rwilliamsATchamplain.edu for partial credit.
Read the assigned chapters above, and then:
1. Provide 3 SPECIFIC observations about the Arab Spring you learned from EACH chapter of our book, using 2-3 sentences combining the book and your own IYOW analysis.
2. Finally, ask ONE specific question you have of the Arab Spring after completing our reading.
Battle Blog #2
ReplyDeleteMegan Spiezio-Davis
Chapter 3 begins by painting a picture of a population of people that have lost hope. It seems as though Arab leaders were taking advantage of nay good that the oil or the people of their counties could bring to them. The regimes were manipulating any sense of autonomy or growth within its business world. While the leaders had their eyes set on easy money to be made in land development and real estate, it was still very risky business. Many plans for growth never happened because of high inflation and shady deals. WE learn on page 28 that the business deals between international companies was so questionable that even McDonalds had the ethics to pull out of a deal. This is ironic to a westerner who assumed McDonalds to the antichrist.
Corruption spreads and becomes more common while the regime loses support and popularity. On page 30 we learn the term “soft states”. This is an idea based on the logic that rules are meant to be broken and it is better to be the first to it then someone else. It reminds me of a “dog eats dog” kind of world. I think that there was an easy answer to the issue of cronyism corruption, joblessness and the desire to expand. Why didn’t the leaders see a way for their pocket to get full, was to give honest people a decent stake in the development of their own country. Mixing the greed and need to develop while sharing the wealth even a little bit would have suppressed people enough and given them hope by showing them opportunity.
Media played a huge roll in fostering a place to connect with likeminded individuals as well as organized them into a unified force. When once a person could only pass out a few pamphlets at time, there was a movement of thousands all connected as one. I believe that social media played a huge part in the uprisings. Satellite TV allowed people to see a different world then they were used to. It exposed them as well as enlightened them. Social media then came along and offered an outlet to enable them.
My question for this chapter would be to find the number of people in Bahrain that used FB in 2010 that were Americans keeping in touch with their families in the United States?
Chapter 2:
ReplyDeleteAs I always read about how Arab youths are left without jobs even after graduating and having masters. However, I didn't know the reason why this was the case but after reading chapter I have somewhat come to know that the main reason is because of low taxation. Many people don't want to pay a lot of taxes to the government and the only way to do this is by breaking the law. As in the reading it gave an example of how a rent in Abu Romaneh district of Syrian capital was worth $20,000 but the landlords that list this in the contract lists as $1,000 which is significantly low compare to the original price this is because to avoid paying a lot of taxes. When such crimes are committed by people it creates a vicious cycle which leaves the government in collecting less taxes. When less taxes are collected their is noway to help the people in raising wages, creating jobs or simply making the economy better. It is all because people themselves break these laws.
Other reasons are the corrupted government themselves, who are so self-centered in carrying out the policies on the IMF and World Bank that leads them into selling people's assets cheaply to a few wealthy foreign business families and foreign investors. By doing this they are privatizing the economy. The governments are all doing this to build their own empire which then leads to few jobs, less wages and so on.
Chapter 3:
After reading chapter 3 I find it interesting to know about the the revolution of media in the Arab countries. As how certain things came to know to what they are now. From newspaper to TV to internet and so on. Above all, they all have too part well in the movements in the Arab countries. For example it was because of internet that people could have collaborated and shared information with each other in order to meet with a large group and start a protest. Then it was TV who brought the footage live to another millions of Arabs and showing the support of the people and anger of the people towards the government. In general if it wasn't because technology such achievements in the Arab countries would not have been possible. The Arab youth used the media well in showing their anger towards government and also showing what they truly believe in.
Ch. 2- The first half of this chapter focuses on the economy of many countries in the Arab World. Prices were rising all over North Africa, including oil-rich countries like Saudi Arabia. This is important because this furthered the gap between the the lower class(much of the population) and the ruling elite, which only helped provoke anger. The second half of the chapter focus' on unemployment issues, which seems to have been one of the biggest and most talked about factors. One thing that shocked me was that "some 63 per cent of the 55,000 jobs created every year between 2001 and 2007" were taken by foreign workers. Lastly, to accentuate how bad unemployment was, "Of the 2.4 million unemployed people in Egypt in 2009, over a third had university level education or better, and in the capital, Cairo, the figure was 54 per cent."
ReplyDeleteCh. 3- This chapter is centered around the media in the Arab World. I really like how the author gives a historical background. By doing this we see that it wasn't just facebook that played a role in Arab uprisings but he gives the background of satellite television and when fair Arab news was first available, highlighting the importance of Al-Jazeera holding groundbreaking interviews and challenging Israeli news for the first time. Secondly, for how much we have heard about the role of social media and the internet in the Arab World, I was shocked to see how low the number of users actually was. Even in Egypt, where we have seen how successful Wael Ghonim was, "only 5.5 percent of the population used Facebook on the eve of the revolt, and just a quarter used the Internet". Lastly, it is important to realize that the internet can be misleading. The authors point out that a log written in 2011 that had been written by a Syrian lesbian was actually written by a man living in Scotland. This emphasizes the point that revolutions need aspects of old and new in their tactics.
Question: After learning how few people used Facebook/internet on the eve of the Arab Spring, how big of a role do you think social media has in the uprisings?
Chapter 2:
ReplyDeleteIt was shocking to me that with so many jobs being created every year in Egypt that most of them were taken by foreign workers even though there were hundreds of thousands of unemployed people in Egypt with a university education. The economical problems seem to be a huge problem and it was very interesting that some landlords in Tunisia would ask for 6 months-1 year worth of rent upfront before letting someone move in so that they had some security.
Chapter 3:
Chapter 3 was all about media in the Arab World. As big of a help as social media was in the Egyptian revolution it was not the only source to get information out. Satellite TV was also a big factor that allowed people to see what was going on around them. And after watching all of the Wael Ghonim films and interviews, they made it seem that so many more people were using the internet and social media but in reality only about 5.5% of the population of Egypt used Facebook on the eve of the revolt. I personally thought that this was a lot larger number. Although when the media was used it was used very well by all of the youth in the Arab World.
Question:
Why are educated civilians not being hired over foreign workers in Egypt?
In chapter 2, one thing that I found interesting is that the car dealerships of Fiat, Ford, Jaguar, Volkswagen, Audi, Seat, Land Rover, Hummer, Porsche, and Mercedes were all controlled by Materi, Mabrouk, or Belhassen Trabelsi, all of whom were prominent business men emerging from Tunisia and had some relationship that led back to the president. All of these powerful and very influential men gained control with the influence of their deep pockets, and ties to the government and the regime. This high-level corruption has allowed them to gradually take over overseas trade, investments, and the economy as a whole in that region. I also found it very intriguing that even McDonald’s, of all companies, refused to grant an exclusive license because the would be partner in the deal was regime-connected.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 3, it is interesting how media in the Arab world has evolved, as well played a central role in the development and revolution of culture. From the spread of satellite television in the 1990’s, to Al- Jazeera emerging and the eventual introduction to Facebook, Media has given the people in the Arab world a way in which to express themselves to a global level, connecting in ways and sharing ideas faster, easier, and on a large scale. The new wave of media challenged the stale news that had free rein to bias news report from lack of competition from anything else. What was shocking however was that despite the popularity of expression though media during the uprisings of the Arab spring, only “5.5% percent of the population used facebook on the eve of the revolt..”
Chapter 2
ReplyDeleteChapter two was interesting to read just because it narrowed down the reason for the uprisings. One of the facts that stood out to me the most was the fact that the GDP grew by a large margin and even then the amount of jobs was terrible and increasing. While I knew that oil was a big factor in the uprising, whether it was having it and not having it, brought down Egypt which is one of the largest and most populated Arab countries. Oil caused prices to rice making people feel like they were living in terrible conditions. On top of all of these issues the fact that other countries where experiencing all the same things but fear was still a form of control in the Arab world.
Chapter 3
In the media chapter, although I know that cell phones are widely used in the Middle East it was a shock to know how much cell phone use was used in Yemen. And even though the growth seemed immense it was not even half the population. From past readings and my knowledge about the Middle East I have learned that a sense on patriarchy has been increasing within each country but the idea that satellite television created a sense of a united Arab nation took me surprise. Finally, I found that the use of television to recreate uprisings was interesting. The comparison between Lebanon and Egypt even down to talking over a square was fascinating.
Question: How similar were all the uprising when it comes down to the execution and the outcomes?
Chapter 2:
ReplyDelete1. I was interested by the discussion of breaking laws and how it turns into a never-ending loop due to fear. “This is a classic example of an opaque and inefficient system in which more or less everyone is forced to commit a crime because the laws are ‘there to be broken’” (31). I think the same kind of cycle is responsible for corruption in many places.
2. “In Jordan, foreign workers took some 63 per cent of the 55,000 jobs created every year between 2001 and 2007” (36). This point took me by surprise. In the US, we worry so much about our jobs being outsourced, but the same thing is happening much more drastically in other countries.
3. “Perhaps the key difference in the Arab world was the combination of economic hopelessness with political powerlessness” (42). I think this is why places with solid democracies can make it through depressions without uprisings - people can voice their concerns and feel heard. Every time I read about state-run media and censored speech, I feel like the government is shooting itself in the foot…. bottled-up problems never end well.
Chapter 3:
1. I liked the quote that begins the chapter by Wael Ghonim, the author of our last book, but I particularly liked the section about youth seeing “the truth about their own nation” (44). Before the Internet, were people blind to the corruption of their nation? Does it take the Internet for people to see what is around them every day?
2. Although we pounded the influence of Facebook in Ghonim’s book, I liked the phrase “the connected generation” that this book used (53). It alludes to the virtual community that Facebook created for protesters, and we have seen how this played a role in gaining momentum for the revolutions.
3. I think it is important to recognize that a key advantage of the younger generation is their literacy. “Unlike their parents, swathes of whom were illiterate, most of this generation could read and write” (57). This important skill allowed for intelligent communication and protests. It probably also led to a stronger confidence when confronting authority.
Question:
Why do most Arab countries share similar hardships and all at the same time? Does it stem from Ottoman rule?
chapter 2: I was really surprised to read about all the problems surrounding the unemployment issue. One thing that really stuck out to me is that all of the jobs that were created mostly catered towards older people or foreign workers. Between 2001 and 2007 63% of the 55,000 new jobs created were given to the foreign workers in Jordan. Another thing that stuck out to me about the unemployment issue is that in 2009 716,000 new jobs were created in Saudi Arabia but the unemployment rose from 9.8 percent to 10.5, Why is that?
ReplyDeleteIn Chapter 3: Chapter three was about media in the Arab world and one thing that I found really interesting was the fact that even though cell phone use is very common in the Arab world, it was not that common in Yemen. I think it was very important to see how this chapter showed the importance of the technology like television and facebook were used during the Arab Spring. I think this chapter did a really good job in showing how important this was to the revolution
My question would be, Would things be different if facebook and twitter were banned from their countries?
Chapter 2 : Bread, jobs, and oil
ReplyDeleteThe same people that were paying too much for bread, where the same people complaining that their wages are too low. Balance is what everyone was protesting for, and it's clear that the government wasn't going to give it up without a fight. Sadly it took hundreds of people being injured and several killed, around countries such as Morocco, and Egypt.. Especially in Egypt. The thirty years before the arab spring acted a massive snowball, that didn't stop rolling until now. And still, people aren't satisfied with what has happened.. Not much has changed…. It's clear that through-out the arab world, up risings, protests, and revolts have followed the footsteps of it's previous years. That is just how it gets done. The outside investments towards oil, through-out the gulf is pretty surprising.. A lot of money..
Chapter 3 : The Media Revolution
The tech savvy, younger generation had the upper hand. This new technology at their finger tips, wasn't new to them, they had been using it for years. It was the 61 percent of Arabs that were under the age of thirty.. That took down the forcers that oppressed them. It would be like me and my grandpa instant messaging… Someone would obviously be a little less proficient than me… : /
This was the ultimate form of non violence process..
Question : Through-out a lot of the Arab Springs… Did governments not realize what was going out amongst Facebook and Twitter? What was stopping them from shutting everything down, they had pretty much shut down every other outlet/voice that they didn't wan't broadcasting...
Shukran for your reflections and excellent questions, Arab Spring'ers.
ReplyDeleteLet's discuss in class.
Dr. W
Chapter 2: Bread, Oil and Jobs
ReplyDelete- I had a decent understanding that there was a big divide in social class and economic structure but I didn't know if would extend this far out of the vast majorities reach. Especially when the book cited vast, expensive and luxurious intensive building plans etc. that only a small percentage would be able to afford. Those ideas just made the gap a much more evident problem.
- When the book also cited the amount that an average 20 year old would take home in terms of income (that number being around 750 or so) and then rent alone would be around 500+. That was just astounding to read and really saddening, I worry about how I will pay bills and live after college but I don't really feel like I understand hardship comparatively. These statistics are just really unfortunate.
- I think the book makes a strong closing arguement in this chapter. Their theory on the repressive government that most of the Middle East had to deal with on a daily basis was outrageous. It was only a matter of time before the people had enough of this treatment and acted against their seemingly dated government systems. This thought as cited by the book starts to grow and travel around the Middle East and that is in part why we start to see this wave like effect of revolutions popping up in varying sections of the Middle East.
Chapter 3: The Media Revolution
- Satellite technology in the Middle East has really been essential to their technological advacement; as well as social media and how that has influenced events within the Middle East.
- The idea that video and cameras used to be an expensive thing to either have or utilize is almost non-exsistent at this point. Both of these are relatively cheap and easily obtained, we see people uploading videoes of events as they unfold to websites like youtube. Pictures as well as video to facebook as well, both are free and provide an easy in for giving out information to the rest of the world in these events as they transpire.
The biggest part that I personally found interesting was the all the facts and knowledge basis on social gaps between the rich and the poor. When the book gives these vivid examples of how this gap plays a role it really sets a picture within myself. The book does a great job of this and as I read about varying situations on these subjects I start to get more and more annoyed which then quickly turns into outrage.
Chapter 2
ReplyDeleteI am unsure how the Arab people where able to make it threw what seems like a economical depression. With high priced food, fuel, and unemployment due to the lack of availability it seems as if it was nearly impossible to live a satisfying life. it definitely is different from our standards here in the U.S. Although we have seen these issues before in our society as well.
Countries, such as the arab countries, have a hard time getting anyting done because their government is dominated by power interest that serve their own interest before their citizens. Which is why the Arabian people want to stand up and have a revolution. They are sick and tired of being belittled and ignored due to the greed of others.
Other countries such as Greece, Spain, and Britain had outlets such as shows and people to explain and express their displeasure with policy makers. The Arabians had non of this, instead they had no support but only fear when it came to dealing with policy makers
Chapter 3
Widespread restrictions on social media made it hard for people to socialize and share opinions about politics. People would be arrested for forwarding cartoons that poked fun at the president. With the government monitoring everything it was hard for people to share political opinions which lead to people just not talking to them. This allowed the government to keep people right where they wanted, although it allowed for zero change in the Arab countries. It was only a matter of time before someone decided to say something.
"State television fed the public on a stale diet of propaganda that appeared to belong to another era and was increasingly out of step, not just with modern technology, but with reality" pg 47. This is why the arabian people where so stuck. Their government had failed at giving them anything to keep up with the modern world, and now they are left behind looking dumb. The only thing that could change this government was the people themselves. Life was to good while being a Arabian government official, why change? Although it was selfish of them, to them it was in their best interest.
With the Rise of websites like facebook, twitter, and other social media sites the Arabian people where able to see what the rest of the world was doing by a click of a button. With the world advancing it was just a matter of time before the bubble that the arabian government kept their people in popped. Facebook quickly became the best and fastest way to share political views with other people which quickly rose to the Arab Spring.
How can other countries let the violation of the Arabian human rights go for so long?
Good catch up, Cam and Brandon. Yalla! - Dr. Rob
ReplyDeleteChapter 2:
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting that there were bread riots as early as 2008 in Morocco. You would figure that the other Arab countries would see that as a sign of something on the way. I found it hard to believe that a Libyan state-controlled news paper would report on corruption in 2010. How did that story get through the government's watchful eyes? I found the word "wasta" to be a telling part of the Arab lexicon. Their corruption was so wide spread that they had to create a word for it. There is not even a proper English translation.
Chapter 3:
The story of Bashar al-Assad coming to power in Syria was incredible. It sounds like a plot out of Shakespeare. It's crazy to my American sensibilities that this is real life. I found it interesting that the Arab world mostly had state controlled radio until Al-Jezeera. Al-Jezeera seems to offer relatively unbiased opinions and opposite view points. It seems to me that the transition went from 0-60 awfully quick. I couldn't believe that the number of internet users in the Arab world quadrupled from 2005-2011. I would have liked to hear more about how that happened other than the introduction of smartphones. Especially considering that there was rampant unemployment in most of these countries.
Question:
How did Arabs became so internet savvy, so quickly, under the watchful eye of their governments?
Chapter 2
ReplyDelete- It’s interesting that countries like UAE and Saudi Arabia were seeking to buy up millions of hectars of farmland in Africa and south-east Asia, not only to secure future food supplies, but was part of a larger plan for reinvestment from oil revenues. Does this issue have a link to the United States and reduced dependence on foreign oil?
- It’s shocking to see that corruption ran ramped through Arab countries and the impact this had on the Arab spring. This is one thing all countries had in common.
- The jobless rate in Algeria and many other countries was the deciding factor for many up raisers. The landscape would look much different of governments anticipated the jobs issue and did something so improve the situation.
Chapter 3
- I was not aware that social media was a major factor in the Syrian upraising like it was for Egypt. I assumed Syria was too poor of a country to be able to have internet access, I think my assumption can be blamed on the U.S. media, I once thought that simple protests turned directly into civil war. The Syrian people gathered and planned protests over social media just like the Egyptians did.
- It’s interesting to see the changing view in different countries towards Al-Jazeera. The television company was once criticized in western countries for allowing out spoken opposition leaders on their shows in the early 2000’s. Today Al-Jazeera is praised for always providing different perspectives on issues that really matter to the channels viewers.
- Chapter three talks about how the majority of the Arab world population is under the age of 30, this generation is known as the tech generation. Then why haven’t we seen many young people stepping up to run these countries? Instead of kicking out an old government and replacing it with older rulers who still don’t understand the importance of technology.
- Question – are there any young (20’s) politicians running for office in any Arab spring country?
Chapter2
ReplyDeleteObservation1: “The most dangerous moment for a bad government is usually when it begins to reform itself –Alexis de Tocqueville” (Warren 24). I find this interesting because yes change is dangerous, but a lot of the time change is for the better. While change is happening terrible things happen, but sometimes change has positive results.
Observation2: “Job creation did take place, but generally favored older people or even expatriates” (Warren 36). I found this interesting, because it seems to happen here too, younger generations getting passed over for jobs, and not getting the required experience they would need to get better jobs.
Observation3: “Perhaps the key difference in the Arab world was the combination of economic hopelessness with political powerlessness” (Warren 42). As the book explains other countries such as Greece, Spain, or Britain who also had problems with government had outlets that gave them belief, whether real or imaginary, that they could influence the course of events. The Arab world did not have this belief and its absence fueled their frustration.
Chapter3
Observation1: “If you want to free a society just give them internet access… - Wael Ghonim” (Warren 44). This seemed like only a half truth, or an idea that had not been completely considered. Sure people would have access to all kinds of information, but they can also be trapped by misinformation. They can be fed ideas through the internet that could be very opinionated and convincing, but it could also be lacking truth.
Observation2: “Why does a ruler in the West accept all insults from his people, bearing in mind that he is democratically elected, whereas the Arab ruler does not accept any criticism, bearing in mind that he enjoys no legitimacy?” (Warren 49). As far as I know I have not personally come in contact with any political leaders, so I don’t know how they are treated in public from a personal view. But I have seen them on news channels where the cameramen show us what they want to see, and I have heard them discussed about on talk shows where bits and pieces are mashed together to get a point across. With this in mind I don’t think any political leader whether from the East or West puts up with insults. I think they put on a smile for the camera, while deciding the fate of the country based on the praise or insults of the people. Easily changing lives as they decide the rules and leave the common people to be dragged along like puppets or to pick up pieces of a broken government.
Observation3: “Lacking the hierarchical structures of traditional organizations, the loose and leaderless networks flummoxed police, who could not identify ringleaders and did not see the young internet-savvy activists as a serious threat” (Warren 59). I think it’s quite funny how a potentially powerful group is being underestimated. It happens a lot in history books, which makes me think that the police are in for a huge headache.
Chapter 2 gets into the various economic factors influencing the Arab Spring. Taxes were a large issue -- something discussed at length with Greek and Italian failures, but which I hadn't heard much about regarding the Arab Spring. It makes a lot of sense that the lack of tax income – influenced by things like ridiculous rent structuring and the percentage of jobs going to foreign workers - would've been a large factor in economic failures, since so many of these authoritarian governments had socialist-minded (tax-intensive) policies.
ReplyDeleteChapter 3 talks about state controlled media as well as the technology of the Arab Spring. I found it interesting how much Battle's authors' discussed Al-Jazeera, and how it stayed abreast of the Arab uprisings. No particular media outlet in the U.S. has developed with an issue so strongly since yellow journalism. It’s the opposite here, where NPR is widely respected but people are suspicious of wikileaks.
As we've heard at length and as the authors discuss, the youth of the Arab world used social media and portable technologies to their crazy advantage. How did all of these unemployed college grads get cell phones? I don't know - but an underlying theme that the authors never touched on is the fact that so many of these young revolutionaries didn't initially look at their social media as weaponry, but just did the thing they do and shocked the rest of the world while doing it.
The disconnect between authoritarian leaders' policies and their savvy citizens was one of the biggest rifts in the Arab world. Can Arab politics develop rapidly enough to catch up with their youth, in time to form stable governments?