Below at this blog thread, PLEASE POST AN OPENING PARAGRAPH OF 5-7 SENTENCES, with an UNDERLINED THESIS STATEMENT, for Thursday, March 20th's class. Yalla!
Our final paper is due at our course blog for Monday, April 14. No exceptions.
Research and craft an 8 paragraph multimedia paper (a paragraph = 5-7 sentences) posted as a STAND-ALONE post (with a sexy title) on our course blog, in which you articulate and defend your FINAL one sentence thesis focused on a specific aspect of the Arab Spring in the Middle East across at least 3 different Arab Spring countries.
Sample Question: Has the Arab Spring movement led to more democracy in the Arab Middle East?
Sample Thesis: "The Arab Spring has led to a democratic revolution in the 21st century Middle East, ushering an era of new and positive political transformations in Egypt, Algeria, and Libya."
To earn an A, your paper must:
1. Have a specific THESIS statement, grounded in TIME and PLACE, in your opening paragraph.
2. Consist of 8 paragraphs of between 5-7 sentences each.
3. Contain no grammar, spelling, or mechanical errors.
4. Be illustrated with AT LEAST one photo or video embed for EACH paragraph.
5. Provide AT LEAST one direct quotation from AT LEAST SIX different sources (you may include our 3 class texts) for EACH of your 8 paragraphs. Use research and texts to support your conclusions!
6. Focus on AT LEAST 3 specific Arab Spring countries.
7. Be presented with confidence in class (excerpted sections.)
Yalla - go Arab Spring'ers, go!
Megan Spiezio-Davis
ReplyDeleteSince the 2011 Arab uprisings began, the Muslim Brotherhood has played a disruptive yet integral part in the political unrest in Egypt, Tunisia, and Bahrain. The group has many members across the globe and is highly organized. However, given their impressionable popularity and unity, they are very controversial. Criticism of their motives leaves conflict-ridden countries even more divisive. Instead of using their political power to unite citizens, they choose to utilize their power in contentious ways and not compromise. This is reminiscent of old regimes and misuse of political power. The Muslim Brotherhood’s antagonistic ways only leads to more troublesome outcomes as opposed to harmonious progression.
Jonathan Schubert
ReplyDeleteIslam is the second most followed religion in the world, with the majority of its population living in North Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. Most Muslim population identify as part of the Sunni sect of Islam, while nearly a fifth of Muslims identify as Shia. The Iran-Iraq war of the 1980’s, a war partially fought out of fear of a Shia Islamic revolution in Iraq, stands as a testament to the longevity of the conflicts between these sects. In more recent year, the Arab world has been turning over with revolutions and uprisings. In nations like Bahrain, fear of its Shia majority and the potential of their revolution have made the Sunni leaders of the country anxious. It is situations like that in Bahrain that imply that the Sunni-Shia relationship could play a huge role in nations of mixed sect populations.
Beginning in 2011, Arab Spring movements brought better business opportunities to Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia, but the revolutions are also having negative effects. The revolution allowed people to open up business and operate with out laws conflicting with them. Although the lack of laws and order is starting to work against them. Tourist our scared to come to the middle east due to recent activities. Their is little form and regulation which leads to confusion among business men. With the remains of unemployed government workers along with citizens loitering around the streets with no laws to keep them in line, average people and tourist are scared to walk among them in the business centers of the Arabian countries
ReplyDeleteThe civil war taking place in Syria has become one of the most looked at issues in the international spectrum. Although it is not the U.S's responsibility to intervene, nevertheless with the rising violence occurring in Syria the United States may need to intervene militarily. The reason behind this is that Syria is in control of chemical weapons which disobeys Chemical Weapons Convention enacted by the U.N. In addition, there are valid reasons, despite all of this, that the U.S should not get involved because attacks could result in mass civilian casualties, escalation and reprisal of Syrian army, an attack on Israel, or the fall of Assad being replaced by chaos or something worse.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the United States’ brief but turbulent history it has meddled in probably just about every place in the world. With the outbreak of the Arab Spring in places like Egypt and Tunisia the United States was very hesitant to get involved or even release statements regarding the uprisings. America’s greatest ally in the Middle East is Israel which has fought multiple wars against many of the countries that participated in the Arab Spring. Eventually, the United States couldn’t keep their noses out of the Middle East forever and they did get involved. This paper will attempt to sift through the impact of the US’s intervention on the Arab Spring to see if the United States should have just stayed out or if the efforts were well founded.
ReplyDeleteDuring the 2011 Arab Spring uprising and the time period leading up to these events, the youth of revolutionary movements played a pivotal role. A major factor in the movements lead by young activists is the influence of music. Through music, people have found a platform to voice and express their thoughts. Music has proven to be a driving force and a coping mechanism in this region of the world. Activists in Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya have used this medium as a form of expression, especially in a style very similar to western Hip-Hop.
ReplyDeleteSince the beginning of the rebellion against Hosni Mubarak in 2011, street art has been an integral part of getting the peoples opinions and passions seen. Just like many other creative outlets, public art has always been a part of history within the urban culture. Street artists are able to take their artwork off of paper, and onto walls for more than just visual pleasure. Although frowned upon by most people across the world, street art can be used as a political and revolutionary stimulant for the people.
ReplyDeleteSpanning the last 3 odd years, the Arab Spring has witnessed wave after wave of protests, riots, and all out civil war, leaving large regions in turmoil. The effects of the movement have been met with different results in different areas, but one one common factor can be seen. Throughout the Middle East, independent creativity and self expression has blossomed as a means to fight back against the violence and chaos. In Tunisia we see an explosion on cultural music, a decimated Libya has seen a return to poetic power, while in Egypt the people use regime walls visually depict their hopes and objections. With authoritarian weight lifted, a culture has found room to express themselves.
ReplyDeleteSince 2009 the United States military has been slowly withdrawing troops from various Arab countries throughout the Middle East. As the process continues into 2014, there is evidence that the withdrawal is doing more harm than good. Since the last convoy of troops left Iraq in December 2011, the Iraqi cities of Fallujah and Ramadi have been recaptured by Al Qaeda-linked militants. Many neighboring countries are seeing tensions rise as well, car bombs are exploding in Lebanon and the Syrian civil war continues to escalate. There is speculation that Afghanistan will see the same affects as the U.S. military withdraws by the end of 2014.
ReplyDeleteAlthough many documentaries and news sources covering the Arab Spring portray mostly male protestors, women played a prominent role in the Tunisian, Egyptian, and Libyan uprisings. Making up approximately 51% of the population in the region, it is undeniable that women had a strong presence in the protests (Heideman 20). Their participation helped to dissolve the long-standing stereotypes of Arab women as "secluded, passive, and submissive" (17). Following the uprisings, however, women had fallen back into their repressive slump. Women were physically assaulted, lacked political representation, and were deprived of promised freedoms. The courageous participation of women in the Arab Spring uprisings have yet to yield positive results for women in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya.
ReplyDeleteMedia in today's civilization is an incredibly powerful force. During the Arab Spring, media, specifically social media, influenced the protests in Syria, Libya, and Egypt, and the way they were perceived in the United States. Since its beginning in 2011, the Arab Spring movement has been fueled entirely by a passion for change by young progressive Arabs. These communities have used social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to help stage protests and ultimately, revolutions. Egypt's uprising sprouted partially from a Facebook page called “We are all Khaled Said.” In Libya, NATO used information gathered from Twitter posts to help determine targets for airstrikes. Now we are able to analyze the plethora of information pouring out of Syria in the form of social media, and we can gain a comprehensive understanding of a complex war as it happens halfway across the world. Social media is a powerful tool that gives Arabs, who were once unable to express their ideas, a chance to do so on a global stage.
ReplyDeleteThe Arab spring movement has ignited a creative fire within the Middle East. Citizens have turned to Art as an outlet of expression during the uprisings, giving them a way to not only convey themselves, but to convey opinions about government, ideologies, and so forth. Protest art has taken on many forms, including everything from street art and graffiti, to elaborate sculptures and riot photography, all of which depict the varying emotions and opinions of the protestors. With the emergence of the Arab Spring, individual expression has blossomed through the anonymous, controversial and provocative nature of protest art.
ReplyDeleteSince the beginning of 2011, social media has played an integral role during the events of the Arab Spring in places such as Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya, despite whether or not people could get online. Different sorts of media such as image and video were also used to portray the information. Images surfaced that showed current events, which illustrated what was going on within the Arabian nations. The visual media that spread throughout the Internet depicted not only singular moments, but showed the Arabian nations' history, and the change that was to come. Through social media, the ideals of rebel groups, as well as the current situations in each country received international attention. It is still debated whether or not social media acted as a primary catalyst for the Arab Spring to gain momentum and become an internationally recognized situation. Regardless, it has still played a crucial role in the movement.
ReplyDeleteThrough recent history the balance of economic power in the Middle East has favored authoritarianism over democracy, with disastrous results. By 2010 governments dominating their public sectors in shares of employment and credit, rife with corruption and cronie capitalists, had stifled their subsidy-reliant populations to an unlivable breaking point -- a trend particularly exemplified by Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya. Economic liberalization at the end of the twentieth century followed by decades of political mismanagement was the main cause of the Arab Spring uprisings.
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ReplyDelete"The most popular Twitter hashtags in the Arab region in the first three months of the year 2011 were “Egypt”, “Jan25”, “Libya”, “Bahrain” and “protest”." Since 2011 Twitter has transformed communication in the Arab Spring countries of Egypt, Tunisia, and Syria. The role of social media in Arab countries has been closely related to the on going revolutions. Twitter has allowed citizens to spread their causes and beliefs with others of similar beliefs. Egypt and Tunisia have effectively used Twitter as a way to communicate throughout the revolutions, but Syria is just beginning. Twitter has not only transformed communication, but has also given ordinary Arabs the ability to make change.
ReplyDeleteFinal Paper Link:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8141256382244901637#editor/target=post;postID=1045064902414719067;onPublishedMenu=posts;onClosedMenu=posts;postNum=0;src=postname