008 - The Arab Spring and Social Change

Recent political unrest in the Arab world led to the fall of robust and powerful regimes. Calls for freedom, democracy and political reforms engulfed the region in a sea of protests that forced Tunisia’s President Zine Eddine Ben Ali to flee, toppled the regime of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt, and led to the death of Moammar Gadhafi in Libya. Demands for change led to both peaceful protests and armed confrontations in Libya, Yemen, Syria, Egypt, Tunisia, Bahrain and across the Arab world. Social movements are often caused by the convergence of social, economic and political oppression and hardship. Indeed, this has been the case in the Arab world, where government corruption, elite self-interest, and economic inequalities are evident. The Arab Spring uprisings were born through a collective drive, but unlike contemporary social movements, they lacked political framework and key leading figures. The spontaneous revolutions are unique and mainly depended on the strength and willingness of thousands of young people who were united around common cause – to end oppression and bring political reforms. In some cases, such as in Tunisia and Egypt, the peaceful protests led to a relatively peaceful political change. However, thus far the outcome of the Arab Spring in other cases, such as in Syria, Libya and Yemen, might suggest a start of cyclical conflicts.

This course is geared toward practice by examining the Arab Spring uprisings through four case studies including Egypt, Libya, Syria and Yemen. The course will provide context for understanding the conditions that led to the civil unrest and explore political and social change that these countries have been undergoing since the start of the uprisings in January of 2011. Additionally, the course will examine the role of social media in empowering people to organize in an era of fast developing digital communication. The students will learn about the new power structure in the Arab world in the context of the Arab Spring and will explore how conflict analysis and resolution can help in creating healthy and democratic political system in post-social movement era.

The program will use a case study approach to analyze the different types of social conflicts – peaceful and violent – in the context of the Arab Spring. The students will conduct conflict mapping of each case to understand the nature and conditions for possible conflict resolution in each country. The cases vary widely, and the students will consider common questions to create a usable frame of reference: Why people organized? How people organized into new political groups and organizations or joined existing ones? What is the outcome in each case? And, what will the future bring in each country? Through an in-depth examination of each case study, students will then explore possible intervention plan(s). By the conclusion of the course, students should have a strong grasp of the social and political conditions that led to the Arab Spring, develop an understanding of current dynamics and possible outcomes, and design appropriate conflict intervention in the context of one case study.