Last Reflection :(

Paul Ropp           

                Over the course of the year we have learned a lot about civil society, social uprisings, the ability for people to challenge authority, and how that all relates to the MENA region; and Serbia. What I really have gotten out of this class is the ability to look at any MENA event in a different context, through a different lens. I can now see how MENA region civil society is just a modified version of Western civil society nothing more and nothing less. I also think even knowing what civil society is in this sort of depth gives you an edge in a lot of the other classes you will have as an SIS major, I mean in world politics they were talking about civil society and it did not compare even slightly to the readings or the material we covered in class. Overall I think that the way we talked about civil society in and around the MENA region in all different types of contexts is unequivocally helpful and will continue to be so for sometime. Now I know I have rambled a little bit about the class but I want to leave you all with one last of my blurps.   

                Last night a report was launched by MSNBC along with many other news sources that Syria is loading the chemical agent Niacin gas into bombs to be dropped on rebel strong holds. AS far as this goes it is either a last ditch effort bluffs by Assad, a move to test the international community, or perhaps just pure insanity. The report said the military is now just waiting for Assads word to commence the final preparations and dropping these bombs. Forgoing the morbid parts of this discussion I can’t help but think how this would be happening if the Syrian people took their time in building up a unified non-violent civil society movement rather than jumping into a forgone revolution. Anyway I hope that this does not come to pass but if it does it will surley be the final nail in Assad’s coffin.

                Thank you guys! 

structured 6

Structured response 6

            During the class we have talked about both the successful revolutions and usage of civil society but we have also talked about the failings of civil society, however, I believe Egypt is on the way to a fully unified civil society and a complete democracy if they continue on their path with a few minor changes.

            The Egyptian civil society movement was successful in ousting Mubarak through non-violent protests and civil disobedience but now that a Morsi has come to power will the revolution survive. Morsi recently added more power to the presidency which allows him to circumvent much of the balances surrounded the office of Egyptian presidency, however he has not done this without repercussions. What I think is important to remember before we completely dismiss the revolution as a failure that took one tyrant for another it is important to look at the circumstances surrounding Morsi’s power grab. The Egyptian civil societies had just won a hard felt battle and began to settle down; it took a lot to mobilize the amount of people the first time and now that it has become evident Morsi will try to seize absolute power it will take some time for all the people to come together again. Also Morsi has not yet gained the power and authority that Mubarak had so the people have not yet felt the problem of Morsi’s rule; I mean “hey at least he isn’t killing us”. Another interesting point that may prove to be a fault for the opposition to Morsi’s power is the military.

            When the Egyptian military did nothing to support Mubarak they choose a side the protestors side however, since the Muslim brother hood is such a popular political party will the military choose the same side again? It seems that the military, like last time, could play the decisive role in what happens, if the military decides to back Morsi there will be either a revolution on a violent scale or perhaps the people will continue non-violent protests; either way bringing Morsi out of power is no easy task.

            Now on to the question what should civil society do? As far as removing Morsi, the Egyptian civil society should keep on doing what it is doing; non-violent protests, propaganda, shamming, organizational movements, and the spreading of civil society organizations with a few exceptions. As the president had the majority of support the Egyptian civil society should focus on mobilizing the sectors of society who supported Morse in the election explaining why he needs to be removed immediately before more power grabs can take place. This is also something the Egyptian society should try and do, create rapid mobilization efforts and advocacy groups to demonstrate, non-violently, and to get Morsi removed from power. Although there are some flaws with Egyptian civil society, as there are will all civil societies they have been doing a very good job at mobilizing and unifying society and should continue to that effect but with more ferocity and a new spirit.  

Structured 7

Paul Ropp

                                         Structural Response week 7

            In the United States we have a republic, and not just any old republic; The Grande Olde Republic; an ode to all that is good and righteous in the world, standing above all else, especially those shady autocratic regimes of the MENA region; Simply put the one democracy to rule them all. But what, if anything, separates the US political system from that of any other country, are we really so perfect, and has it always been that way?

            Well, in reality the US like any other state and has had its fair share of atrocities, from slavery, Indian Removal Acts, internment camps, and general electoral hogwash due to massive political corruption. So in reality the MENA region is not as far behind the westernized world as we would think. Although, there are some benefits to the modern state of US politics it is not without failings; Super-Pacs running amuck, closed door deals, and a sense of autonomy are all things that US citizens contend with from time to time, depending on who is in charge and where, of course. However, as you can see the US and the MENA region are not so different. In the US there is a harsh division between conservatives and liberals one that mirrors the religious and the secularists in the MENA region. Both camps hold devote beliefs that cannot be compromised by discourse, although the exact beliefs may be different, you won’t see a conservative and a liberal compromise on abortion, any more than MENA region religious groups and secularist groups agreeing on comprehensive education reform. Moreover, in the US, specifically conservative states there is an outrage to the promulgation of creationism as a scientific theory, as well as the altering of text books to teach the children comparable to their religious upbringing. The idea that history should, or even can be altered to fit the agenda of a fundamentalist group is outrageous to the Liberal, and even the moderate spectrum of society. The problem of cleaning up history is also underway by fundamentalist Muslims who destroy pre-Islamic cave drawings, as they depict “blasphemous” images. In reality the political spectrum of the US and MENA region countries only differs by the brand of extremism, Muslim instead of Christian. Although, there is one difference between the US and MENA regions that shouldn’t be overlooked due to its massive importance which is a governments need for legitimacy.

            In the MENA region the different political climate and deep sectarian divisions allow the government to maintain a sense of autonomy to play one side against the other and to steer public rhetoric in such fashion. In the US, both citizens and countries around the world watch the US government with a critical eye. Although there are divisions in US society there are at some point superficial, when another government, or the US government threaten the “US” way of life, that comfort and rights US citizens enjoy there would be a unified uproar, but in that sense the US political spectrum differs dramatically from the MENA region. When one delves into US history you can see similarities to what is happening in the MENA region now.

            As Cavatorta points out there is a general theory map that countries follow when changing from a regime to a democracy. First the opening, a point where the regime will become a little more liberalized due to any one of innumerable factors. Secondly “the breakthrough” this is the point where the old regime collapses. Thirdly is “consolidation” of the new government. Although this theory is imperfect it gives a general road map to compare the US and the MENA region through historical analysis and civil society movements in the US. In the United States the importation of slaves was abolished in 1808, paving the way to the, highly criticized Emancipation proclamation, and to the civil rights movements of the late 20^th century. In the US African Americans participated in both violent and non-violent protests against the US government’s repression of their rights as human beings. Now what is truly comparable is that the US gave way to the immense public pressure and granted African Americans their rights.

            Now what is important to realize here is that civil society activists in the US were unified and the government needed to maintain its legitimacy which it could easily have lost in such a tumultuous time. Civil society movements in the MENA region will fare well if and only if they can unify society over a bigger issue and not play into sectarian conflict, such as the Egyptian revolution. The one and only large obstacle in the way of MENA region civil society is the ability to from a single cohesive social unit, granted it won’t be easy due to those pesky European Picket-Sykes and Balfour agreements. Although circumstance has placed the MENA region in a particularly hard place for the emergence of a full blown and well-oiled civil society machined, it is not an impossible task and will just take motivated civil society actors, time, and a unification of MENA region societies. 

Final Reflection

When I look at the first reflection I wrote for this course I am amazed at how much my view of the region has evolved as we have progressed throughout the course. From a very orientalist perspective I moved more and more to a more neutral and "unbiased" view of the region and started seeing it through the eyes of its inhabitants. In that way, I was finally able to come to an understanding as to how civil society, networks and grassroots organizations operate in the MENA region which is a bit different than from other parts in the world due, in part, to culture, history and mindset. That, in fact, is probably true of all regions and that might be a remnant of the orientalist mindset appearing in my discourse.

However, as to the course itself, I was a bit disappointed that we were only able to link up with the activists in the region once as opposed to the 3-4 times we were supposed to have done so. Unfortunately technological difficulties and scheduling conflicts rendered this pretty much impossible. One thing I thoroughly enjoyed in the course was the breaking up of the class into several different country groups to be used as case studies. I found that that helped understand the problems in the MENA region as well as the people and civil society in the region on a more intimate level which helped achieve a greater understanding of the topic. I would have liked, however, a bit more interaction between the different country groups because at times it seemed that the country groups were exclusive and, apart from the class discussions, there was not much interaction between the groups. Another thing that I enjoyed a lot in this class were the very pertinent documentaries, especially the one on Otpor! which helped show that the rise of civil society in the MENA region is not exclusive to the said region and that the way it rises and operates in other countries (Otpor! rose up in Serbia) is not dissimilar. The class discussions were also very enjoyable as they were very interactive and really helped connect with the class material.

All in all, this was one my favorite classes of the semester and although it was at times a bit bumpy due to it being a brand new course it was still a great experience and something that I would do again if I was offered the chance.

Reflection #11

Magda Borgarelli

Looking back at the whole course, I can honestly say I have learned a lot, not only about civil societies and social movements, but also on broader concepts, such as internationalism.  My favorite part about the class was the documentaries we watched.  They allowed me to understand the abstract concept we learned more thoroughly, since they offered me a sort of case study for different countries.  However, I would have liked to have learned more about specific countries in the MENA region (aside from the ones we were divided into) in the classroom.  Meaning, we could have analyzed and discussed them in class to complement both the briefs and the documentaries, as so have a stronger frame of reference when conducting our own research.  Overall, I feel like I am leaving this class with a solid knowledge base in both social movements and civil societies, as well as their possible accomplishments and limitations, and definitely more informed on the MENA region in general.  Before taking this course, I wasn’t aware of the various problems that small countries such as that of Bahrain (the one I was doing research for) could face, and how strong civil society can be in those places.  Now I realize that even small countries like Bahrain can rebel against their governments, with civil society and social movements playing a key role.

Reflection #10

Magda Borgarelli

On Tuesday, I went to the event Social Justice in Harry Potter and the Arab Springs.  At first, I thought it would have been something silly, mainly geared to win the support of the Harry Potter fans here on campus.  However, the presentation turned out to be very interesting, especially in the light of what we have learned throughout this course.  The girl who came up with the idea found that many parallels could be drawn between the J.K. Rowling book and the Arab Springs, specifically on social issues and civil societies.  For example, she compared the state of servitude in which the house elves in the book live and that of women in Saudi Arabia.  She also talked a little about the role of social media in the book (Potterwatch, the gold coins to indicate meeting dates) somewhat paralleled those in the Arab Spring (Facebook and Twitter).   Needless to say, I felt very knowledgeable on the subject since that is what we have been talking about all semester.  In fact, I have realized that the issues of civil societies and social movements can be applied to almost all cases of social injustice (or justice) that are happening all around us.  Almost always, when a specific group is deprived of some basic rights, some form of civil society organization will be formed, be it something like the one in Serbia, or even Dumbledore’s Army.  It is only through them that we can promote peaceful change, and it is thanks to them that we are able to voice our discontent of authoritative regimes or simply Voldemort.

Reflection 10

                                                                                Reflection 10

                Although there has been a lot of attention focused on the Israel-Palestine conflict, as the dispute that has been going on there is a focal point for the region, I plan on discussing something a bit more under the radar and has put one of the 2011 Arab spring movements civil society to the test, specifically the test of true unification.  

                “Tshe new President of Egypt Mohamed Morsi took extensive new powers for himself Thursday, freeing his decisions from judicial review and ordering retrials for former top officials, including ex-president Hosni Mubarak” (Washington post, Birnbaum). While international intentions are focused elsewhere, mainly the conflict in Israel and Syria, Morsi has made a power grab the likes of which the former president was toppled for. Morsi’s declaration came one day after brokering a cease-fire between Israeli and Palestine. The Morsi regime, a name which I thought hitherto inappropriate, however, my mind has been changed. The new president of Egypt is creating a sort of autonomous body, such as the Egyptian military has done, and been doing since the days of Mubarak. What this can do is turn what was once a sort of autocratic version of checks and balances with Mubarak on top the people at the bottom and a military controlling the ladder; now that Morsi has dismissed the higher ranks of the military, he has unprecedented power. Now there is a supposed time constraint on how long the powers of Morsi will last, but when is the last time a despot told the people who had just rebelled for a democracy that they would not get it? Another interesting thing that Morsi’s new powers allow him is the extradition of judicial review; no longer must people go through trial and no longer can the laws Morsi creates will not be subject to court’s rulings, basically he can do whatever he wants, in the interest of Egypt of course, much like the old regime. Although it seems as though the revolution is losing its momentum and that the autocratic regime is back with no or little resistance that is far from the truth, as the Egyptian will not allow such usurpations of democracy to be allowed.

                Although the people remain united in there want for a democratic government Muslim-brotherhood supporters have been demonstrating their support for Morsi though rallies, while many other Egyptians are protesting the newly found powers of the president. Don’t get it wrong both Islamists and secularists have been protesting the detestable power grab by Morsi, but only time will tell if the people are willing to unite in their cause against the regime and if the regime is willing to work with the people.