#project135

Unfinished project: Arab Spring 2011

Though I'd prefer the term Arab Uprisings to discuss the demonstrations scattered across parts of the Middle East and North Africa, the title pays homage to the term popularised by mainstream media such as CNN and BBC (non-mainstream media: Democracy Now as well. Data set between Dec 2010 and Sept 2011). But semantics. Maybe it is not important. The Arab Uprising was widely covered by the international press following the action of Tunisian man, Mohamad Bouazizi who set himself on fire on December 2010. The motivations cited were high unemployment, corruption, widespread poverty and high food prices (CIA World Factbook). Following which are the media debates as coverage veer from the left to the right with words such as dictators, democracy and human rights thrown into the mix. 

Battles fought were not only limited to words as a no-fly-zone was declared above Libya and humanitarian aid included a coalition of armed forces to assist in Libya. Though not all the nations who had their own Arab Spring were scrutinised for foreign military action (Bahrain was said to have received military assistance from Saudi Arabia though Tunisia did not have external military support).

Localising Content

It is difficult studying the Arab Uprising as a monolithic block though I would recognise the usage of cyberspace as a force multiplier. Cyber-space was the tool of organisation for activism where planning had taken place via social networks (this had also drawn the argument of the Internet being a basic human right in the UN). Drawing on a common plight faced by populations of different countries, days of solidarity were held in hopes of changing present conditions. Narratives too can be changed to fit local conditions. For instance the protests in Bahrain that also stood on a platform of discrimination.