First Structured Response

The MENA region has been resistant to democratic reform mainly because of its weak civil society.  The government makes popular mobilization difficult by outlawing political parties and limiting free speech and free press.  Also, the majority of MENA’s citizens are dependent on the government for social services and work - if the people were to rise up, they would face losing their jobs and government subsidies, or even brute force from the military.  

This has changed recently with the Arab Spring revolts of 2011.  The people of MENA countries questioned the legitimacy of their autocratic governments.  They used modern forms of technology, like Twitter and Facebook, to organize uprisings that would previously be impossible to accomplish.  Able now to mobilize [largely] outside the sphere of government influence, the widespread violence and masses of people that came along with the protests captured the attention of their national regimes, along with international sphere.  Soon, world powers began endorsing the popular revolts toward democratization, and more importantly, condemning the repressive autocracies.  With the whole world watching, states like Egypt and Tunisia were able to overthrow their governments to establish democracies. 

According to the analysis above, Bellin’s argument holds true.  Two of the factors as Bellin describes as influential towards the power and of the state and its military shifted drastically.  Specifically, these were the ability of the masses to mobilize and the support of international actors. The change in these factors in regard to the Egyptian and Tunisian regimes lessened the will and capacity of the state to repress their peoples.   Thus, the civil society in those states was able to rise up successfully.

However, it’s not accurate to say civil society is inherently weak as Bellin believes (Bellin 22).  The coups in Egypt and Tunisia were successful due to the strength of the civil society.  After all, a state’s government is determined legitimate by its people, not by its rulers (Kant).

-Alexandra Hart

Kant, Immanuel.  Perceptual Peace.  1795. Online.