Structured Response #2 (Civil Society)

Civil Society, particularly civil societies in the Middle East and North Africa region serve various functions in a developing society. Civil Society in its broadest sense can act as an expansion of civilized society and can serve as a limit at the same time for the direction in which the civilization will develop. Civil societies occupy a strange place of existence, in that they are different from the state and politics but are oriented towards working with both the state and political mechanics. That is the purpose of civil society in the Western sense, but in the develop non-Western world these concepts may have to be adjusted to fit the contextual needs.
          In terms of the role Civil Societies can play in broadening the space for political participation, that can be thought of in physical terms through the use of NGO's. Non-Governmental Organizations can serve to coordinate efforts on the ground to help facilitate elections. They can literally expand political participation by holding voter registration campaigns, helping people to vote on election days, lobbying for broader enfranchisement rights, and striving for less corruption in the process. In one school of thought there are seven functions of civil society: 1. protection of citizens, 2. monitoring for accountability, 3. advocacy and public communication, 4. socialization, 5. building communities, 6. intermediation and facilitation between citizens and states, and 7. service delivery. In working for these seven abstract goals civil societies can work towards broadening political participation.
        The Palestinian-Israeli conflict presents an interesting set of challenges for civil society actors, who have to work through several extra layers of struggle to help achieve their goal. These factors, such as the effects of the ongoing armed conflict and lack of peacekeeping forces, the policies of donors and the dependence by the NGO's on these donors, and the strategies and tactics used by either side and the timing of these tactics, can be analyzed and applied to other conflicts and societies in the region. Some issues such as the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory, the weaker nature of the Palestinian side, including the authoritarian tendencies of the Palestinian National Authority and infighting between Palestinian factions, in addition to the extreme leverage wielded by international powers add complicating factors that are unique to this situation. However the fact that such factors exist can be applied to other societies. If, in each case, one can draw similarities between other conflicts and isolate the differences, then civil societies can work to form broader solutions to solve the regional problems that plague MENA civil societies efforts at progress.

Structured Response #2

Civil society (CS) is the group of non-governmental actors and citizens of a state.  In my opinion, this includes political parties, NGOs, news stations, and the masses.  Oftentimes, non-governmental groups and organizations are the best examples of civil society, because as Christopher Spurk defines it, "civil society [is]...an arena of voluntary and uncoerced collective action around shared interests (3)." As long as the members of these groups don't hold political power themselves, they are representative of some sect of the public opinion. 

The main purpose of civil society is to mobilize through activism and civil disobedience to show their leaders what the public interest of the people is. This can be in forms of peaceful or violent protests, publishing news articles, communications through social media, and even through the voting process.  They are also responsible to stage a coup d'etat when their government no longer has the support of the people.  

The Palestinian case for civil society is unique in the region.  It has a strong history and is comprised of a plethora of different secular and non-secular groups.  Overall, Palestinians are an active citizenry, and thus have been very influential on letting their government know what they wanted.  The strength of Palestinian CS has been exacerbated by the formation of extremist militant groups like Hamas, which often tends to overshadow the efforts of peaceful civil society organizations.  This unfortunately sets a rather violent precedent for the MENA region.  As we have seen throughout the past year or so, CS actors and groups trying to stage coups have turned violent, almost into civil wars (in the case of Syria).  Unfortunately, because many of the MENA states lack strong civil societies, it is difficult for the people to get past this violence.  It won't be until the CSs in region gain strength and structure that they will effectively and peacefully overthrow the despotic regimes that govern them. 

-Alexandra Hart

Bryce's Reflection 2

It's often hard to think about this class without thinking about the amount of readings, as my colleagues have mentioned. However, the more readings we do the more I realize that they are seriously helping with understanding the material in the class. This week's readings, especially the piece from the social entrepreneurship organization, gave me a better understanding of the civil society in the MENA region.

Additionally, this class is really giving me an eye-opening on the more grassroots movements, instead of just the broader international workings of the region. My Arabic class for the last two years included a major cultural aspect, since it is extremely difficult to learn Arabic without understanding the Arabic culture. However, while we were learning cultural aspects (food, smoking habits, family traditions), our only discussions on political matters were very overarching discussions on how the Arab Spring affected states as a whole, not the individuals in the states. Thankfully, however, this class is allowing me to see how these events are affecting actual people!

Reflection #2

Tomorrow in my French class, I will be doing a presentation on the recent arrests of four Muslim tourists on account of the wearing of their headscarves in public.
In 2011, France passed a law banning the wearing of hijabs (and other articles of clothing that cover a woman's face completely, as well as other religious symbols) in schools or in public places. However, headscarves are not specifically outlawed--yet. France's far-right National Front leader (known for being very radical), Marine LePen, has recently called for the banning of headscarf and other religious symbols--including that of the Jewish kippah--in public.
I find it very interesting to compare these domestic situations in France with that of the recent cartoons by Charles Hebdo. Muslims are increasingly being treated as second-class. While many French civilians seek to preserve their "French identity," the definition of this identity is already very blurred. Furthermore, this desire does not call for the release of highly offensive cartoons.  The banning of Muslim protests in response to these cartoons illustrates this point; yes, I understand that the French do not wish to stir up any trouble--but they already have. The release of these cartoons not only caused France to close around 20 embassies and schools, but it even influenced the very recent release of similar cartoons in Spain! Are we trying to anger them more? Yes, there is such thing as the freedom of speech, but there is a line to be drawn.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/09/21/uk-protests-france-idUKBRE88K09G20120921

http://www.haaretz.com/news/world/france-s-marine-le-pen-calls-for-public-ban-on-muslim-headscarf-jewish-kippa-1.466147

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/27/film-protests-spain-idUSL5E8KR2OI20120927

Reflection #2

According to the Washington Post, Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite political and militant group, has unofficially declared its support of the Syrian government under President Bashar al-Assad.  This means that Lebanon's strongest militant group, often known for attacks on Israel, may begin to mobilize against the Syrians protesting the legitimacy of their government.  The current Syrian government also has the backing of Iran.

I'm no expert on Syrian happenings or the Sunni-Shiite conflict present between Arab countries (that's why I'm taking this class), but this can only mean bad things for Syrian civil society.  Syrians have now been protesting Assad's regime for about a year and a half without significant progress.  According to the article, Hezbollah hasn't carried out operations or attacks on anti-Assad protesters, but the group's fighters who are KIA have been secretly shipped back to their families in Lebanon, with no report as to how they died.  I find this to be pretty shady - why are Hezbollah members dying if they aren't attacking anyone?

This article sparked my interest, so I will definitely try to keep up with Hezbollah's involvements in Syria.  I hope foreign interest won't completely crush the strength of the Syrian civil society as they continue to push for a new government.  After all, a government is only legitimate if it has the support of its constituency.  

-Alexandra Hart

Weekly Reflection 9/26

                It is really easy to get wrapped up in the work for this class.  Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s a good thing.  I’ve found it to be a great example of how an introduction into a new topic can lead to further interest and research.  I now follow at least three twitter accounts solely for Algerian politics and current events, and the Al Jazeera English-language account.  Social networking used to be an escape (or more truthfully, a procrastination attempt) from academic pursuits, and now I find my interest in the subject to be bridging the gap between academia and social life.  I think this is a good thing too.

                There have been motions recently with the meeting of the United Nations to stop the fighting occurring in Syria.  An attempt to revamp the efforts of former UN Envoy to Syria Kofi Annan has brought Secretary Clinton together with the representatives from the United Kingdom, and others.  They hope to reinstate some of the peace-keeping conditions of Annan’s 6 Point Plan.  The alleged ceasefire has entirely collapsed, as referenced by the increasing deaths in the war-torn country.  Annan’s resignation is evidence of the division within the Security Council to act in Syria, as Russia and China both support the Assad regime.  Secretary Clinton has claimed that the UN is “paralyzed” on this issue.  I hope their continued diplomatic efforts can come to some decision soon.

Mike's Weekly Reflection 9/26

After reading all the reflections talking about the work in this class, I have to say I am in some agreement with the amount of weekly reading that can seem overwhelming at most times. It is however getting slightly better as I practice my speed reading techniques and develop a method to more effectively read the articles.

       Trying to find some positive aspect of the class I started browsing today's Middle Eastern news section on "The Guardian"'s website and found an article discussing President Morsi's speech at the UN. Morsi described the events in Syria as "the greatest tragedy of our age" and spoke in favor of the reforms in his country. Morsi also spoke out in favor of democratization in the region and against overtly powerful nuclear arsenals. After discussing the situation in Egypt in detail in this class I find I have a much greater respect for President Morsi, struggling to maintain power and balance in his own country he has the strength in his convictions to come out on the international scene and speak so strongly. This class is an interesting learning experience for insight on the region and not even halfway through the semester it is already changing my lens for viewing global events and figures such as President Morsi.

Bryce's Reflection

I think I'm going to piggyback off my colleagues in saying this class is much more difficult than I had imagined; however, I wouldn't have it any other way. It almost goes without saying that the MENA region is one of the most difficult for Americans to study due to the sheer "differentness" of the region's culture, history, and ethos. Couple this fact with the myriad of revolts, protests, and revolutions in the last few years (perhaps the Arab Spring most significantly and the very recent protests across the region), and MENA becomes a MENtAl headache.

One that note however, I think this difficulty is what brings us all to this class. We're all fascinated with the region and it's workings, especially the grassroots efforts we're focusing on, and are more than willing to take on the challenge. Yes, I can see the course becoming even more difficult, but I see us all being up to it.

To bring the reflection back to recent events in the region, everyone's opinions on the protests over to anti-Islamic film are different. MENA residents obviously see the film as a Western attack on their culture, while Westeners (American especially) are outraged at the sheer violence against embassies in the region. However, I believe the actions being taken by the average person to not be helping the situation either. I give the example of the French magazine Charlie Hebdo printing a cartoon depicting a cartoonish Prophet Mohammad. It seems obvious to me that the decision to print it after the reaction to the aforementioned film is completely stupid, fueling the flames to the point of the Republic of France choosing to close embassies and schools in 20 countries amidst rampant violence.

All in all, it remains to be seen if there will be a peaceful solution, which I am hoping for.

Structured Response 1

               Professor Eva Bellin makes a compelling argument for the lack of democratization in the MENA region.  Her well-supported thesis makes the claim that not only are the countries in the MENA region in a position not suitable for democratization, they are in a prime position for autocratic rule.  First, she recounts the reasons that these nations are not suitable for democracy.  One factor is the lack of a civic society independent of the state.  There is an absence of strong commerce organizations, labor unions, and the like.  She writes, “civic culture… [is] the essential underpinning of a vibrant democracy,” (23).  From examples of powerful modern-day democracies, I believe that she is correct in stating that the civil society is not suitable for democracy.  Countries such as those in Western Europe and the United States are proof that a strong civil society is a powerful force behind democratization.  However, even Bellin makes a point later in the article that the lack of a sturdy civil society cannot alone stand in the way of democracy.  Examples in Sub-Saharan Africa, in which nearly half of the countries can be deemed democratic, are equally lacking in this area.  It is the factors that promote authoritarian rule in the MENA region that are the serious threat to democratization.  The most important of these factors I felt is the stance of the military in the region.  These countries have large amounts of money going towards military personnel, whom are comprised of a large percentage of the population.  Because the governments have accumulated wealth through natural resources and the rentier system, the military remains strong and is not prone to dissidence.

                With the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011, the MENA region has certainly seen a shift from the static authoritarianism Bellin described in the article.   Civilian movements gained large amounts of popular support regardless of the lack of civil structure.  If she were to comment on some of these countries that have become more democratic, I believe she would argue that many of her arguments still can be upheld.  In the example of Egypt, Mubarak was ousted after the 18 Days of the revolution.  In his place, Mohamed Morsi was elected, clearly a step in the direction of democratization.  I believe Bellin would comment that the fall of Mubarak was caused by the military’s weighing of their options between quelling protests and giving in.  The Egyptian military, which has large influence on the politics in the nation, do not appear to be against their own people.  Instead, the military prosecutors against Mubarak have been anything but kind.  This avoids a situation such as that in Syria, where tensions have increased to the point where the military is fighting bands of militia in the streets.  And in this instance, where the military chose the opposite path, democratization has not yet occurred.

Reflection...

I agree with you completely, Alexandra. I, too, feel like I am losing sanity as the days drag on and on, the work load grows and grows, and my total hours of sleep shrink and shrink. However, I am very excited about this class and I am willing to put in the hours and the work in order to gain a greater understanding of the MENA region and its components.
This past week I had to write a paper for my world politics class, and I decided to write about the United States--Saudia Arabian relations in terms of both the economy and women's rights. I discussed (somewhat poorly, I might add) the United States' interest in the region's oil versus its interest in addressing the fact that women are prohibited from driving in the region. I found a lot of interesting articles on the latter (I am very interested in human rights, especially women's rights in the MENA region); in fact, Hillary Clinton recently (as in 2011--and for the first time) outright addressed her feelings about this issue. Here is a link to the CNN article on it (if you're interested!): http://articles.cnn.com/2011-06-21/us/clinton.saudi.women_1_saudi-women-saudi-arabia-diplomacy?_s=PM:US
It was interesting to read because one of the main factors that pushed her to make this statement was a group called Saudi Women Driving, an organization that (obviously) promotes driving in Saudi Arabia. This group put together a petition to bring the issue to Clinton's attention, which in many ways led to her decision to switch from quiet diplomacy to publicly addressing it. I can't help thinking how cool it is that a group of people can bring change like that!
Again, if you're interested, here is a link to their blog (all you Saudi Arabian groupies!)
http://www.saudiwomendriving.blogspot.com/
Anyway, I am excited for the class to get on a roll--I can't wait to expand my knowledge and perhaps even learn more about what I want to do with my life!

--Madeline Branch

Reflection #1

I’m not sure whether or not I’ll be the first to say this, but this course is really pushing my limits.  Time limits - of course.  I still have the long reading to do.

Studying limits - I don’t think I’ve ever studied harder for a class

Sanity limits - okay, not so much, but the assignments for this class probably total 5+ hours a week in the library.  I think I may be in the library more than my dorm room.

I can’t say I regret taking this course, though.  I’m finally learning what I want to learn about, and the application of the course material is so relevant to the happenings in the world today.  Every reading clarifies my foggy perceptions about the complex events occurring a world away.  Each makes me think in a different perspective* and serves as an ego check (I never really knew how much I didn’t know about the world).  

After three classes, I’ve been challenged, stressed, and perplexed by the information in the readings and lectures. And while this class is pushing a lot of my limits, there’s one it’s not pushing - my intellectual limit.  At this point in time, there’s only one thing I can say about this class - I’m ready for the challenge of understanding this topic, so bring it.

-Alexandra Hart

*if someone wants to tell me why they’re pro-Israel that would be greatly appreciated, since the initial readings have shifted my idealism to the pro-Palestine side of the spectrum.  I’d love to hear someone else’s dissenting opinion.

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.

Reflection Post 9/19

What a tumultuous week to start this course!  I couldn’t be happier with having such a connection between current events and the material learned in class.  I found this to be greatly lacking in the academic endeavors of high school.  I’m proud to state that my research on Algeria, although not necessarily in the news this week, proved useful.  In a panel on the regimes of Egypt and Syria, featuring Prof. Joshua Stacher of Kent State University, a student in the audience drew parallels between Algeria and its surrounding states involved in the Arab Spring.  Algeria, a democratic state with a bicameral parliament, has evaded major protests, appearing relatively calm in the wake of movements in nearby Tunisia and Libya.  This was alarming at first, considering the accusations of fraudulent elections that the government received in 2009.  It is apparent that Bouteflika, the president, and his National Liberation Front party have been improving the conditions of its citizens.  Since the start of the Arab Spring, Bouteflika has lifted the “state of emergency” claim that he had been ruling under for his previous two terms, and has increased wages.  However, the government is still known to quell protests using violent means (freedomhouse.org).  The power of the central government in Algeria is truly the reason it has remained static in the last two years.  It should be mentioned though, that the movement is young, and more influence can be spread.  As Prof. Stacher put it in his lecture, there is more of a case for “when” than “if” in the spreading of the Arab Spring across MENA.

Mike's Weekly Reflection 9/18:

          In the past few weeks there has been a lot of talk in the media about recent events in the Middle East, particularly surrounding the events in Libya which culminated in the deaths of four Americans. The most publicized of these deaths has been that of Chris Stevens, American ambassador to Libya. Much of the reaction has been negative, where many Americans have expressed extreme distress and fear that a majority of the people in the region dislike or despise the American presence. However, one story came in the past week that gave me hope was a story that came out of the Chris Stevens incident. There are now reports that after the attack local Libyans discovered Ambassador Stevens barely alive and suffering from smoke suffocation in the rubble. At this point the locals carried him to the hospital proclaiming "Thank God" and "he is alive". I found this an incredibly hope inspiring story and gave me hope for better relations in the region. So much of this violence has reflected negatively upon the region but at the core there really is a moderate silent majority that are decent human beings and realize the benefit of humanitarian aid, and also acknowledge the role of Chris Stevens and American in overthrowing Colonel Gadaffi. At the end of the week, I think it's best to come away with a positive outlook or atleast some glimmer of hope and this story provides that in spades.

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