Generally, the reason that social movements work in the MENA region is due to a few factors that we have looked at in this class. When analyzing these social movements, it is important to look at the legitimacy of the state government and how successful the movement was in mobilizing the people. While social movements have taken place throughout the region, there are places where these circumstances have led to the movement being much more successful in some places than in others.
First, looking at the legitimacy of the state government, social movements are more likely to be successful when there is a divide and a lack of trust between the populace and the government. Looking at Tunisia, there was a disconnect between the government and the people as Ben Ali’s regime was viewed as corrupt and the state was plagued by wealth inequality. The government provided little support for the populace, and the regime was out of touch. This made it easier for a social movement to occur because most people did not feel strong ties the the regime.
Secondly, because of the use of social media, the movement was relatively successful in mobilizing the people. Unlike in prior decades, the use of the internet contributed to the success of the social movement because people had a new way of connecting that they had previously not had access to. Over the past decade, internet usage in Tunisia has risen exponentially, so mobilizing people became much easier. There was also a lack of response from polices forces as Ben Ali and his regime did not hold much power over the military. For this reason, the military was less likely to crack down on mass protests, feeling a stronger connection with the populace than the regime. It seems that in order for a social movement to be successful in the region, there must be a way to mobilize the people and a general divide between the populace and the regime. I think that in the region, social movements provide a platform for people to speak up and to promote the desire for democracy in the state.
I think that the legitimacy is a huge reason for these social movements. Analyzing this factor of the states can help to predict where the movement will go. In the 21st century, social media is a huge platform for everyone. This is a platform for revolts that a lot of governments will not recognize. Media is restricted in a lot of MENA states making it increasingly difficult but effective to use social media as a platform.
ReplyDeleteI think it's quite evident that social media did not have the sensational impact that the media claims it did. However, it still did help people mobilize. The fact that the army and government were not closely tied did make it easier for protestors to carry out their initiatives.
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