DOCSLIB.ORG

Social Media and the Arab Revolutions

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Social Media and the Arab Revolutions Social Media and the Arab Revolutions: A Comparative Case Study of the Role of Social Media in Political Participation among Egyptian Students between 2011 and 2013. Ibrahim Althagafi PhD Dissertation University of Limerick Supervisor: Prof. Helen Kelly-Holmes Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Submitted to the University of Limerick, May 2017 Abstract The present study aims at identifying and monitoring the roles, which social media played during the revolutions of the Arab countries, particularly the Egyptian revolutions in both 2011 and 2013. It later attempts to assess the extent to which social media contributed to achieving political change in Egypt. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to collect data from the Egyptian youth through a mixed design, using a questionnaire and interviews. The results obtained revealed that the participants believed that the political activists and young people in Arab countries used social media, which has become a strong political tool for change, as a means of political communication to activate and reinforce democracy. Additionally, social media, having a positive role in planning and encouraging demonstrations, contributed significantly to the development of the Arab Revolutions, especially the Egyptian revolution in 2011. However, Social media had a reduced role in 2013, and a fundamental change in the position of social media vis-à-vis more traditional media forms in the 2013 revolution. Which pushed all parties to work directly on the ground in most Egyptian areas. i Author’s Declaration I declare that work presented herein is original and a result of my own work. Ibrahim Mohammed Althagafi ii Acknowledgements First of all, my deepest thanks are to my supervisor Prof. Helen Kelly Holmes, for her continuous support in the PhD programme. Without her help, support, patience and sense of humour, this study would not have been achieved. She has given hours of her time to answer my questions, give constructive feedback and patiently and thoroughly edited my work. Her assistance has greatly helped this study to reach its present form. It has been a very special experience for me working with her. I am also very thankful to my external examiner Prof. Samy Tayie, and my internal examiner Dr. Mairead Moriarty for their valuable comments during the VIVA Voce examination which has helped to strengthen this thesis. Moreover, my deep appreciation and thanks are due to the College of Media and Communication at Al Imam Mohammed Ibn Saud University, and The Saudi Cultural Bureau in Dublin and Cairo for their assistance and encouragement during the different stages of this PhD. I am also indebted to my beloved family; my parents, my wife Nadia, and my children Sarah, Mohammed, and Safa, who all supported me during that long journey to the PhD. My special and deep thanks are also due to my second family in Dublin who are Bill and Della Murphy. They were amazing in cheering me on and giving emotional support and guidance. I am also very thankful to all who participated in the study. Without their support this work could not have been completed. iii Table of contents ABSTRACT............................................................................................................................................................ I AUTHOR’S DECLARATION ................................................................................................................................... II ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....................................................................................................................................... III TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................................................................... IV LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................................................ VII LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................................................. X INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................... 1 RESEARCH PROBLEM ........................................................................................................................................... 3 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES ....................................................................................................................................... 3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS ........................................................................................................................................ 3 SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE ARAB SPRING: A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE .................................... 4 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 4 1.2. The Media and Political Regimes .................................................................................................... 4 The Definition of Social Media ....................................................................................................... 6 Social Media and Political participation .......................................................................................... 9 The Meaning of “Arab Spring” ..................................................................................................... 12 The Social Media and the Arab Revolutions ................................................................................. 14 1.6.1. Facebook during the Arab Revolutions .............................................................................................. 17 1.6.2. YouTube during the Arab Revolutions .............................................................................................. 18 1.6.3. Twitter during the Arab Revolutions ................................................................................................. 20 The youth as digital activists ......................................................................................................... 22 THE ARAB REVOLUTIONS ......................................................................................................... 24 A brief summary of the Arab revolutions countries ...................................................................... 24 2.1.1. The Tunisian revolution ..................................................................................................................... 24 2.1.2. The Libyan revolution ........................................................................................................................ 25 2.1.3. The Yemeni revolution ...................................................................................................................... 26 2.1.4. The Syrian revolution ......................................................................................................................... 27 The Egyptian revolution of 2011 ................................................................................................... 28 2.2.1. Background to revolution: Early protests ........................................................................................... 28 2.2.2. The revolutionary events .................................................................................................................... 30 2.2.3. The role of Social Media during the Egyptian revolution in 2011 ..................................................... 34 2.2.3.1. The Egyptian revolution command structure .................................................................. 37 2.2.3.2. Documenting the revolution ............................................................................................ 39 2.2.3.3. Creating a new relationship between the Egyptian government and Social Media......... 40 The Egyptian revolution of 2013 ................................................................................................... 41 2.3.1. Background to revolution: Early events ............................................................................................. 42 2.3.2. The revolutionary events .................................................................................................................... 45 2.3.3. The role of Social Media during the Egyptian revolution in 2013 ..................................................... 47 2.3.3.1. Tamarod movement ........................................................................................................ 49 iv 2.3.3.2. Morsi’s regime ................................................................................................................ 50 2.3.3.3. Egyptian Army (SCAF) .................................................................................................. 51 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ....................................................................................................... 53 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 53 Research questions ........................................................................................................................ 53 Definitions of the study terms ....................................................................................................... 54 3.3.1. Social media ......................................................................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Unscreportlibyanov2011eng1.Pdf
    Le Bureau du Procureur The Office of the Prosecutor SECOND REPORT OF THE PROSECUTOR OF THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT TO THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL PURSUANT TO UNSCR 1970 (2011) INTRODUCTION 1. On 26 February 2011 the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1970 (2011), referring the situation in Libya since 15 February 2011 to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court and stressing “the need to hold to account those responsible for attacks, including by forces under their control, on civilians.” 2. Paragraph 7 of the Resolution invites the Prosecutor to address the Security Council within two months of the adoption of this resolution and every six months thereafter on actions taken pursuant to this resolution. The Prosecutor first briefed the United Nations Security Council on 4 May 2011. 3. This second report provides a summary of the activities of the Office of the Prosecutor undertaken to implement Resolution 1970 (2011), including: a. The request to issue arrest warrants for Muammar Mohammed Abu Minyar Gaddafi (Muammar Gaddafi), Saif Al‐Islam Gaddafi, and Abdullah Al‐Senussi. b. Cooperation, and c. The ongoing investigation. 1. THE REQUEST FOR ARREST WARRANTS FOR MUAMMAR MOHAMMED ABU MINYAR GADDAFI (MUAMMAR GADDAFI), SAIF AL‐ISLAM GADDAFI, AND ABDULLAH AL‐SENUSSI 1.1 Notice to the United Nations Security Council 4. In its Resolution 1970, the Security Council rejected ʺunequivocally the incitement to hostility and violence against the civilian population made from the highest level of the Libyan government,ʺ and considered ʺthat the widespread and systematic attacks currently taking place in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya against the civilian population may amount to crimes against humanity.” 5.
    [Show full text]
  • Women and Participation in the Arab Uprisings: a Struggle for Justice
    Distr. LIMITED E/ESCWA/SDD/2013/Technical Paper.13 26 December 2013 ORIGINAL: ENGLISH ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMISSION FOR WESTERN ASIA (ESCWA) WOMEN AND PARTICIPATION IN THE ARAB UPRISINGS: A STRUGGLE FOR JUSTICE New York, 2013 13-0381 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This paper constitutes part of the research conducted by the Social Participatory Development Section within the Social Development Division to advocate the principles of social justice, participation and citizenship. Specifically, the paper discusses the pivotal role of women in the democratic movements that swept the region three years ago and the challenges they faced in the process. The paper argues that the increased participation of women and their commendable struggle against gender-based injustices have not yet translated into greater freedoms or increased political participation. More critically, in a region dominated by a patriarchal mindset, violence against women has become a means to an end and a tool to exercise control over society. If the demands for bread, freedom and social justice are not linked to discourses aimed at achieving gender justice, the goals of the Arab revolutions will remain elusive. This paper was co-authored by Ms. Dina Tannir, Social Affairs Officer, and Ms. Vivienne Badaan, Research Assistant, and has benefited from the overall guidance and comments of Ms. Maha Yahya, Chief, Social Participatory Development Section. iii iv CONTENTS Page Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................... iii Chapter I. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 1 II. GENDERING ARAB REVOLUTIONS: WHAT WOMEN WANT ......................... 2 A. The centrality of gender to Arab revolutions............................................................ 2 B. Participation par excellence: Activism among Arab women.................................... 3 III. CHANGING LANES: THE STRUGGLE OVER WOMEN’S BODIES .................
    [Show full text]
  • Yemen Sheila Carapico University of Richmond, [email protected]
    University of Richmond UR Scholarship Repository Political Science Faculty Publications Political Science 2013 Yemen Sheila Carapico University of Richmond, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarship.richmond.edu/polisci-faculty-publications Part of the International Relations Commons, and the Near and Middle Eastern Studies Commons Recommended Citation Carapico, Sheila. "Yemen." In Dispatches from the Arab Spring: Understanding the New Middle East, edited by Paul Amar and Vijay Prashad, 101-121. New Delhi, India: LeftWord Books, 2013. This Book Chapter is brought to you for free and open access by the Political Science at UR Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Political Science Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of UR Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Yemen SHEILA CARAPICO IN FEBRUARY 2011, Tawakkol Karman stood on a stage outside Sanaa University. A microphone in one hand and the other clenched defiantly above her head, reading from a list of demands, she led tens of thou­ sands of cheering, flag-waving demonstrators in calls for peaceful politi­ cal change. She was to become not so much the leader as the figurehead ofYemen's uprising. On other days and in other cities, other citizens led the chants: men and women and sometimes, for effect, little children. These mass public performances enacted a veritable civic revolution in a poverty-stricken country where previous activist surges never produced democratic transitions but nonetheless did shape national history. Drawing on the Tunisiari and Egyptian inspirations as well as homegrown protest legacies, in 2011 Yemenis occupied the national commons as never before.
    [Show full text]
  • The Crisis in Libya
    APRIL 2011 ISSUE BRIEF # 28 THE CRISIS IN LIBYA Ajish P Joy Introduction Libya, in the throes of a civil war, now represents the ugly facet of the much-hyped Arab Spring. The country, located in North Africa, shares its borders with the two leading Arab-Spring states, Egypt and Tunisia, along with Sudan, Tunisia, Chad, Niger and Algeria. It is also not too far from Europe. Italy lies to its north just across the Mediterranean. With an area of 1.8 million sq km, Libya is the fourth largest country in Africa, yet its population is only about 6.4 million, one of the lowest in the continent. Libya has nearly 42 billion barrels of oil in proven reserves, the ninth largest in the world. With a reasonably good per capita income of $14000, Libya also has the highest HDI (Human Development Index) in the African continent. However, Libya’s unemployment rate is high at 30 percent, taking some sheen off its economic credentials. Libya, a Roman colony for several centuries, was conquered by the Arab forces in AD 647 during the Caliphate of Utman bin Affan. Following this, Libya was ruled by the Abbasids and the Shite Fatimids till the Ottoman Empire asserted its control in 1551. Ottoman rule lasted for nearly four centuries ending with the Ottoman defeat in the Italian-Ottoman war. Consequently, Italy assumed control of Libya under the Treaty of 1 Lausanne (1912). The Italians ruled till their defeat in the Second World War. The Libyan constitution was enacted in 1949 and two years later under Mohammed Idris (who declared himself as Libya’s first King), Libya became an independent state.
    [Show full text]
  • The Political Economy of Arab Presidents for Life ÀÀÀ and After
    Middle East Development Journal, Vol. 5, No. 1 (2013) 1350001 (13 pages) °c Economic Research Forum DOI: 10.1142/S1793812013500016 THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF ARAB PRESIDENTS ¤ FOR LIFE | AND AFTER ROGER OWEN Center for Middle Eastern Studies Harvard University Cambridge, MA [email protected] Received 23 August 2012 Accepted 23 January 2013 Published 14 March 2013 The system of personalized Arab presidential power based on a strong security state had its origins in the assertion of national sovereignty in the dangerous post-independence world of the 1950s and 1960s. and then becoming more monarchical in character over time, including the attempt to perpetuate itself by passing power on to the ruler’s son. Key to this development was the appearance around each ruler of a small group of crony-capitalists who used their privileged access to secure state monopolies which they then schemed to protect after the ruler’s death. Both developments, that of family dictatorships, as well as their associated corruption and cronyism, can then be used to account in large measure with the uprisings associated with the Arab `Spring'. Keywords: Personalized power; authoritarianism; crony capitalism; coup-proof; kleptocracy; succession; Arab middle class; Arab Spring. by WSPC on 03/19/13. For personal use only. 1. Introduction Middle East. Dev. J. Downloaded from www.worldscientific.com The overthrow of a series of long-term dictatorships was clearly the major aim of the revolutionaries of the so-called `Arab Spring'. And remarkably successful they were. In a relatively short period of time, three republican presidents for life (Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Hosni Mubarak, and Muammar Qadda¯) have been deposed, two others (Bashar Hafez al-Assad and Ali Abdullah Saleh) have been forced into the ¯ght of their lives to defend themselves, and two others again (Abdelaziz Boute°ika and Omar al-Bashir) much weakened, although by a variety of forces not all directly connected with an active youth rebellion.
    [Show full text]
  • Democracy Promotion and Turkey Bilal Ciplak [email protected]
    Florida International University FIU Digital Commons FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations University Graduate School 6-26-2014 Democracy Promotion and Turkey Bilal Ciplak [email protected] DOI: 10.25148/etd.FI14071105 Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd Recommended Citation Ciplak, Bilal, "Democracy Promotion and Turkey" (2014). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1439. https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/1439 This work is brought to you for free and open access by the University Graduate School at FIU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of FIU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY Miami, Florida DEMOCRACY PROMOTION AND TURKEY A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in POLITICAL SCIENCE by Bilal Ciplak 2014 To: Interim Dean Michael R. Heithaus College of Arts and Sciences This dissertation, written by Bilal Ciplak, and entitled Democracy Promotion and Turkey, having been approved in respect to style and intellectual content, is referred to you for judgment. We have read this dissertation and recommend that it be approved. _______________________________________ Benjamin Smith _______________________________________ Markus Thiel _______________________________________ Ronald Cox _______________________________________ Mohiaddin Mesbahi, Major Professor Date of Defense: June 26, 2014 The dissertation of Bilal Ciplak is approved. _______________________________________ Interim Dean Michael R. Heithaus College of Arts and Sciences ______________________________________ Dean Lakshmi N. Reddi University Graduate School Florida International University, 2014 ii © Copyright 2014 by Bilal Ciplak All rights reserved. iii DEDICATIONS I dedicate this dissertation to my wife, Zehra, and to my daughter, Sara, who was born on June 14, 2014.
    [Show full text]
  • Youth Activism in Tunisia, Egypt, and Jordan As Case Studies
    Structure of Mobilization and Democratization: Youth Activism in Tunisia, Egypt, and Jordan as Case Studies by Mohammad Yaghi A Thesis presented to The University of Guelph In partial fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science Guelph, Ontario, Canada © Mohammad Yaghi, April, 2015 ABSTRACT STRUCTURE OF MOBILIZATION AND DEMOCRATIZATION: YOUTH ACTIVISM IN TUNISIA, EGYPT, AND JORDAN AS CASE STUDIES Mohammad Yaghi Advisors: Professor Janine A. Clark University of Guelph, 2015 Professor Jordi Diez Professor Francesco Cavatorta This dissertation argues for a correlation between the dynamics of the protests at their climax and the processes of democratization in case these protests succeed. Using youth activism in Tunisia and Egypt where the protests succeeded, and in Jordan where they failed as a contrasting case study, this research shows that youth activism leads to democratization if three conditions are met at the protests’ apex: domination of autonomous youth movements, an inclusive master frame (MF), and a decentralized leadership. In doing so, the research provides an atypical narrative about the role of activists during the protests in Tunisia, Egypt, and Jordan. The primary sources that informed this research are not only based on the activists themselves, but also on the analysis of the protests videos, slogans, and documents of the youth movements. Furthermore, the research contributes to the literature on social movements in four domains. First, it reveals that the state’s use of repression and the way it uses it is a necessary condition, but is insufficient to turn a reform protest cycle into a revolution; the other necessary condition is that an autonomous opposition also must be dominant when the state uses repression.
    [Show full text]
  • Yemen's National Dialogue
    arab uprisings Yemen’s National Dialogue March 21, 2013 MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP/GETTY IMAGES HUWAIS/AFP/GETTY MOHAMMED POMEPS Briefings 19 Contents Overcoming the Pitfalls of Yemen’s National Dialogue . 5 Consolidating Uncertainty in Yemen . 7 Can Yemen be a Nation United? . 10 Yemen’s Southern Intifada . 13 Best Friends Forever for Yemen’s Revolutionaries? . 18 A Shake Up in Yemen’s GPC? . 21 Hot Pants: A Visit to Ousted Yemeni Leader Ali Abdullah Saleh’s New Presidential Museum . .. 23 Triage for a fracturing Yemen . 26 Building a Yemeni state while losing a nation . 32 Yemen’s Rocky Roadmap . 35 Don’t call Yemen a “failed state” . 38 The Project on Middle East Political Science The Project on Middle East Political Science (POMEPS) is a collaborative network which aims to increase the impact of political scientists specializing in the study of the Middle East in the public sphere and in the academic community . POMEPS, directed by Marc Lynch, is based at the Institute for Middle East Studies at the George Washington University and is supported by the Carnegie Corporation and the Social Science Research Council . It is a co-sponsor of the Middle East Channel (http://mideast .foreignpolicy .com) . For more information, see http://www .pomeps .org . Online Article Index Overcoming the Pitfalls of Yemen’s National Dialogue http://mideast .foreignpolicy .com/posts/2013/03/18/overcoming_the_pitfalls_of_yemen_s_national_dialogue Consolidating Uncertainty in Yemen http://mideast .foreignpolicy .com/posts/2013/02/22/consolidating_uncertainty_in_yemen
    [Show full text]
  • UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA, IRVINE the Arab Spring Abroad
    UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE The Arab Spring Abroad: Mobilization among Syrian, Libyan, and Yemeni Diasporas in the U.S. and Great Britain DISSERTATION Submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in Sociology by Dana M. Moss Dissertation Committee: Distinguished Professor David A. Snow, Chair Chancellor’s Professor Charles Ragin Professor Judith Stepan-Norris Professor David S. Meyer Associate Professor Yang Su 2016 © 2016 Dana M. Moss DEDICATION To my husband William Picard, an exceptional partner and a true activist; and to my wonderfully supportive and loving parents, Nancy Watts and John Moss. Thank you for everything, always. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF ACRONYMS iv LIST OF FIGURES v LIST OF TABLES vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS vii CURRICULUM VITAE viii ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION xiv INTRODUCTION 1 PART I: THE DYNAMICS OF DIASPORA MOVEMENT EMERGENCE CHAPTER 1: Diaspora Activism before the Arab Spring 30 CHAPTER 2: The Resurgence and Emergence of Transnational Diaspora Mobilization during the Arab Spring 70 PART II: THE ROLES OF THE DIASPORAS IN THE REVOLUTIONS 126 CHAPTER 3: The Libyan Case 132 CHAPTER 4: The Syrian Case 169 CHAPTER 5: The Yemeni Case 219 PART III: SHORT-TERM OUTCOMES OF THE ARAB SPRING CHAPTER 6: The Effects of Episodic Transnational Mobilization on Diaspora Politics 247 CHAPTER 7: Conclusion and Implications 270 REFERENCES 283 ENDNOTES 292 iii LIST OF ACRONYMS FSA Free Syria Army ISIS The Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham, or Daesh NFSL National Front for the Salvation
    [Show full text]
  • Youth and the 25Th Revolution in Egypt: Agents of Change and Its Multiple Meanings
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by AUC Knowledge Fountain (American Univ. in Cairo) American University in Cairo AUC Knowledge Fountain Theses and Dissertations 2-1-2012 Youth and the 25th Revolution in Egypt: agents of change and its multiple meanings Dina El Sharnouby Follow this and additional works at: https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds Recommended Citation APA Citation El Sharnouby, D. (2012).Youth and the 25th Revolution in Egypt: agents of change and its multiple meanings [Master’s thesis, the American University in Cairo]. AUC Knowledge Fountain. https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/1131 MLA Citation El Sharnouby, Dina. Youth and the 25th Revolution in Egypt: agents of change and its multiple meanings. 2012. American University in Cairo, Master's thesis. AUC Knowledge Fountain. https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/1131 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by AUC Knowledge Fountain. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of AUC Knowledge Fountain. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The American University in Cairo School of Humanities and Social Sciences Youth and the 25th Revolution in Egypt: Agents of Change and its Multiple Meanings A Thesis Submitted to The Department of Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology, and Egyptology In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of Arts In Sociology-Anthropology By Dina El- Sharnouby Under the Supervision of Dr. Hanan Sabea January 2012 The American University in Cairo Youth and the 25th Revolution in Egypt: Agents of Change and its Multiple Meanings A Thesis Submitted by Dina El- Sharnouby To the Sociology/Anthropology Program January 2012 In partial fulfillment of the requirements for The degree of Master of Arts Has been approved by Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Facebook Revolution": Exploring the Meme-Like Spread of Narratives During the Egyptian Protests
    It was a "Facebook revolution": Exploring the meme-like spread of narratives during the Egyptian protests. Fue una "Revolución de Facebook": Explorando la narrativa de los meme difundidos durante las protestas egipcias. Summer Harlow1 Recibido el 14 de mayo de 2013- Aceptado el 22 de julio de 2013 ABSTRACT: Considering online social media’s importance in the Arab Spring, this study is a preliminary exploration of the spread of narratives via new media technologies. Via a textual analysis of Facebook comments and traditional news media stories during the 2011 Egyptian uprisings, this study uses the concept of “memes” to move beyond dominant social movement paradigms and suggest that the telling and re-telling, both online and offline, of the principal narrative of a “Facebook revolution” helped involve people in the protests. Keywords: Activism, digital media, Egypt, social media, social movements. RESUMEN: Éste es un estudio preliminar sobre el rol desempeñado por un estilo narrativo de los medios sociales, conocido como meme, durante la primavera árabe. Para ello, realiza un análisis textual de los principales comentarios e historias vertidas en Facebook y retratadas en los medios tradicionales, durante las protestas egipcias de 2011. En concreto, este trabajo captura los principales “memes” de esta historia, en calidad de literatura principal de este movimiento social y analiza cómo el contar y el volver a contar estas historias, tanto en línea como fuera de línea, se convirtió en un estilo narrativo de la “revolución de Facebook” que ayudó a involucrar a la gente en la protesta. Palabras claves: Activismo, medios digitales, Egipto, medios sociales, movimientos sociales.
    [Show full text]
  • Institutional Change and the Egyptian Presence in Yemen 1962-19671
    1 Importing the Revolution: Institutional change and the Egyptian presence in Yemen 1962-19671 Joshua Rogers Accepted version. Published 2018 in Marc Owen Jones, Ross Porter and Marc Valeri (eds.): Gulfization of the Arab World. Berlin, London: Gerlach, pp. 113-133. Abstract Between 1962 and 1967, Egypt launched a large-scale military intervention to support the government of the newly formed Yemen Arab Republic. Some 70,000 Egyptian military personnel and hundreds of civilian advisors were deployed with the stated aim to ‘modernize Yemeni institutions’ and ‘bring Yemen out of the Middle Ages.’ This article tells the story of this significant top-down and externally-driven transformation, focusing on changes in the military and formal government administration in the Yemen Arab Republic and drawing on hitherto unavailable Egyptian archival material. Highlighting both the significant ambiguity in the Egyptian state-building project itself, as well as the unintended consequences that ensued as Egyptian plans collided with existing power structures; it traces the impact of Egyptian intervention on new state institutions, their modes of functioning, and the articulation of these ‘modern’ institutions, particularly the military and new central ministries, with established tribal and village-based power structures. 1. Introduction On the night of 26 September 1962, a column of T-34 tanks trundled through the streets of Sana‗a and surrounded the palace of the new Imam of Yemen, Mu ammad al-Badr,2 who had succeeded his father Imam ‘ mad (r.1948-62) only one week earlier. Opening fire shortly before midnight, the Yemeni Free Officers announced the ‗26 September Revolution‘ on Radio Sana‗a and declared the formation of a new state: the Yemen Arab Republic (YAR).
    [Show full text]