Sovereignty and Intervention in the Middle East: from the Fall of the Ottoman Empire to the Arab Spring
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University of Denver Digital Commons @ DU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 1-1-2014 Sovereignty and Intervention in the Middle East: From the Fall of the Ottoman Empire to the Arab Spring Raslan Ibrahim University of Denver Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd Part of the International Relations Commons, Islamic World and Near East History Commons, and the Near and Middle Eastern Studies Commons Recommended Citation Ibrahim, Raslan, "Sovereignty and Intervention in the Middle East: From the Fall of the Ottoman Empire to the Arab Spring" (2014). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 980. https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/980 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at Digital Commons @ DU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ DU. For more information, please contact [email protected],[email protected]. Sovereignty and Intervention in the Middle East: From the Fall of the Ottoman Empire to the Arab Spring __________ A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Josef Korbel School of International Studies University of Denver __________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy __________ by Raslan Ibrahim June 2014 Advisor: Professor Jack Donnelly ©Copyright by Raslan Ibrahim 2014 All Rights Reserved Author: Raslan Ibrahim Title: Sovereignty and Intervention in the Middle East: From the Fall of the Ottoman Empire to the Arab Spring Advisor: Professor Jack Donnelly Degree Date: June 2014 ABSTRACT This research provides an institutional explanation of the practices of external intervention in the Arab state system from the fall of the Ottoman Empire in 1922 to the Arab Spring. My explanation consists of two institutional variables: sovereignty and inter-state borders. I examine the changes in regional and international norms of sovereignty and their impact on the practices of external intervention in the Arab state system. I also examine the impact of the level of institutionalization of inter-state borders in the Arab World on the practices of external intervention. I argue that changes in regional and international norms of sovereignty and changes in the level of institutionalization of inter- state borders have constituted the significant variation over time in both the frequency and type of external intervention in the Arab state system from 1922 to the present. My institutional explanation and findings seriously challenge the traditional accounts of sovereignty and intervention in the Arab World, including the cultural perspectives that emphasize the conflict between sovereignty, Arabism, and Islam, the constructivist accounts that emphasize the regional norm of pan-Arabism, the comparative politics explanations that focus on the domestic material power of the Arab state, the post-colonial perspectives that emphasize the artificiality of the Arab state, and ii the realist accounts that focus on great powers and the regional distribution of power in the Middle East. This research also contributes to International Relations Theory. I construct a new analytical framework to study the relations between sovereignty, borders, and intervention, combining theoretical elements from the fields of Role Theory, Social Constructivism, and Institutionalization. Methodologically, this research includes both quantitative and qualitative analysis. I conduct content analysis of official documents of Arab states and the Arab League, Arabic press documents, and Arab political thought. I also utilize quantitative data sets on international intervention. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Part I: Introduction and Literature Review ..........................................................................1 Chapter One: Introduction ...................................................................................................2 The Arab Spring and Sovereignty............................................................................2 Back to the Future: Sovereignty after Empire .........................................................6 The Puzzle ................................................................................................................9 Research Questions ................................................................................................10 Explanatory Variables: Two Constitutive-Institutional Variables .........................11 Institution of Sovereignty in the Arab State System and International System ........................................................................................................12 Institution of Inter-State Borders ...............................................................13 Argument in Brief ..................................................................................................15 Methodology and Research Design .......................................................................17 Case Study .................................................................................................18 Theoretical and Policy Contributions ....................................................................18 Structure of the Dissertation ..................................................................................21 Chapter Two: Literature Review .......................................................................................22 Sovereignty and Intervention in the Arab State System after Empire: 1922-1980s .............................................................................................................22 Domestic Level Explanations ................................................................................22 Shortcomings .............................................................................................26 Regional Level of Analysis ....................................................................................29 Realism ......................................................................................................30 Constructivism: The Myth of Sovereignty-Pan-Arabism Conflict ............32 Oil and Economic Interdependence ...........................................................40 Islam ...........................................................................................................43 International Level of Analysis ..............................................................................43 Polarity and Great Powers .........................................................................43 Conclusion .............................................................................................................45 Part II: Analytical Framework ...........................................................................................50 Chapter Three: Institutions: an Analytical Framework .....................................................51 Definitions of Institution in Social Science ...........................................................51 Common Shortcomings in the Literature on Institutions ...........................57 Social Institution: A New Definition and Framework ...........................................58 Sources of Institutional Power ...............................................................................64 Inter-Subjectivity of the Institution ............................................................64 iv Complementary Institutions .......................................................................66 Institutions and Behavior: The Theoretical Contributions of Social Roles ...........69 Role Acquisition ........................................................................................70 Role Ambiguity ..........................................................................................71 Role Conflict ..............................................................................................73 Role Socialization ......................................................................................74 Conclusion .............................................................................................................74 Chapter Four: The Institution of Sovereignty ....................................................................77 Sovereignty: Definition and Institutional Framework ...........................................77 Institutional Causes of Change in Sovereignty ..........................................81 The Institutional Power of Sovereignty .................................................................82 Inter-Subjectivity of Sovereignty ...............................................................82 Sovereignty’s Complementary Institutions: Borders .................................84 Sovereignty and Intervention .................................................................................86 Sovereignty’s Complementary Institution (Borders) and Intervention .....92 The Social Construction of Sovereignty, Autonomy, and Capacity Relationship ...........................................................................................................93 Sovereignty, Survival, and IR Theory ...................................................................94 Part III: Sovereignty and Intervention in the Arab State System after Empire: 1922-1960s .........................................................................................................................98 Sovereignty and Intervention after Empire ............................................................98