#2 May 2011, Special Issue PersPectives Political analysis and commentary from the Middle East PeoPle’s Power the arab world in revolt Published by the Heinrich Böll stiftung 2011 This work is licensed under the conditions of a Creative Commons license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/. You can download an electronic version online. You are free to copy, distribute and transmit the work under the following conditions: Attribution - you must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work), Noncommercial - you may not use this work for commercial purposes, No Derivative Works - You may not alter, transform, or build upon this work. editor-in-chief: Layla Al-Zubaidi editors: Doreen Khoury, Anbara Abu-Ayyash, Joachim Paul Layout: Catherine Coetzer, c2designs, Cédric Hofstetter translators: Mona Abu-Rayyan, Joumana Seikaly, Word Gym Ltd. cover photograph: Gwenael Piaser Printed by: www.coloursps.com Opinions expressed in articles are those of their authors, and not HBS. heinrich böll Foundation – Middle east The Heinrich Böll Foundation, associated with the German Green Party, is a legally autonomous and intellectually open political foundation. Our foremost task is civic education in Germany and abroad with the aim of promoting informed democratic opinion, socio-political commitment and mutual understanding. In addition the Heinrich Böll Foundation supports artistic and cultural as well as scholarly projects, and cooperation in the development field. The political values of ecology, democracy, gender democracy, solidarity and non-violence are our chief points of reference. Heinrich Böll’s belief in and promotion of citizen participation in politics is the model for the foundation’s work. Our programme areas in the Middle East are: n Statehood & Participation n Conflict & International Politics n Environmental Justice n Culture & Dialogue 2 Heinrich Böll Stiftung Contents Editorial - People’s Power: The Arab World in Revolt 7 A Revolution of Ideas n The Arab Revolts Ten Tentative Observations Mouin Rabbani 10 n Revolutions Bring Down Ideas As Well! Fawaz Traboulsi 14 n The Revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt The People without Populism Ahmad Beydoun 22 n What the people want… Mohammed Ali Atassi 28 n Revolutions for Democracy Hussein Yaakoub 35 Arab Streets and Arab Publics: A New Political Culture? n The “Arab Spring” Rebirth or Final Throes of Pan-Arabism? Yassine Temlali 46 n A New Arab Street in Post-Islamist Times Asef Bayat 50 n What Next for the “Arab Street”? Muhammad Ali Khalidi and Terry Regier 54 n The Other Face of the January Revolution The People’s Desire to Liberate their Language! Mansoura Ez-Eldin 58 Revolutions in Real Time: The Mediatization of Political Struggle n The Role of Al-Jazeera (Arabic) in the Arab Revolts of 2011 Aref Hijjawi 68 n Media Live Up to Name as Game Changers in Spreading Arab Revolutions Magda Abu-Fadil 74 n Social Media and the Revolutions Doreen Khoury 80 n Digital Activism Arabs Can Do It Themselves Interview with Sami Ben Gharbia 86 n Portrait Slim Amamou – From Digital Activist to State Secretary Eva Lehnen 90 Heinrich Böll Stiftung 3 The Social Costs of Authoritarianism n Whither the Political and Social Movement in Arab Countries Can we Expect a New Arab Renaissance? Adib Nehme 96 n Arab Leaders and Western Countries Swapping Democracy for Business Interests Ibrahim Saif 106 n The Revolutions of the Arab Region Socio-economic Questions at the Heart of Successful Ways Forward Ziad Abdel Samad and Kinda Mohamadieh 112 n Feeding the Arab Uprisings Rami Zurayk 119 n Freedom is the Prerequisite for Bread Interview with Ibrahim Awad 126 “The People Demand...” the Downfall or Reform of the Regime? n The Youth Revolution A First Reading of the Social and Cultural Conditions Surrounding the Tunisian Revolution Mehdi Mabrouk 132 n What Kind of Transition for Egypt? Issandr El Amrani 145 n Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood and the 25 January Revolution Dalal Bizri 154 n Bahrain: Change of the Regime or Changes within the Regime? Mostafa Abdulla 159 n A Tense Syria in a Changing Arab World Yassin al-Haj Salih 166 n Libyan Re-independence and Reclaiming the Revolution Ghazi Gheblawi 176 n Algeria, or the Desire for a Future Ghania Mouffok 188 n The Arab Revolutions-in-the-Making and Palestine George Giacaman 186 n Distorted Democracy Democratic Transformation and Sectarian Identities in Iraq after 2003 Anbara Abu-Ayyash 190 n The Lebanese “Secularist” Movement in the Shadow of the Arab Democratic Movements Hassan Abbas and Hussein Yaakoub 196 4 Heinrich Böll Stiftung Testimonies n Heroic Resolve in the Face of the Omnipresent Machine of Oppression: Recounting the Events of the Tunisian Revolution Malek Sghiri 202 n Fear and Revolution in Libya Nahla Daoud 208 n Encounters on the Margin of Revolution Muzna Al-Masri 212 Participation and Justice n In the Wake of Arab Revolts: Women’s Rights in the Balance Interview with Hanan Abdel Rahman-Rabbani 218 n We Are Not Accomplices to Power! A New Role for the Judiciary Interview with Nizar Saghieh 226 n Nothing Was Ever Brought to Trial Interview with Magda Adly 232 International and Security Politics n American Policies Debating National Interests Raed Fakeeh 236 n EU-Libya Agreements on Refugees and Asylum Seekers The Need for a Reassessment Urs Fruehauf 243 n The Price of the Divide on Libya Why I support the No Fly Zone Tasnim Qutait 248 n Goodbye Free Libya? A Report from Benghazi Nicolas Pelham 258 n The Securitization of Political Rule Security Domination of Arab Regimes and the Prospects for Democratization Mouin Rabbani 258 Heinrich Böll Stiftung 5 editorial - People’s Power: the arab world in revolt he self-immolation of young and What seems clear, however, is that the current jobless Tunisian Mohamed Bouazizi popular revolutions have cracked two central in the provincial town of Sidi Bouzid, myths. International actors, skeptical towards Tbeing deprived of his vegetable stand prospects for democracy in the Arab world and humiliated by the authorities, triggered on the one hand, and authoritarian leaders popular movements and historic events in the themselves on the other dearly held on to these Arab World completely unexpected in their narratives: First, that Arab societies constituted magnitude… an “exception” and were not „mature“ for … but were they really that unexpected? democracy; and second, that political Islam Have not generations of activists, journalists, and/or chaos would constitute the only and ordinary citizens for decades tirelessly alternative to dictatorship. pointed to the repressive practices of their The initial euphoria about people’s power governments? Was it not common knowledge to enforce change has been clouded by the that thousands were executed, imprisoned, staggering numbers of victims mainly in Libya, exiled, and dissent silenced in many other ways; but also by the brutality employed against was not testimony after testimony collected, protesters in Bahrain, Yemen and Syria. It and report after report submitted? Did not is clear however that there is no going back. countless experts, Arab and foreign, repeatedly Euphoria has transformed into broad political stress the need for comprehensive political awareness, and while the remarkable process of reforms, for economic opportunities for the people’s self-empowerment demands respect, growing youth population, for a redistribution of it also demands the international community wealth, and the establishment of accountable to thoroughly review existing policies towards and transparent governance? the region. The opening of the political space Two questions therefore are to be asked: provides a unique opportunity to finally listen to First, what has happened? What burst the what the populations on the Southern shores of dam and finally pushed millions of citizens to the Mediterranean, and especially the young the streets in the Arab cities and countryside; generation, have to say. which element tore down the wall of fear that Apart from the already enormous tasks of had prevented Arab societies for decades from democratizing state institutions, organizing holding their leaders accountable; how can it elections, and reforming the notorious security be explained that it is neither political parties apparatuses, huge efforts will be necessary nor religious movements that took to the streets, in order to match political participation with but people – people, peacefully shaking the demands for equality and socio-economic foundations of deeply entrenched authoritarian development. While the magnitude of rule and emerging as new and proud political transformations and challenges are immense, actors? the future remains volatile. And second, what has invested these Since the events started to unfold in regimes - if most of them had already lost December 2010, much has been speculated legitimacy a long time ago - with such long- about the Arab “Spring,” “Awakening” or lasting resilience (some of them remaining “Renaissance.” resilient at this point of time)? Will these popular revolts translate into History is still very much in the making. sustainable change? Will counter-movements Heinrich Böll Stiftung 7 emerge, once citizens do not feel that their This special issue has been put together in lives have improved? In what way will foreign a very short time, and during a period in which interests determine the course of events? many of the authors have been personally The authors in this special edition of engaged in the events that we are witnessing. “Perspectives Middle East” address the above We thank them for their effort to put their questions and many more. The edition seeks thoughts into writing, some of them under very to offer a forum for a diversity of voices and difficult conditions - a further testimony to their viewpoints – ranging from in-depth analytical dedication. insights to opinion pieces and testimonies.