University of South Florida Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 3-19-2015 Staring Down the Mukhabarat: Rhizomatic Social Movements and the Egyptian and Syrian Arab Spring Stephen Michael Strenges University of South Florida, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd Part of the Political Science Commons, and the Sociology Commons Scholar Commons Citation Strenges, Stephen Michael, "Staring Down the Mukhabarat: Rhizomatic Social Movements and the Egyptian and Syrian Arab Spring" (2015). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/5585 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Staring Down the Mukhabarat: Rhizomatic Social Movements and the Egyptian and Syrian Arab Spring by Stephen M. Strenges A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Political Science College of Arts and Sciences University of South Florida Major Professor: Harry E. Vanden, Ph.D. Abdelwahab Hechiche, Ph.D. Jamil E. Jreisat, Ph.D. Date of Approval: March 19, 2015 Keywords: Egypt, Syria, Middle East, Horizontalism, Grassroots Copyright © 2015, Stephen M. Strenges DEDICATION I would like to dedicate this thesis to my father, Michael Strenges. Without your support and guidance throughout my life I would not be where I am today. You have always given me a deep appreciation for and curiosity about the world around me. Thanks for everything, Dad. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my gratitude to my committee members, as this thesis would not be possible if not for their guidance and support. I cannot express my gratitude enough to Dr. Vanden, who has not only guided me through this process but other academic endeavors as well, always pushing me to excel. Without your assistance, I would not have embarked on this journey and sincerely appreciate all of your thoughtful feedback, guidance, and patience. I would like to thank Dr. Hechiche not only for his guidance on this project but his years of mentorship during both my undergraduate and graduate coursework. I would also like to thank Dr. Jreisat for his insightful feedback and guidance during this process. This thesis and my academic studies would not have been possible without the support of my family. I would like to thank my parents, Mike and Kelly, brother, Matthew, and girlfriend, Shelby, for their support. I would also like to express my gratitude to my grandparents, John and Barbara, for their unyielding support and being my biggest fans. I cannot thank you all enough. Additionally, I would like to thank my fellow classmates for their insightful comments, discussion, and feedback on this project, as well as other areas of study. I would specifically like to thank Lindsay Ortega, Pamela Khawam, and Felix Scholz for their revisions, comments, and feedback on various drafts and chapters of this thesis. Your questions and feedback helped to shape the outcome of this thesis and I sincerely appreciate your feedback. TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures.......................................................................................................................... iii Abstract .................................................................................................................................... iv Chapter One: Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1 Potential Causes of the Arab Spring ......................................................................................... 2 Research Question and Theory ................................................................................................ 4 Methodology ........................................................................................................................... 6 Outline of Chapters .................................................................................................................. 8 Notes ....................................................................................................................................... 8 Chapter Two: Literature Review ............................................................................................. 9 Collective Behavior Approaches ............................................................................................ 11 Chicago School ............................................................................................................. 12 Mass Society ................................................................................................................. 17 Relative Deprivation ...................................................................................................... 18 Resource Mobilization Theory ............................................................................................... 22 Political Process Theory ........................................................................................................ 25 New Social Movements ......................................................................................................... 27 Framing ......................................................................................................................... 30 Collective Identity ......................................................................................................... 33 Emotion ......................................................................................................................... 34 Social Networks Approach .................................................................................................... 36 Theoretical Framework .......................................................................................................... 39 Rhizomatic Movements ................................................................................................ 41 Argument ...................................................................................................................... 44 Notes ..................................................................................................................................... 45 Chapter Three: Egypt ............................................................................................................. 46 Economic Conditions .................................................................................................... 47 The Rise of Contentious Politics: A Decade of Action ........................................................... 50 Anti-War Movements .................................................................................................... 51 Prodemocracy Movements ............................................................................................. 53 Youth Activism ............................................................................................................. 56 i Labor Movements .......................................................................................................... 58 The Digital Realm of Contention ........................................................................................... 59 We Are All Khaled Said ................................................................................................ 62 18 Days: From the Streets to Tahrir ....................................................................................... 65 The Call to Action & January 25 – The Day of Revolt ................................................... 66 Navigating the Chaos: January 28 – The Day of Rage .................................................... 69 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 73 Notes ..................................................................................................................................... 75 Chapter Four: Syria ................................................................................................................ 77 Economic Conditions .................................................................................................... 78 A Tripartite of Control: the Assad Regime, the Alawites, & the Mukhabarat ......................... 80 Ethno-Religious Dimensions & The Rise of the Alawites .............................................. 83 Restraining Activism through the Mukhabarat ............................................................... 86 Decades of Strained Activism ................................................................................................ 88 The Damascus Spring .................................................................................................... 89 Activism & Civil Society after the Damascus Spring, 2001-2005 .................................. 91 2005: The Revitalization of Activism & the Assassination of Hariri .............................. 93 The Damascus Declaration & the Opposition Underpinning the 2011 Uprising.............. 94 The 2011 Uprising ................................................................................................................. 98 The Spark: Daraa ..........................................................................................................