External powers and the Arab spring
THE ARAB SPRING BEGINS: All of the external powers acted on the basis of their own values and interests, with scant regard for the preferences of the local actors. Some tried to promote democratic practice and human rights, but were hampered by their own inefficiencies and conflicting interests, according to Sverre Lodgaard.
THE ARAB SPRING BEGINS: All of the external powers acted on the basis of their own values and interests, with scant regard for the preferences of the local actors. Some tried to promote democratic practice and human rights, but were hampered by their own inefficiencies and conflicting interests, according to Sverre Lodgaard.
Governance in the Middle East is a sad story, and the fate of the Arab Spring added to the misery. After the initial euphoria, much got worse – except in Tunisia, which demonstrated the viability of a democratic political system in which Islamic and secular political groups compete for power.
What did the US and the EU do in relation to Egypt, Libya and Tunisia? How did other states of the region – Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Iran – relate to revolutionary change? How much did they matter?
In his most recent publication, External Powers and the Arab Spring (SAP), Senior Research Fellow Sverre Lodgaard (NUPI) takes a closer look at the role of external powers during the Arab Spring in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia. Lodgaard has summarized the most important aspects of the publication. Read it here:
The book was launched at a seminar hosted by NUPI on 1 June 2016: