Similarities Between Tunisia And Egypt

Introduction, Paragraph 1 Two Ancient civilizations, Ancient Africa and Ancient Egypt. The history of Ancient Egypt is well known unlike Ancient Africa where there are still many unknown things. Both of the civilizations are located in the same area and contain some similarities but have many differences. First thing that comes to mind is shouldn't these two civilizations be identical because they were located in the same continent. There are many connections between the two civilizations that make them have many similarities and differences.

Modern day wouldn’t be what it was if early civilizations didn’t rise from nomadic life. Over periods of time, civilizations had evolved into what we know as modern day civilizations, but it couldn’t be possible without these two early civilizations. Between the years 3200-500 B.C two regions Middle East and Egypt had thriving societies. Ancient Middle East consisted of the civilizations of Sumer and Mesopotamia while Ancient Egypt consisted of the civilization of Egypt.Regions like these had developed the technology that has evolved into what people use in modern day. These regions relied on multiple items that allowed it to inhabit civilizations for so long. These two areas were different from one another, but they had many similarities. For example, even though Ancient Middle East and Ancient Egypt share their reliability on rivers and social structure, they differ because of their cultural arts and their views on the afterlife.

Democracy: A political system in which citizens enjoy a number of basic civil and political rights, and in which their most important political leaders are elected in free and fair elections and accountable under a rule of law (26). In the studies we have undertaken, comparing and exploring various countries and systems politically, economically, and psychologically throughout the quarter, this outcry of democracy has prevailed as a main theme. Successful countries such as the United States and Great Britain are based upon such democratic ideals. It is no wonder that countries have striven more recently toward this goal of democratization. Both the Russian and Mexican revolutions prove that democracy is an attainable goal in the next

The Arab spring has generated much controversy as a result of demonstrating that countries that were apparently peaceful were actually determined to remove their governments and install a new ideology that would be compassionate with regard to its people. Some nations actually went as far as to put oppressors down and to bring reform throughout their countries. However, it rapidly became clear that peace was far away when considering that new leaders were unable to satisfy people's needs and that the masses wanted to be provided with more power.

The term “Arab Spring” has emerged in academic literature as well as in the general media from about early 2011. It refers to the “awakening” of some Arab nations and the movements to replace authoritarian regimes with democratic ones. The theme of “spring” and “awakening” seems to have been borrowed from the 1989 reform movements in the former Eastern-block nations, such as in the former German Democratic Republic or Hungary. However, this comparison has been criticised by some analysts since both the circumstances which have led to these movements as well as the outcome of these reform efforts seem to differ quite a lot. Yet, the Arab Spring term seems to be still widely used and even found an extension in the creation of the term Arab Winter which refers to events that happened in 2012 in some Arab countries during which these reform movements seemed to have “cooled-off” and particular nations, such as Egypt, attempted to go back to the status-quo of the pre-2011 era.

The Democratic Constitutional Rally (RCD) was the ruling party in Tunisia from its independence from France in 1956 until its overthrow and subsequent dissolution following Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution in 2011. The RCD is very clearly a state actor, given their standing as a political party and the way in which it and Ben Ali exercised power over branches of government to control the lives of the people of Tunisia. Prior to the revolution, Tunisia was very much a one-party system, where the RCD had the majority of the seats (as much as 161 of the 217 seats in the legislature) (Murphy, 2011, p 299) which gave them almost absolute power in the legislature.

December 18, 2010 and January 14, 2011. These 28 days marked the time where Tunisians rioted in the streets, expressing their discontent with the widespread poverty and the corrupt government limiting people’s freedoms (Rifai). It began with the day that Mohamed Bouazizi, a vegetable vendor, ignited himself in protest and the day President Ben Ali stepped down and fled to Saudi Arabia after finding himself unable to quell the people’s anger. President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali put himself and his own personal interests before his people’s. His greed is at the root of the Jasmine Revolution, and it is this kind of thoughtless and avaricious leadership that causes conflict in the Middle East.

Thus affecting the ways regime transition occurs. "Tunisians will need to struggle with the social classes to show themselves in the country's continuing political turmoil. Egyptians must reform their institutions of government and Libyans will need to recover from a horrific civil war." (Anderson, 2011) Basically, Lisa Anderson (the president of the American University in Cairo) is saying although the revolts started coincidentally, they were not similar at all. Tunisia was ripped their rights of free expression, Egypt was restricted to basic needs and Libya experienced oppression. The type of military force also differs that will alter their outcomes. Nonetheless the situations these countries were in, sparked a social response towards their hatred against regimes. The people demanded reforms that signified the desire for transition between regimes through a powerful revolution that resonated in the Arab

In recent months we have seen political unrest in Tunisia, Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries. In each of these countries the political leadership had amassed immense power and was using these powers to restrain and limit their countrymen from development. The ruling class clearly had formed a political structure with a clear agenda to inhibit the growth of their fellow citizens. In the past few decades, people from these countries have endured structural violence due to political hegemony. Exposure to western media has made the people realize the advantage of distributed power. Hence these countries are witnessing a surge of protest, with people fighting against the system. Parsons emphasizes on the distribution of political power and its effects throughout his

In late 2010, a tidal wave of uprisings and protests in various parts of the Arab world emerged. It began with the Tunisian revolution when the martyr Mahmoud Bouazizi set fire to himself as a result of the deteriorating economic and social. This led to protests and demonstrations that ended with the fall of the ruling regime. In Tunisia which sparked the beginning of revolutions in many Arab countries, this is known as an Arab Spring. The question remains what are the real reasons that led to the Arab Spring and its effects? the causes of the Arabic spring May be varied, depending on the places, however the reasons can be a corruption in economic policies and demand social justice as the key motives and protests in the Arab world. This essay will discuss the most important reasons, and the effects of what is known as the Arab Spring.

Conflict Mapping the Tunisian Revolution from the perspective of the main advocates that took over this revolution, the youth of Tunisia through their participation in crucial events, reflected on the problems their country face in the transition to democracy. First the revolution was initiated by disillusioned youth who succeeded in bringing together a broad coalition of social and political forces against the Ben Ali’s regime. Second the coalition was able to bring down the regime due to longstanding and widespread discontent in the country that stemmed from factors such as: massive unemployment especially among the youth, unequal regional development and lack of equitable distribution of

one essential conviction, expressed in the word democracy itself: that power should be in the hands of the people. Although democracy today has been slightly inefficient in this idea, with the wealthy, elite class challenging this right, “it nevertheless claims for itself a fundamental validity that no other kind of society shares….” To completely understand the structure of democracy, one must return to the roots of the practice itself, and examine the origins in ancient Greece, the expansion in the Roman Empire, and how these practices combined make what we recognize as today’s democratic government.

The Arab Spring is the name given to the wave of movement of anti-government protests within the Middle East and Northern Africa. The message of the Arab Spring is by no means an old one: there has been a significant amount of protest and movements prior to the modern 2010 one. The modern Arab Spring sparked in December 2010 when a local Tunisian vendor lit himself on fire in protest of the bribes demanded by the corrupt police. This action sparked similar movements in surrounding countries. Protestors wanted to end the limited civil liberties, political repression, and high unemployment created by their authoritarian governments. The movement swept throughout the Middle East and Northern Africa. The Egyptian Revolution of 2011, the Libyan Revolt of 2011, and the Syrian Uprising of 2011 were the aftershocks of the Tunisian Jasmine Revolution. Thus, these movements were grouped into the Arab Spring – a new movement dedicated to reform. Prior to the Arab Spring and still in Syria Libya, Egypt, and Syria had authoritarian leaders who ruled with an iron fist. Brotherly Leader Muammar Gaddafi, President Hosni Mubarak, and President Bashar al-Assad all brutally repressed political demonstrations in their respective countries. This oppressive reaction, exemplifying the lack of civil rights, only served to escalate tensions within the afflicted countries. Prior to the Arab Spring all three leaders were in almost absolute control of their countries. Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak

Hosni Mubarak’s regime in Egypt had been the only government the Egyptian people had seen in decades. Following movements such as The Kifaya (Enough) Movement, and The April 6 Youth Movement, as well as the demonstrations in Tahrar square, Mubarak resigned and regime change was not far behind. After his resignation and a promising push towards democratization with the first democratically elected head of state, Mohamed Morsi, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi took office, proving that Egypt is not working towards a democratic state, but rather pushing for an oppressive authoritarian regime that takes after Mubarak, Sadat and Nasser’s militarized Egypt. The deterioration of human rights and the state of the economy prove that regime change in Egypt has not pushed for democratization.

The Arab Spring has been a life changing phenomena, not only for the people who are attempting to overthrow their governments but for political scientists everywhere. The events originating in the North African country of Tunisia have led to the snowballing of several other Middle Eastern, predominantly Muslim, nation states. The figurative breaking point might have finally been reached as the oppressed peoples of the Middle East have risen up to overthrow long-standing dictatorial governments in hopes of revolutionary change; change that is subject to the will of the people.