Dramatic start sparked will to struggle
A Tunisian vegetable vendor immolates himself in protest against the country’s government. The event launches an uprising that brings down the president, who flees the country. Less than a year later the uprising has spread to several countries in the region and many heads of state have had to step down. Social media are seen as having played a key role in these developments.
There are many reasons why people are revolting in countries on the Arabian Peninsula and in North Africa. But it’s clear that social media have been key tools in their struggle for freedom, according to Samuel Taub, a research assistant at the Department of Peace and Conflict Research.
Samuel Taub is busy these days. He’s working to keep tabs on what conflicts there are in North Africa and on the Arabian Peninsula.. Both Tunisian president Zine El Abedine Ben Ali and Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak have resigned following violent protests. Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi has been killed, and in several countries on the Arabian Peninsula violent protests are underway.
‘Ultimately these protests are about the conditions under which people live in the region. But the spark that set off the Arab Spring was the Tunisian vegetable vendor who immolated himself’, says Samuel Taub.
Triggering factor
On the other hand, it’s impossible to determine whether it was the event in itself or how the subsequent protests were met by the Tunisian regime that was the triggering factor for the revolts, which are referred to as the Arab Spring.
When Tunisians began to gather in massive protests, the country’s leaders chose to react to the uprising in the usual way. With violence.
‘But that was one time too many. People were so desperate that they refused to be suppressed, and the president was forced to step down’, says Samuel Taub.
With the aid of social media, the word spread rapidly about the successful protests, which spark hope among people in several other countries, including Libya and Egypt.
‘People’s successes in Tunisia were unexpected and showed that it is possible to rebel against this type of oppressor. It awoke a will to struggle in many people. Information spread rapidly via social media, as they represent a media flow that the powers that be have a hard time controlling’, says Samuel Taub.
Not a Twitter revolution
At the same time he objects to these developments being called a Twitter revolution. It’s not that simple, as he sees it. The foundation and what these countries have in common is undemocratic government, widespread unemployment, and corruption in combination with a lack of hope for the future among young people.
‘Young people are a large group in these countries, and many of them have lost their faith in the future. Add to this the fact that they want a change, and they are suddenly dangerous to the government’, says Samuel Taub.
Now there will be a time of uncertainty in the countries that have rid themselves of their despotic leaders. It can be a complex process to switch to functioning democracies in a short period of time.
‘We have every reason to be optimistic about the future. At the same time it’s not enough to get rid of key individuals and believe everything will be fine. The road to democracy is not easy, and we need to realize it may take time’, says Samuel Taub.