The Middle East in Transition

Political Directions

Chapter 27

Section 1

Middle East: Political Directions• Students will create a political cartoon on

one of the following political concepts/ideologies:

a) Pan-Arabism: may include obstaclesb) monarchy: absolute and constitutionalc) republics: single party vs. multipartyd) shift from Islamic law to western-style secular lawse) Islamistsf) Islamic Extremistsg) Arab Spring

Pan-Arabism

• to unite all Arabs based on their common language and culture (1)

• Goal: Felt that a unified Arab state would be a major world power & would be able to end European domination in the middle east (1a)– Arab League: main goal: Build relations and

collaborate among Arab Nation• Support their interests

Obstacles of Pan-Arabism (1b)

• National, ethnic & kinship ties proved to be stronger than the pan-Arabism movement

• Religious Diversity

• Arab lands had no geographic unity– Settlements were scattered across a wide area

• Economic gaps between rich and poor nations– United Arab Republic (1958)

Generalization of ME Governments after Independence #2

• Experimentation to find their individual identities

• Built powerful central governments

Forms of Government (#3)

• Most countries built strong central governments

• Citizen participation varies

• Monarchies: • absolute monarchies • constitutional monarchy

• Republics• Multiparty Republics• Single Party Republics

Monarchy

• Saudi Arabia & Jordan are ruled by kings• Saudi Arabia is a monarchy that has

absolute power• Constitutional Monarchy

– Monarch Head of State– Has elected Parliament and Prime Minister

• Jordan is a constitutional monarchy– They have an elected parliament but the king

holds most of the power

Republics

• Multiparty Republics: citizens are generally much more free to express their political opinion

• Hold free elections– Examples: Turkey & Israel

• Single Party Republics: strongman ruler– More like a dictatorship– Examples: Syria & formerly Iraq

Parliamentary System Presidential System

Legislative Branch Parliament elected by voters. The majority party in Parliament chooses the prime minister.

Congress elected by voters. Legislative and executive functions are separate.

Chief Executive(Government Head)

Prime minister who heads council of ministers, or "Cabinet"

President, elected by voters, nominates cabinet members.

Head of State Often a constitutional monarch. Legislatures often choose a ceremonial president, who acts as head of state.

President is head of state.

Elections Prime minister can call new elections.

Held at fixed intervals.

Political Parties Often a multiparty system. Government is formed by a ruling coalition of cooperating parties.

Usually a two-party system with third parties holding marginal power.

Examples Israel, Great Britain, and her former colonies, such as India.

The United States, Mexico, and Brazil.

Establishing Stable Governments #3b

• To end western domination in their countries

• Modernization

Islamic Law #4• Islamic Law: Sharia to Western Style Laws

• Muslims recognize the Qur’an as governing all aspects of life

• It provides guidance for political, social, and economic life as well as for private behavior

• Today only a few countries rely on Sharia– Example: Saudi Arabia & Iran

• Most Middle East nations have western-style law codes

Challenges to Political Stability #5

• Ethnic Minorities demanding self-rule– Kurds in Turkey, Iraq, Iran

• Rapid population growth and urbanization– Strains on governments

• Poverty

• illiteracy

Conflict In Lebanon #5aCause religious diversity

• For many years, Lebanon was one of the most unstable places in the Middle East

• It is home to a number of different religious groups

• The Lebanese constitution divided power among the various groups

• The Christians had more power than the fast growing Muslim population

Conflict In LebanonCause religious diversity

• In 1975, Lebanon plunged into a civil war that lasted 16 years some foreign involvement– Beirut Marine Barracks Bombing October 23,

1983 • In 1991, the Lebanese agreed to a power-sharing

agreement that gave the Muslims a greater say in government

• confessionalism – In political science terminology, confessionalism is a system

of government that proportionally allocates political power among a country's communities—whether religious or ethnic—according to their percentage of the population

Westernization #6

• Secular governments and schools

• Western style law replaced Islamic law

• In cities– Young western music, clothing and values– Women for freedoms

• Ex. No veil

• All leads to the Rise of Fundamentalism

Fundamentalism

• Belief that society should be based on the principles of one’s religion

• Grounded in scriptures that describe gender roles, duties, and relations.

Characteristics of Fundamentalism

• Desire of a people to return to the values and traditions of their religion

• Reaction against secularism and the loss of values/traditions

• Tend to believe in a literal interpretation of the scriptures• infallible and historically accurate

• Opposition to westernization. • Western influences corrupt the society

Secularism Fundamentalism

Liberals Conservatives Socialists

Islamist Movement (#7)(Islamic Fundamentalism)

• Response to westernization (#7a)– Seen as a form of imperialism– It undermines, weakens, challenges Islamic Society

• Insisted that the government use the Sharia as the basis of law - Return to Muslim Traditions– Wanted – to restore authority to religious leaders and – to enforce the strict separation of men and women in

public places, such as the workplace and schools

• Offered a balance to social and economic changes • End foreign dominance in the region

Extremism #8• Use terror and violence to promote their

values/cause• Claim to be involved in a holy struggle against

their enemies of Islam = those who spread western culture and values (new form of imperialism/colonialism) #8a including US– Example of Extremist groups: al Qaeda, Hezbollah,

Hamas, Taliban, ISIS

• In many Muslim countries, people who feel they have no future continue to be drawn to the extremists #8b

• Most Middle East leaders reject the actions of Islamic extremists

The Arab Spring (or the Arab Revolutions) refers to the recent revolutionary wave of

demonstrations and protests occurring

in the Arab world. Video: A Year of Protest

Arab Spring• Arab Spring

• refers to the democratic uprisings that arose independently and spread across the Arab world in 2011.

• originated in Tunisia in December 2010 • quickly took hold in Egypt, Libya, Syria, Yemen,

Bahrain, • Mohamed Bouazizi

• was a Tunisian street vendor who set himself on fire on 17 December 2010, in protest of the confiscation of his wares and the harassment and humiliation that he reported was inflicted on him by a municipal official and her aides.

• His act became a catalyst for the Tunisian Revolution and the wider Arab Spring

Arab Spring• Arab Spring

• refers to the democratic uprisings that arose independently and spread across the Arab world in 2011.

• originated in Tunisia in December 2010 • quickly took hold in Egypt, Libya, Syria, Yemen,

Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan.• Mohamed Bouazizi

• was a Tunisian street vendor who set himself on fire on 17 December 2010, in protest of the confiscation of his wares and the harassment and humiliation that he reported was inflicted on him by a municipal official and her aides.

• His act became a catalyst for the Tunisian Revolution and the wider Arab Spring

Arab Spring• Causes

– educated but dissatisfied youth – human rights violations– to overthrow of authoritarian government

• government corruption

– unemployment– extreme poverty

Arab Spring• Effects

– Overthrow of several governments• Tunisia: Overthrow of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali; Ben Ali flees into

exile in Saudi Arabia• Egypt, President Hosni Mubarak resigned in February, 2011, after

two weeks days of massive protests, ending his 30-year presidency.

• Libyan leader Muammar al-Gadafi refused to step down, causing a civil war between his loyalists and rebels. Killed by rebels

• Yemen: Overthrow of Ali Abdullah Saleh; Saleh granted immunity from prosecution

• Syria: contunied fighting between Gov’t army and Free Syrian army

Arab Spring• Effects

– Continued fighting and protests– Political reforms– Governments overthrown and the formation of

new governments– Arab Spring Timeline Link