Geog129_lecture07_2010?201...pdf

01/04/2011 1 2010?2011 Middle East and North Africa Protests Map Activity What is a revolution? ? Goldstone 2001: Revolution is ?an effort to transform the political institutions and the justifications for political authority in society, accompanied by formal or informal mass mobilization and non-institutionalized actions that undermine authorities.? Why are people protesting now? ? Political repression. ? No jobs or opportunities. ? Historical grievances against the state. ? Housing issues. ? Critical mass. ? Religious cleavages. ? New technologies facilitate organization. ? Other? 01/04/2011 2 Background Questions 1. In what country did the ?Arab Uprising? begin? 2. Where did the Jasmine Revolution begin? In what city? 3. In what month and year did the ?Arab Uprising? begin? 4. What is the name of the Egyptian leader that was overthrown? 5. What is the name of the Tunisian leader that was overthrown? 6. What is the name of the Libyan state leader? 7. Which country?s revolution has seen the most deaths? Background Questions 1. In what country did the ?Arab Uprising? begin? Tunisia 2. Where did the Jasmine Revolution begin? In what city? Sidi Bouzid 3. In what month and year did the ?Arab Uprising? begin? December 2010 4. What is the name of the Egyptian leader that was overthrown? Hosni Mubarak 5. What is the name of the Tunisian leader that was overthrown? Zine El Abidine Ben Ali 6. What is the name of the Libyan state leader? Muammar Gaddafi 7. Which country?s revolution has seen the most deaths? Libya (possibly near 10,000) Who is this man? What did he do? Mohamed Bouazizi ? Age: 26 ? Fruit Vendor in Sidi Bouzid ? December 2010 ? Self-immolation Ben Ali 01/04/2011 3 Self-Immolation as Protest ? Very long history as act of political protest. ? Most famous act was perhaps the 1963 Vietnamese monk Thích Qu?ng ??c who protested against the Vietnamese government treatment of Buddhists. Geography and Protest What are some ways in which we can use geography to understand what is happening in the Middle East and North Africa? 1. What factors influence the spatial diffusion of protest? Social media, satellite television, political elite and military readiness, demographics, etc. 2. Possession of symbolic places 3. The use of maps for information: static maps versus dynamic maps. 4. Territorial sovereignty versus universalism (human rights) Geography of the Youth Bulge ? Gunnar Heinsohn (2003) argues that an excess in especially young adult male population predictably leads to social unrest, war and terrorism, as the "third and fourth sons" that find no prestigious positions in their existing societies rationalize their impetus to compete by religion or political ideology. Geography of the Youth Bulge ? Heinsohn claims that most historical periods of social unrest lacking external triggers (such as rapid climatic changes or other catastrophic changes of the environment) and most genocides can be readily explained as a result of a built-up youth bulge, including European colonialism, 20th-century fascism, rise of Communism during the Cold War, and ongoing conflicts such as that in Darfur and terrorism 01/04/2011 4 ? It is estimated that around 65% of the NA/ME regional population is under the age of 30. 01/04/2011 5 King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz 01/04/2011 6 Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Symbolic Places ? Where is protest likely to occur? ? In Egypt, Tahrir Square (associated with liberation, Paris design) and other symbolic places like in front of parliament and the prime minister's offices. Maps 01/04/2011 7 See video for description of uses. ? Zimbabwe Political Violence ? Floods in Manitoba ? Wildlife spotting ? Anything really? 01/04/2011 8 Libya Crisis Map 2011 ? http://libyacrisismap.net/ Territorial Sovereignty v. Universalism ? Many of the public arguments for intervening in Libya are based on protecting ?human rights?. ? Of course, Libya has the 10th-largest proven oil reserves of any country in the world and the 17th- highest petroleum production. ? Many dictators and repressive regimes call upon their rights to territorial sovereignty to fight back against ?Western values?. ? Even the UN and economically and militarily advanced economies will talk about territorial sovereignty when they don?t want to intervene? see Rwanda. Doing Geography/Research in Conflict Zones ? Requires field methods that: ? Adjust for mobile populations ? Respect potentially problematic issues ? Sometimes require dealing with ?unsavoury elements? ? Protect the researcher ? Protect the research participants ? Deal in cash and ?informal? payments EQUIPPING THE MASSES: HELMETS OF THE REVOLUTION 01/04/2011 9 01/04/2011 10 GILL 2010?2011 Middle East and North Africa protests