Event Title

The Arab Spring: The Challenge and Response to Arab Authoritarianism

Presenter Information

Jordan Teslow, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Location

CSU 201

Start Date

9-4-2012 2:00 PM

End Date

9-4-2012 3:00 PM

Student's Major

Government

Student's College

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Mentor's Name

Abdalla Battah

Mentor's Department

Government

Mentor's College

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Description

The ongoing political turmoil in the Middle East represents a paradigm shift from dictatorship to a more open society. This promises to have a profound impact on US relations with the region for years to come. My research offers analyses of the socio-economic conditions that underpin these uprisings. These uprisings can be seen as analogous to the collapse of the Soviet Union and its satellite states in the 1980s-90s. In both the Middle East and Eastern Europe regimes broke down after a collapse of popular support or acceptance. This study relies on a compilation of relevant newspaper articles, statistics from both governments and NGOs. My chief contention is that economic mismanagement and autocratic methods by Arab dictators spurred the Arab Spring. Each country however, has unique circumstances that either hinder or hasten the success of the revolutionary movements.