“Reflections on the Revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt”

Author: Rashid Khalidi

Publisher: Foreign Policy

Date Published: 24 February 2011

To access this article, please click here.

Article Summary

 

In the article linked above, Rashid Khalidi (2011) argues that the Tunisian and Egyptian Revolutions have brought about “a moment of new possibilities” in the Middle East (para. 1). This moment was marked by the opportunity for the peoples of the Middle East to take control of their countries’ futures. The authoritarian regimes which were in place prior to the Arab Spring considered their peoples as “too immature to make decisions, to choose their own representatives, or to allocate societal surpluses or foreign aid” (Khalidi, 2011, para. 11). Due to the paternalistic and dictatorial nature of these regimes, the peoples of the Middle East were denied the opportunity to have a meaningful stake in their societies and lacked the ability to shape their futures, producing a “a pervasive self-loathing and an ulcerous social malaise” which led to social issues and conflict (Khalidi, 2011, para. 11). The revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt gave the peoples of the Middle East “the sense that they were masters of their own fate, that they had dignity, and that they were not simply miserable, abject near-slaves” (Khalidi, 2011, para. 12). The revolutions of the Arab Spring has created a politically active generation in the Middle East, a generation which feels that it has a stake in its nations, can successfully govern those nations, and is no longer willing to tolerate autocratic regimes which belittle their people (Khalidi, 2011, para. 14). As Khalidi (2011) states, “The energy, dynamism, and intelligence of the younger generation in the Arab world have been unleashed” (para. 5). The rise of this politically active generation has major implications for the Western world’s policies toward the Middle East. Autocratic regimes can no longer follow unpopular directives from the United States without considering the will of their peoples (Khalidi, 2011, para. 18). Khalidi expresses hope for a future in which there will be “a real input of public opinion into the making of foreign policy” (Khalidi, 2011, para. 18). With the peoples of the Middle East taking a greater role in their political futures, the United States and the West can no longer expect to be able to simply impose its will throughout the Middle East, through friendly regimes or other pressures (Khalidi, 2011, para. 19). The greatest change to come from the Tunisian Revolution and Egyptian Revolution was the creation of a politically active generation in the Middle East, a generation which is no longer content to allow a few strongmen to determine their countries’ policies and futures and whose goals may diverge from those of the West.

Based on this article, Khalidi appears to hold many classical liberal values. Khalidi criticizes the paternalistic nature of autocratic regimes in the Middle East and paints the creation of a politically active generation as the most significant change to come out of the Tunisian Revolution and Egyptian Revolution. In doing so, Khalidi shows that he values governance by the people and believes that, given the opportunity, the people can effectively govern themselves. Further revealing his belief in governance by the people, Khalidi points to the Hobbesian rule of autocrats as the root of many of the Middle East’s social ills (Khalidi, 2011, para. 11). Khalidi also places great value on self-determination, praising the return of the Middle East’s policies and future to the younger generation (Khalidi, 2011, para. 14). Khalidi again emphasizes self-determination in his discussion of the Middle East, coming under the control of a young generation of political activists, resisting Western influences and directives (Khalidi, 2011, para. 18). Khalidi expresses a hope that the Tunisian Revolution and Egyptian Revolution will result in a Middle East where the people have the right of self-determination, the right to determine their countries’ directions and policies (Khalidi, 2011, para. 18).

Guiding Questions

What should have been or should be the role of the West in the Tunisian Revolution and its aftermath?

When stability and security run up against liberal democracy, which should prevail or be supported?

Was the Tunisian Revolution successful?