the west asia revolution-1

8/2/2019 The West Asia Revolution-1

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-west-asia-revolution-1 1/12

1

The West Asia Revolution: Lessons and Challenges

Kamaruzaman Yusoff

Nik Hasan Shuhaimi Abd Rahman

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

Introduction

The name West Asia is used interchangeably with a number of other terms such

as the Middle East, the Near East, the Levant, the Fertile Crescent and several

other terms to identify this volatile region, (Said:1995) All these terms signifies

its importance to the superpowers particularly with respect to its economic,

geopolitical and strategic location as an international passageway. In addition,

this region is also central to all major religions of the world namely Islam,

Christianity and Judaism.

The World War I has transformed the map of west Asia from a weak Ottoman

empire to the formation of a nation state fashioned after western models,

(Lewis:1994) The British and the French, the main contenders of the war, had

succeeded in creating a region of instability and continuous conflict dominated

by eastern and western blocs, (Neff:2002)



2

The peoples’ movement in West Asia, also known as the “Arab Spring”, was a

shock to many and is expected to precipitate major changes throughout the

world. For a period of time the world community was transfixed by

developments unfolding in the region pushing all other issues to the back seat.1

The Political System in West Asia

Following the First World War and its liberation from Turkish dominion, a new

system of governance emerged in West Asia. Iraq and Saudi Arabia, for

instance, became independent nations while others like Palestine, Syria and

Lebanon were placed under interim British or French rule or mandate. New

nations were also created such as the UAE, (Kazim:2000) Jordan and Kuwait.

In general, two major systems of governance practiced by these nation are

absolute monarchy or absolute republic, (Hansen:2000) whilst the idealogy held

are socialist (Egypt, Libya, Syria and Iraq), Islamist (?) or capitalist (Saudi

Arabia, the UAE, (Heard-Bey:2004) Kuwait and Jordan).

Although these systems may be familiar to the political scientists but in the

context of West Asia, they hold different meanings and practices peculiar to

each nation, (Sadiki:2004) The monarchy system practiced in Saudi Arabia is

distinct from that of the Gulf nations2 for the simple fact that many more

1 See for example Sarkozy of France was in a very good term with Ali Zein abidin of Tunisia.

www.daralhayat.com/portalarticlendah/300924

2 For further reading on progress and advancement of this area, see Jeffrey Sampler and Saeb Eigner, Sand to Silicon, Dubai:

Motivate Publishing, 2008.



3

candidates are eligible to become the ruler in the latter states. The republic

system in Syria too is distinct from that of Libya and Egypt.

On the other hand, prominent function and influence of the army3, secular

convictions and non-transparent elections4 are among the common features

shared by these countries. Tyranny, corruption, nepotism,5 interference by

wives6 and other family members in state political and economic activities and

malpractice are widespread in all these nations.7 In addition, the majority of their

rulers have ruled for decades, some for over 30-40 years.

Five key nations

While there are currently more than 20 nation states in West Asia, (Gresh:1990)

five states namely Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran are dominant due

to their distinct characteristics. Constantly any transformation in any of these

five states act as catalyst for changes in their neighbours.

Owing to common religion, (Corm:2010), population mobility, resemblance in

economic circumstances, the existence of centres of education and more

3 See report by AP : www. publicopiniononline.com/nationalnews/ci_18813873 (Sept., 4 2011)

4See egyptelections.carnegieendowment.org/2010/12/02/egypt’s

5 Nepotism is a coomon features in this region. See reports by MER in 1998, middleeast.org/archives/1998_07_09.htm

6 Wall street journal reported how Ghadafi’s wife controlled the biggest chain of pharmacy in the West Asia. See

online.wsj.com/public/page/mideast.html

7 Foreign Policy mentioned six series of articles on Mubarak alone. See www. foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/02/04/

http://www.publicopiniononline.com/nationalnews/ci_18813873








4

recently the advancement of technology, changes, particularly those emanating

from these dominant states, would have an impact and diffuse to other

neighbouring nations.

1. Egypt

Its ancient civilization and the history of the Pharoahs make Egypt a unique

nation and a source of pride for its citizens and the Arab population in general.

After the advent of Islam, Egypt became a centre of commerce and

administration in north Africa and the Iberian peninsular. During the crusades,

Egypt was a pivotal defense against the enemy and essentially drove the enemy

from the region. After the fall of Baghdad, it became the most important centre

of administration for the Muslims when the Mamluks succeeded in penetrating

almost the entire muslim dominion until the advent of the Turks in 1517.

In addition, al-Azhar University located in Egypt is the focus of education for

the whole of the Islamic world despite the fact that it was built by shiah

Fatimids. In modern times, Egypt is the first region subjugated by the colonials

after its conquest by Napoleon in 1789. Its attempt to liberate itself from the

Turks ended in ensnarement through the crafty British until its independence in

1922. Egypt has constantly inspired the Arab nationalists movement when

Gamal Nasir freed the country from the influence of western capitalism and

embrace socialism as the foundation of the state in 1955.



5

The Egyptian success story has inspired the Arab world to form a United Arab

Republic by enlisting Egypt, Syria and Iraq as member countries even if the

attempt failed to materialize. This Arabism inclination was emulated by Ghadafi

in Libya when he overthrew the monarchy.

Egypt is regarded as the champion over the Palestinian issue (Guyatt:1998)

when it consistently strove to drive out the Jews from Palestine through

humanitarian efforts made available to the Palestinians, assistance rendered to

the Palestinian fighters and series of attacks against Israel throughout 1948-

1973. The Egyptian population too has without fail displayed solidarity and

sympathy towards the plight of the Palestinians. The Muslim Brotherhood based

in Egypt has also revolutionized Islamic perception and supported the guerrilla

movement in Palestine. Today, Egypt is deemed dominant due to its huge

population, its control over strategic marine passageways namely the Suez Canal

and the existence of al-Azhar University.

2. Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, is highly regarded as it host two holy Islamic

cities, Mecca and Madinah, (Abukalil:2004) Any stance adopted by the Saudi,

for instance, the embargo in the 1970s create considerable impact particularly on

the Muslims and on the rest of the world in general. Its willingness to conspire

with the Americans and Europe was imitated by the rest of the West Asian

nations as in its stance over the Iraq-Kuwait war.



6

3. Iraq

Iraq is unique due to the fact that its majority Shiah population is ruled by the

socialist Sunni minority in particular after the Saddam era, (Hiro:2002).

Incessant tension in Iraq affected the attention of the super power since World

War I, (Cohen:2008)

4. Iran

Previously, Iran was a major power base for the US and the superpowers due to

its willingness to conspire with the west to head off the threat from communist

Russia. Its vast oil reserves has also made Iran a desirable ally. However the

Islamic revolution in Iran turned it into a danger zone for its former allies

particularly over the nuclear issue. Iran is also perceived as the exporter of Shiah

beliefs and the US has seized the opening to create ‘politics of fear’ among the

west Arab populace towards Iran, (Hosseini & Tapper:2006)

5. Turkey

Another nation which hold significant influence over the politics and psyche in

the region was Turkey. Following secularism, Turkey was regarded as anti Islam

and anti Arab and a model of modernization. Recently, victories of Refah and

AKP, pro Islamic political parties, in the country’s elections and its subsequent

political stability, its huge population, economic and military might has

presented Turkey as a power to be reckoned with. Membership in NATO and its



7

readiness to join the EU have raised the respect of the west Asian community

towards Turkey.

The Peoples’ Movement of 2010

The movement sparked off in Tunisia when Bouazizi, a university graduate, was

insulted and humiliated for not complying with trading regulations.8 The harsh

treatment he endured from the police caused him to burn himself. Had this

drastic action occurred 10 years ago, it may not have created a stir because no

one would have been alerted to the incident but through the use of the new

media, this tragic incident was posted on the internet and created an

unprecedented uproar in Tunisia. The incident became a catalyst among the

already enraged populace facing economic difficulty, cronyism9 and rampant

malpractices by the Ali Zain al-Abidin government. The brief demonstration in

Tunisia resulted not only in the fall of the president but also inspired million

others in over 14 countries to take to the streets and make their demands known

to the ruling elites in each country to instigate positive changes.

On 25 January 2011, amid scenes from Tunisia, the Egyptian public was

effectively mobilized by Wael Ghanim through his postings on the social web.

Roused by the success of the Tunisians, 400,000 Egyptians gathered and

demonstrated peacefully in Tahrir Square to voice discontent towards Hosni

8 See www.middleeastwatch.net/The-Fall-of-the-West-s-Little.html

9See nationalinterest.org/article/the-arab-wave-5169?page=4, cf also, Cronyism: Undermining Economic

Freedom and Prosperity Around the World By James Roberts August 9, 2010. The heritage.

http://www.heritage.org/About/Staff/R/James-Roberts





8

Mubarak.10 The ruling elites underestimated the determination of the people and

had not anticipated the resolve of the demonstrators. Millions gathered the

following Friday and for days ahead in the historic square to demand for

democratic hanges in their country.

The success of the movement in Egypt can be attributed to several factors. The

participation of professionals namely doctors, engineers, architects and many

people from all levels of society made it truly a movement of the people. Their

resolve to gather in Tahrir Square over a prolonged period of time subsequently

undermined the authorities and their demands were met despite efforts by the

former to appease the public by electing Omar Sulaiman11 as prime minister.

Developments in Egypt strongly indicate momentous change in the political

landscape of this ancient civilization.

Similarly in Libya, the 42-year dictatorial rule of Muaamar Ghadafi show signs

of coming to an end credited to its people determination to topple a leader bent

on the destruction of his own people.12

10See english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/01/

11 He was known as CIA’s man in Cairo. See english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/02/.

12News reported by the telegraph newspaper on Ghadafi’s abuse of power. See www.telegraph.co.uk /.../Gaddafi-and-his-

sons-raped-female. see also www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/gaddafis

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/.../Gaddafi-and-his-sons-raped-female










http://search.yahoo.com/r/_ylt=A0oGdSz1l2NOZk8AsP9XNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTA0cWtjOThtBHNtAzE-/SIG=14iv8sqhb/EXP=1315178613/**http%3A/www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8729685/Gaddafi-and-his-sons-raped-female-bodyguards.html





9

“Arab Spring”: Lessons and Expectations

The unprecedented events and developments in West Asia are of historical

significance and there are lessons to be learned from these episodes. Up to that

time, the superpowers had provided undivided support for the political rulers in

West Asia, had ignored their weaknesses, overlooked unbridled corruption,

nepotism and abuse of power and in fact had even aided and championed several

dictators.

This attitude suggests that as long as there are benefits and priviledges to be

reaped from these leaders, the superpowers are willing to turn a blind eye on any

gross and obvious misconduct even if it contravenes the values they embrace

and supposedly espouse. Censure and calls for the leaders to step down were

expressed only when the clout of these dictators were deemed unsustainable and

the resentment of the people escalated.

The advancement in West Asia also indicates the imminent demise of the

previously potent mixture of Arabism, socialism and capitalism, no longer

sustainable, when abuse of power, widespread corruption and ruthless brutality

become the custom.

The traditionally unswerving support of the army and government officials at

home and abroad towards the leaders have also crumbled under pressure from



10

the wishes of the people when en masse they have defected and sided the

populace.

Futhermore, the movement demonstrates the effectiveness and the positive

employment of the new media in elevating the awareness of the people and

mobilizing the public into action. The events in West Asia are indeed

phenomenal and goes to prove that civil movement is by far more compelling

and persuasive than political means to bring about change and topple a

government. If applied constructively, the peoples’ wishes and aspirations can

be successfully accomplished.

Another apparent development is that the existing western hegemony over West

Asia appears to have reached a critical stage. The events may preclude a

collapse of the grip of the west over this coveted region. The western styled

system of democracy and socialism is seen by the people of West Asia as

corrupt and has failed to protect the interests of the vast majority and therefore it

is expected that the proponents of democracy in this region will not adopt this

system in its totality. On the contrary, some adjustments are expected to be

made to the style of democracy to harmonize with the cultural and needs of the

local population. It is a possibility that these countries that have undergone such

unprecedented events will model their system after Iran and Turkey, which has

blended democracy with the Islamic system, a system more appropriate to local

sensitivities.



11

Islam, a system suppressed over a long period, has begun to be viewed more

positively and can be expected to play a significant role in future. The Muslim

Brotherhood, long since seen as extreme, rigid and averse to the election process

in their home country is at this moment willing to participate more actively and

has in effect formed two political parties.

Conclusion

Current events in West Asia invite historians to rethink and look ahead to

developments occurring in the region. This historic experience is expected to

alter patterns and themes of West Asian history in the near future. The people of

West Asia is no longer prepared to obey the dictates of the superpowers and

reawakened their courage to be engaged in determining their own future. Israel's

position is also expected to be affected by the renewed consciousness that has

emerged and it is perhaps prudent and high time for the US and the superpowers

in general to reassess their position and stance on several contentious isssues

including the their diparate stand over Palestine.



12

Bibliography

Abukhalil, A., 2004, The Battle for Saudi Arabia, New York, Seven Stories

Press.

Corm, Georges., 2010, A history of the Middle East, London: Garnet

Publishing

Guyatt, Nicholas, 1998, The Absence Of Peace, Zed Books London & New

York

Hansen, Birthe., 2000, Unipolarity and The Middle East, Surrey, Curzon.

Heard-Bey, F., 2009, From Trucial States to UAE, UAE: Motivate Publishing.

Hiro, Dilip., 2002. Iraq in the eye of the storm. New York: Nation Books.

Jeffrey Sampler & Saeb Eigner, 2008, Sand To Silicon, Dubai, Motivate

Publishing

Kazim, Aqil., 2000, The United Arab Emirates . Gulf Group Centre. Sharjah

Lewis, Bernard., 1994., The Shaping Of The Middle East. New York OUP.

NEFF, Donald., 2002, Fallen Pillars. Beirut. Institute For Palestine Studies

Sadiki, Larbi., 2004, The search for Arab Democracy, Hurst & company,

London

Said, Edward., 2003, Orientalism. Penguin Books

Vidal, Alain Gresh Dominique., 1990, A to Z of The Middle East, London.

Zed Books Ltd

Ziba Mir-Hosseini & Richard Tapper., 2008, Islam and democracy in Iran,

London: I.B. Tauris

the west asia revolution-1

Documents