Use of legitimate power by Algeria, Egypt, and Syria against the Arab Spring

Abstract

The Arab Spring is a series of anti-government protests spread across the Middle East and the North African (MENA) region since 2011. It is a widespread concept that Arab Spring is a ‘failed revolution. This study hypothesizes that the failure of the Arab Spring revolution was due to the legitimate monopoly of the use of power against citizens by the state. Background information related to a pre- and post-Arab- Spring situation in Algeria, Egypt, and Syria was collected from published literature and analysed in detail with the use of theories of International Relations such as social deprivation theory, frustration and aggression theory, and the theory of modern states, to understand how each state uses the legitimate monopoly of the power vested in them to control uprisings. This analysis revealed that the regime in Algeria used a mixture of soft and hard power to defeat the uprising. Egypt used the power vested in it against the uprisings; however, it was unsuccessful and the military became the real power, seizing the opportunity of the power vacuum in the country. The use of power by the Syrian regime against the uprisings dragged the country into a civil war that saw numerous international interventions. This analysis clearly shows that the aspirations of the people who initiated the uprisings were not fulfilled. Of the three countries, Algeria continues the same regime that existed prior to the uprising; Egypt has fallen into a new autocratic rule led by a civilian style military backed by the government; and Syria is engaged in a disastrous civil war that affects global security and stability as well. Based on this study, it can be concluded that the people’s revolution was defeated by the rulers of Algeria, Egypt, and Syria using the legitimate monopoly of the use of force by the government.