Arab Spring and the Arab Media

Abstract

1 Journal of South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies Vol. XXXIX, No.1, Fall 2015 Arab Spring and the Arab Media Hussein Amin* Injy Galal* Introduction The Arab world comprises 22 countries spread out across two continents and a population estimated in the millions. The vast majority speaks Arabic and follows the Islamic faith. This population lives under a diversity of political systems—monarchies and republics—that span the spectrum of democracy and freedom. These aspects of the Arab world are also reflected in each respective media system. Despite the diversity of political regimes, most are considered to be autocratic. The generally autocratic nature of many of these governments gave rise to what became known as the “Arab Spring”, which was a series of revolutions that began in Tunisia in early 2011 and spread across the Arab world. The Arab Spring has touched, to some degree, most of the Arab countries; including, Morocco, Algeria, Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Oman, the Occupied Palestine, Bahrain and Qatar. However, it became full-fledged in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Yemen, where it succeeded to topple the autocratic regimes. In Syria, it has developed into a civil war that has not yet been settled. *Hussein Amin is a professor and former chair of Journalism and Mass Communication at the American University in Cairo. He holds several key positions in national, regional and global media. He served as a member of the editorial advisory board and also as editor of a number of academic journals. Professor Amin was invited as a keynote speaker to many International conferences and was recognized by the major associations in the fields of media and Communication. His research interest focuses on global media and political communication with specific reference to the Middle East. *Injy Galal is a scholar specialized in mass communications, with more than 15 years of professional experience in international organizations such as the United Nations. She taught media ethics and responsibilities at the American University in Cairo. She has published research in various academic publications, as well as a book to her name titled “US Public Diplomacy in the Middle East: Prospects and Concerns”. Her research interest covers media effects and media ethics. 2 Major changes swept throughout the region within weeks of the Arab Spring initially beginning in 2011. The Tunisian President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali was exiled after more than two decades in power. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh stepped down after three decades of rule respectively. The Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi was killed. The Kuwaiti and Jordanian Monarchs changed each respective Cabinet. The Algerian President lifted an emergency law that had been in place for over two decades. The Iraqi Prime Minister proposed constitutional amendments limiting his governmental position to two terms. The Palestinian Authority openly called for the long-delayed elections.1 Four years after the Arab Spring, it is widely perceived that the countries most profoundly affected were Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Yemen and Syria. The revolution brought the Muslim Brotherhood to power in Egypt and Tunisia. This resulted in a second revolution in Egypt, in June 2013, which brought General Abdel Fattah El Sisi to power. In Tunisia, political turmoil forced early elections, which brought President Beji Caid Essebsi to power on December 31st, 2014. The governments ushered in by the Arab Spring in both Yemen and Libya quickly fell due to destabilizing effects from internal conflicts amongst the tribes, old guard, reformists and Islamic radicals. To date, both countries remain the site of armed conflicts involving Al-Qaeda, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), Houthis (in Yemen), and local tribes (CNN International Report, 2015 January). The Arab Spring failed to topple President Bashar Al Assad in Syria, which began as a revolution but has morphed into a protracted civil war between the Government and largely Islamic-supported rebels. The situation has been further complicated with the birth of ISIS. This article focuses on the five countries most profoundly affected by the Arab Spring: Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Yemen and Syria. The study will be on the media scene affected by the political scene. The media in each of the respective five countries was a...