Sykes-Picot WHAT
- secret convention between GB and France for dismemberment of Ottoman Empire (when it was clear that it would be defeated)
- during WW1 negotiations (started 1915)
Sykes - Picot WHY
- both wanted stability in ME
Sykes Picot UK
- lower half
- controlled suez canal
- Egypt was protectorate of British (wanted to maintain power)
- stabiltity also needed to maintain British - India
Sykes Picot France
- century old influence in Syria and Lebanon through schools, economic investments, etc
- wanted to maintain this power and stability
LoN Mandate System WHAT
Mandate = legal status for certain territories transferred from the control of one country to another following WW1 + the legal instrument that contained the international agreed-upon terms for adminstering the territory on behalf of the League
- established under Article 22 of the Covenant of the LoN
- some territories wre previously controlled by states defeated in WW1 (imperial Ger and Ottoman Empire)
how are mandates different from protectorates
Mandates = territories temporarily governed under international supervision to prepare for independence
Protectorates = territories controlled by a stronger state through a bilateral agreement.
LoN Mandate System why
system presented as way to prepare these territories for future independence, stated goal of fostering self determination
- international oversight for colonial adminstration
- managing power vacuum left by defeat of Germans and Ottoman Empires + to establish new colonial arragenments in their place
- manage post war settlement of conquereed territories and prevent future conflicts from arising
rules of mandates
- exact level of control by mandatory power depends on individual case
- mandatory power forbidden to construct fortifications, raise an army in the territory of the mandate
- required to present an annual report on the territory to LoN
- mandates generally seen as de facto colonies of victor nations
Class A Mandates
- territories formally controlled by Ottoman Empire
- considered sui generis because of their political, social, economic uniqueness and distinctiveness
-> within distinct cultures
-> more developed economically and strategically
-> close to independence - Mesopotamia (UK), Palestine (UK), Syria (France)
Class B Mandates
- former Schutzgebiete (German territories)
- in West and Central Africa
- deemed to require greater level of control
- larger, settled populations and some administrative systems
- still guaranteed “freedom of conscience and religion”
Class C Mandates
- South-West Africa and certain South Pacific islands
- former German colonies
- often considered least developed
-> remote
-> sparsely populated
-> strategically located during German control (fully controlled by Germans) - mandatory powers goverened as if it were own lands, rather than only prepping for independence
- “best administered under the laws of the Mandatory as intergral portions of its territory”
LoN Mandate System WHEN
June 1919
What was the Arab Spring
2010-11
- pro-democracy anti-government protests, uprisings, and armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world
- uprisings quickly spread from country to country, often due to social media
what were the shared traits between the uprisings in the Arab Spring
- large scale demonstrations
- non violent actions
- absence of single leaders
- use of central squares in major cities
what were the different aspects between the uprisings in the Arab Spring
- extend of demands
- level of violence
how did the Arab Springs start
Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi lit himself on fire, and killed himself in Dec 2010 (was harrased by police officers who tried to shut down his business with no choice)
Tunisia Arab Springs why did the protests start?
- protest started against gov. corruption + policy brutality + autocratic
-> a month later, Ali fled to Saudi Arabia
Tunisia Arab Springs initial change
- significant political reforms occurred (inclu. drafting new constituion, womens rights, democratic principles)
Tunisia Arab Springs current situtation
- democracy is fragile
- raised expectations for economic prosperity, struggled to deliver (high unemployment, COVID exacterbated economic challenges)
- many changes in leadership
- tensions between secular and Islamist factions
- 2023 reverted to authoritarian model (= concerns about durability of democratic concept)
- high proxmity to conflict zones, rise of extremist groups = significant security challenges
- many feel promises of revolution not fulfilled
Egypt Arab Springs cause
- NDP (National Democratic Party) led de-facto one party state for 33 years in power
- rigged elections, corruption, mismanagement
- Egypts relitavely organised opposition inspired by Tunisia
Egypt Arab Springs protests
- announcment via Twitter and Facebook of protest > “Day of Rage”
- Jan 2011
-> tens of thousands showed up - police harshly repressed
- protestors remained
- escalated with repeated clashes with riot police
Egypt Arab Springs transition of power
- Mubarak made concenssions but “too little, too late” > resigned Feb 2011
- 2012: newly elected president Morsi connected to Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt (new wave of unrest/opposition sepcifically of women and Christian communities)
- 2013: Abdel Fattah al-Sisi army chief General of Egypt led coalition to remove Morsi, promised to bring stability to Egypt
-> led anti-islamist and extremely violent campaigns to do so
-> won presidential elections in 2014
Egypt Arab Springs under Sisi
- socio-economic grievances still persisted, with little prospect of improvement in the short to medium term
- military tied to politics (higher popular institution in Egyptian Society)
-> male youth buldge
-> soliders join and stay in military to escape poverty and unemployment - measures aimed at women are failing bc of increasing social pressure to bear children + access to education & political participation arent sure due to increased sexual violence in public spaces
- extreme population growth
-> absence of social security
-> families rely on children for survival as future providers - labour market cant absorb abundance of young people, leaving many unemployed
- extreme inflation, many live below poverty line
- pushed out foreign investments, replacing current economy
Egypt Arab Springs leader progression
NDP (Mubarak) -> Morsi -> al Sisi
