POLITICAL, SOCIO-ECONOMIC CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF THE “ARAB SPRING” CONFLICT IN EGYPT
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24234/journalforarmenianstudies.v1i68.157Keywords:
“Arab Spring” conflict, socio-psychological, Egypt, crowd, poverty, revolutionAbstract
This article discusses the political and socio-economic causes and consequences of the revolutionary movements (conflict) that took place in the first and second decades of the 21st century in the Middle East, particularly in Egypt, known as the 'Arab Spring.'
The primary objective of the article is to provide a comparative analysis of various approaches by different experts-researchers in the study of social uprisings and protests. We have studied and analyzed the causality of social uprisings in Egypt in the context of group behavior methodology, deprivation theory, resource mobilization principles, and crowd psychology.
As a result of the study, we concluded that poverty among the population, low educational standards, high unemployment rates, inflation, lack of social security mechanisms, and corruption were not the main causes that, as it is said, provided the groundwork for the revolution and uprisings in Egypt in 2010-2011.
The main role in the causality of the 'Arab Spring' conflict was played by socio-psychological factors—group behavior, deprivation, resource mobilization, and the psychological characteristics and mechanisms of the crowd. Mechanisms of the influence of the aforementioned socio-psychological phenomena were used to increase the emotionality of the participating population in protests and demonstrations. To expand their influence and ensure the effectiveness of their functioning, special interventions were carried out by external forces as well.
References
Veryugin I., Turk S. (2020), Arabskaya vesna v Yegipte: prichiny i posledstviya /Arab Spring in Egypt/: Causes and Consequences, Epoch of Science No. 22. pp. 314-317: DOI 10.24411/2409-3203-2020-12270.
Volsky A. (2011), Dni gneva /Days of Wrath/. NTV, February 6. URL: http://ip.ntv.ru/news/21442.
Ermina N. (2021), «Sverkhnovaya revolyutsionnaya situatsiya»: obshchestvennyy vzlom bez lidera ili upravlyayemaya transformatsiya sistem? /"A Super-New Revolutionary Situation": Social Collapse Without a Leader or Controlled Transformation of Systems?/, RIAC. April 13// https://russianconcil.ru/analytics-and-comments/analytics/sverkhnovaya-revolyutsionnaya-situatsiya-obshchestvennyy-slom-bez-lidera-ili-upravlyaemaya-transform/.
Korotaev A., Zinkina Yu. (2011), Yegipetskaya revolyutsiya 2011 goda: sotsiodemograficheskiy analiz /The Egyptian Revolution of 2011: Sociodemographic Analysis/, Historical Psychology and Sociology of History. N2 // https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/egiptskaya-revolyutsiya-2011-goda-sotsiodemograficheskiy-analiz
Korotaev A., Khalturina D. (2009), Sovremennyye tendentsii mirovogo razvitiya /Modern trends in world development/, Moskow, ЛИБРОКОМ/ URSS., 103-116.
Korotaev A., Zinkina Yu. (2011), Yegipetskaya revolyutsiya 2011 g. /Egyptian revolution of 2011/. Asia and Africa today. 6(647): 10–16; 7(648): 15–21.
Malkov S., Isaev L., Korotaev A., Kuzminova E. (2013), O metodike teku¬shchego sostoyaniya i prognoza sotsial'noy nestabil'nosti: opyt kolichestvennogo ana¬liza sobytiy Arabskoy vesny /On the methodology of the current state and forecast of social instability: experience of quantitative analysis of the events of the Arab Spring/, Polis. Political studies. No. 4. P. 137-163.
Neyzhmakov M. (2011), Besporyadki v Yegipte: komu eto vygodno? /Unrest in Egypt: Who Benefits?/ Rabkor.ru January 28. URL: http://www.rabkor.ru/debate/11867.html.
Fituni L. (2012), «Arabskaya vesna» v global'nom i regional'nom izmereniyakh, Protestnyye dvizheniya v arabskikh stranakh. /"Arab Spring" in the global and regional dimensions/, Protest movements in Arab countries. Prerequisites, features, prospects. Proceedings of the Round Table conference. Center for Civilizational and Regional Studies of the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences (May 30, 2011) / Ed. I.V.Sledzevsky, A.D.Savateev. -M., 2012, p. 77.
Shangaraev R., Kashina A. (2021), Desyat' let «arabskoy vesny» v Yegipte i Tunise: itogi i perspektivy /Ten years of the "Arab Spring" in Egypt and Tunisia: results and prospects/. Observer. 8/2021, p. 87. DOI: 10.48137/2074-2975_2021_8_81. DOI: https://doi.org/10.48137/2074-2975_2021_8_81
Akaev A., Sadovnichy V., Korotayev A. (2012), On the dynamics of the world demographic transition and financial-economic crises forecasts. The European Physical Journal Special Topics, 205(1), pp. 355–373. https://doi.org/10.1140/epjst/e2012-01578-2. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1140/epjst/e2012-01578-2
Beck C. (2014), Reflections on the Revolutionary Wave in 2011. – Theory & Society. 2014. Vol. 43. No. 2. P.197-223. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11186-014-9213-8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11186-014-9213-8
Boubacar S., Herrera S., Yamouri N., Devictor X. (2010), Egypt Country Brief. Washington, DC: World Bank. URL: http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTEGYPT/Resources/EGYPT-Web_brief-2010-AM.pdf.
CAPMAS (Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics) 2010. Egypt in Figures 2010. Cairo: CAPMAS. 31(данные за II квартал 2009г.).
Elagati M. (2013), Foreign Funding in Egypt after the Revolution // URL: https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/162759/WP_EGYPT.pdf.
Goldstone J. (2014), Revolutions: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2014. 160 p. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/actrade/9780199858507.001.0001
Goldstone J. (2011), Understanding the Revolutions of 2011. – Foreign Affairs. 2011. Vol. 90. No. 3. P. 8-16.
Grinin L., Korotayev A. (2011), The Coming Epoch of New Coalitions: Possible Scenarios of the Near Future. – World Futures. 2011. Vol. 67. No. 8. P. 531-563. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02604027.2011.625749. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02604027.2011.625749
Housseini B. (2009), Middle-eastern and North African NGOs’ Participations in the United Nations Economic and Social Council: Current Situation, Challenges and Solution. Website UN. Department of Economic and Social Affairs. 2009 // URL: http://csonet.org/content/documents/MENA.pdf Stangler D., Litan R. (2011). In Egypt, will an Economic Revolution Follow? Inc February 12. URL: http://www.inc.com/articles/201102/egyptentrepreneurial-revolution.html.
Lang J., De Sterck H. (2014), The Arab Spring: A Simple Compartmental Model for the Dynamics of a Revolution. – Mathematical Social Sciences. 2014. Vol. 69. P. 12-21. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j. mathsocsci.2014.01.004. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mathsocsci.2014.01.004
Pitchford R. (2011), UPDATE 1-Egypt Plans Stimulus Package after Blow to Growth. Reuters 22.02.2011. URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/22/egypt-finance-idUSLDE71L2GP20110222
Siam G., Abdel Rady, H. M. (2010), The Impact of the Global Food Crisis and the Economic Crisis on Poverty in Egypt. Paper presented at Inauguration Conference for Launching the Working Paper Series of the Information and Decision Support Center of the Egyptian Cabinet of Ministers (Cairo, March 28, 2010).
Transparency International (2010), Corruption Perceptions Index 2010. Berlin: Transparency International, 8-14.
UNDP (2010), The Real Wealth of Nations: Pathways to Human Develop ment. Human Development Report 2010. 20th Anniversary Edition / Ed. by J. Klugman. New York, NY: The UNDP Human Development Report Office/ Palgrave Macmillan, 152-155. 161-163.
Volpi F. (2014), Framing Political Revolutions in the Aftermath of the Arab Uprisings. – Mediterranean Politics. 2014. Vol. 19. No.1. P. 153-156. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13629395.2013.856186. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13629395.2013.856186
Weyland K. (2012), The Arab Spring: Why the Surprising Similarities with the Revolutionary Wave of 1848? – Perspectives on Politics. 2012. Vol. 10. No. 4. P. 917-934. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1537592712002873. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1537592712002873
World Bank (2011), World Development Indicators Online. Washington, DC: world bank. url: http://data.worldbank.org/indicator (1980-2008).
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 LILIA HARUTYUNYAN

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.