Proceedings of the 33rd International Academic Conference, Vienna

CONTEMPORARY REFORMS IN THE ARABIC SYSTEM: ROOTS, CAUSES AND MODERN STATE-BUILDING CHALLENGES

HASAN JOHAR

Abstract:

This paper will focus on the common factors among Arab countries, which have experienced dramatic social and political changes since 2011. Rapid developments in the Arab world are expected to introduce an environment for the establishment of a new socio-political system. Sudden Arabic uprising, will be analyzed according to major historical and intellectual political changes throughout the modern era, in an attempt to challenge the argument that the Arabs will stay out of the historical context of the evolution of democracy. The main hypothesis of the study will emphasize that the current episodes of Arab Spring was triggered by a combination of economic, social and political factors directly related to the daily life of the people in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria among others Arabic countries. However, the aspirations and expectations of the masses exceeded the classical materialistic needs even for millions of low class citizens. The call for freedom, dignity and equality convincingly require an intellectual perspective for a modern state-building. The consequences of the Arab revolutions will open further areas for unprecedented challenges at both short and long terms of modern state-building. Major breakthrough in this evolution will certainly return Arabic political sociology to the heart of history. It will prove that Arabs can provide a genuine intellectual system with a valuable contribution to the progress of modern human civilization.

Keywords: Democracy in the Arab world, State-building, Political change and reform

DOI: 10.20472/IAC.2017.33.029

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