Western Medias Depiction of the Arab Spring - Research Paper Example

Essay: Political Science Word Count: 4091 The Middle East and Democracy: Western Media’s Depiction of the Arab Spring This paper explores the various and widely understood benefits of a democratic strong hold as well as how far democracy has been successful to engrave its roots in the soil of Middle East. It takes into consideration various aspects of the directive principles from western democracy as well as the pros and cons of a people’s choice government. It examines the way an organizational structure proves to be an important factor in examining a government’s policy and provides important information as to where a keen criticism might lay. Moreover this paper also utilizes various motivational theories to understand the innate human behavior. It derives from the history of Arab Spring, the possibility of democratization of the land and also shows how this democracy is not well suited for the state of affairs governing this land. The paper portrays the role of western media as extremely pessimistic. How it aimed at a picturesque explanation of the western loss, already being dealt with and the possible globally felt repercussions if the situation was not checked. It calls for western intervention directly within the region. In the end, the paper provides a conclusive remark how both the kingdom and democracy is a failed form of governance in the region because of varied circumstances that work antagonistic to both these systems. Oppression by the rulers and utter submission by the public are the distinguished features of this land. Yet it is also evident how the power of people could and does ratify the situation usually by ousting the government. Contents Abstract 2 Introduction 4 Discussion 4 Conclusion 17 References 19 Introduction The complete opposite of autocracy is democracy. It roots for the people’s government. In such a system the country’s common man has an exclusive right to participate in the formulation of a government and the directive principles of state authority. They can do this by becoming an active citizen and participating in country wide referendums or national elections. The common man has to decide what party agenda he deems prudent for the benefit of the country. So basically democracy is an analogous entity of tyranny or Hitler’s annotated dictatorship. Anything that comes close to autocracy is slavery for the entire nation as per the western standards. Being Greek in context and background, Democracy accounts for establishing a stronghold in the country, one that is controlled by the people. They have the right to constitutionally remove governments, if they fails to work up to the standards set by them during campaigns for government formulations. In case of unconstitutional measures against the government or unlawful agitation the control and containment maybe given to the Army thus resulting in the impeachment of the people’s elected leader and the army chief taking his place. Discussion According to western policies, completely democratic countries are considered free while those with autocratic rule are considered at the verge or completely immersed in slavery. Just like in a local or multinational organization, be it a business firm, there is a certain organizational structure which helps in discerning how the power travels from the highest levels to the lowest levels. An organizational structure is basically a hypothetical image perceived by all the employees belonging to different subordinating departments, regarding how the power transfers and distributes at various levels. How and where the different branches of authority, security, control, management and communication meet? Where does the line of control lie and how do the employees get to act under a devised set of policies to meet their respective targets by following particular strategies? The structure differs according to the company’s prescribed paradigm of efficiency. It can be centralized, where the decision making power lies solely at the centre or it may be decentralized where the subordinating departments have a minimum amount of authority assigned to them. Basically an organizational structure serves as the foundation stone on top of which the company builds itself up and strengthens its internal coalition. Think of it as a blueprint which shows how the main picture is assembled and put to task. The formation of a structure is an inevitable factor in the company’s survival (Miner 82). For the employees this structure is very important as it lays down the general principles required for them to work up to both their benefit as well as the company’s. It usually works on the principle of division of labor. Not only ensuring an efficient execution of tasks with thorough check points but incorporating within its workers strong sense of responsibility and self-recognition. It helps in bringing together the members as a team even if they are performing different roles generally. So basically all parts working differently interact with each other to create a healthy competitive environment. Now within the departments or branches heading out from the source, there is further versatility of ascribed roles which are assigned depending on the capacity of the worker for example a department requires a visionary who can make others come round his point and see what he sees, work how he envisions it to be for the best; in other words someone who can share his inner eye of thoughts and ideas. Then for the detailed outline of an idea, a task force is required which figures out the most minor details and outlays them for the work force which in turn goes out and puts it into a material form. The department also needs someone influential to get financial assistances approved. So basically the organizational structure is very important not only for the company but also for the employees. Hence its strategies and lines of action should be to create an environment divergent from oppression and convergent to comfort. It should be competitive but not politically destructive. Moreover it should guarantee the rights of its workers and should entrust them with various responsibilities to make them realize the pivotal positions they play for the company. An oppressive policy with minimum incentives can stir agitation among the employees and ultimately pulverize the company’s infrastructure. As per the above discussion it is evident that in a country this organizational structure is an inevitable factor. For utter democracy it is essential for the people to know how the power travels and what power level already does or might affect them the most, presently or in the long run. It is an innate human behavior to go for the satisfaction of the most primitive and basic needs before moving forth towards higher standards of a better livelihood. All democratic governments are legally and ethically required to provide for these basic needs. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs clarifies this point to a greater extent (Kreitner, 387). Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. (Rakowski4) His developmental psychology indicates the grass root levels from which the humans assume the process of growth by giving air to different aptitudes of their survival requirements. The essence of almost all of the motivational theories is that needs model behavior and this behavior set forth satisfaction or dissatisfaction. The most primitive needs should be satisfied completely first and then gradually other needs should be fulfilled but then again sometimes the most primitive needs only prove to be a hurdle in the overall growth and routine task execution. The higher importance tasks can only be efficiently performed if the lower basic necessities are met. (Rakowski 4) When you start to satisfy higher needs they tend to become harder to achieve with every step and the process increases the demand of energy as you keep putting it in with every step. LIMITATION OF THE NEWS: The organizational structure is motivated in the same way. Higher ranked people are more attracted to higher needs and tend to work towards an improvement in their social status and standard of living while the subordinates are motivated by incentives that can enable an easy care-free living. The cognitive evaluation theory however has a greater correspondence to the motivation of management or governmental systems. It suggests that many stimuli both internal and external catalyze the motion towards achievement of a particular objective. Intrinsic motivators being responsibility and interest while the extrinsic motivators are target achievement, salary rise, promotions and better profit. For the efficient working of a system the type of governance is of key importance. Different styles of leadership have been brought to the clear focus of an observer’s eye. Some of the most practiced styles are as follows: (Bartlett 40) The type of media governance prevalent in the west focused on a more western centralized lens one that showed Middle Eastern Events by the Western channels BBC, CNN, Sky News etcetera. All news channels that showed unbiased prevalent situation in the area like Al Jazeera, were ignored. This is a clear cut depiction of an autocratic projection of a scenario. Dictatorship or an Autocratic Style incorporates all the authority in the executive heads while the subordinating units and hence the citizens have no say in the overall decision making process. In other words it is a centralized authority with all the powers vested in the center. In this way there is no room for individual differences to flourish, everyone has to follow their own targets which have already been outlines for them. The drawbacks include lack of motivation and self worth among the citizens as their faculties of thought and reason begins to expire and they can no longer see the meaning of true freedom either of expression or of thought. They are just lifeless marionettes whose strings are in the hands of an autocratic usually tyrannical government. One more aspect of such a government is nepotism and handing over important government offices to the same generation. Democratic style of working operates by involving the opinions and perceptions of all the working bodies; everyone is welcomed to share their thoughts and possible effective line of action. There is a proper opposing body, a parliament and senate which determine the leaders by the act of vote. All the chosen representatives are elected by the common man as he deems perfect. The election cycle may vary in regard to its duration but mostly it is a five year long duration of a particular government. Laissez-Faire style of working employs superficial control bodies but the people are in charge of their own work and mode of life task execution, they have the power to decide and outshine. They can welcome every opportunity that comes their way to expand their career. Every single individual has the right to rise to their destiny in their own inimitable style, to embrace the uncertainty of life appreciating the miracle of being alive by giving importance to small things because however small they may be, they can be a hurdle in his quest to become the person he wants to be. Governing by walking around style of working requires the superiors to keep in touch with their subordinating units distributed throughout the geographical demarcation and to take note of every action. They not only supervise but also teach their units. Of all these styles of governance, democratic style is the most appealing due to the already stated directive benefits. The west has incorporated this style completely in its mode of execution. Majority countries in Asia are also adopting it medially even if not in entirety. The Middle East has the all three types of governance observed. The Map of Middle East. It includes a total of sixteen countries Egypt, Iran, Turkey, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain. FAÇADE OF SECULARISM: Equality and Diversity, the sound of both concepts is analogous; somehow contrary to the other. There is a possibility for diversity to be weighed on the platform of equality and for the people from different castes, creeds and geographical contexts to be considered equal. However we do feel the need to have management systems working for the consolidation of these two notions. Psychologically speaking, if these two attributes are not carefully monitored, havoc can break loose. The policies in control of building the paradigm of equality and diversity for leaders hold the ropes that determine how the inclusive and consolidative environment is created both within and without the bricks of a building. The concept of an organizational structure is well understood by every employee; the mode of power flow along with proper lines of consultation as well as the modes of operations (Dabashi, 100) The Turkish Empire has a secular stance by adopting neutrality which resembles that of British regime in being passively secular in stance. Turkey and Iran have been known to adopt secularism in ancient times and that has proved to be reasonable effective in running the countries. Mustafa Kamal Ataturk and the Shah of Iran are notable examples in this regard as mean who successfully lead the country. These revolts were not always there despite the many differences. In fact all different ethnic, racial and linguistic people inhabited the area peacefully and made notable achievements in different fields. However recent turmoil and uprising of extremist elements belonging to a particular religion to establish a strong biased religious dominion is the greatest example of a theocratic rule which is contradictory to the principles of democracy. Sunni and Shiites secularism is widely prevalent in the Muslim community and many riots have also been observed in different parts of the region. It is therefore important for the leader to take into control every aspect that puts a question mark on the fundamental of equality. DIFFERENCES: Valuing the differences and utilizing them to build a stronger network; formulating principles and procedures that help in propagation of these values. Major countries inhabiting this geographical demarcation are the republicans which are often reined over by autocratic rulers, rather kings who are backed by the armed forces and other law enforcement agencies. The present day deteriorating conditions in Syria and Palestine are some annotated examples in this regard. One of sixteen countries in this region is entirely free or in other words democratic while four of sixteen are partially free or semi democratic. A vast majority of ten out of sixteen countries are not free and governed by autocratic supremacy (Beinin&Vairel 230). Many critics believe that democratization of Middle East is problematic because the general public isn’t mobilized or conscious enough to incite radicalization in the country by evoking the autocratic leaders towards submission. These leaders in turn are highly possessive of their seats of power and addicted towards power abuse. They forget that with power comes great responsibility, responsibility towards the people and towards the country as a whole. So people, generally the more aware youth deems it prudent to take out their frustration on the street by staging demonstrations and protests. They incite the local leaders towards meeting their demands and in most cases these autocratic leaders retaliate, they use power to hold them back. Havoc breaks loose, lives are lost, property gets damaged, and moreover the economic infrastructure of the country collapses bringing it at the verge of global notoriety and dismemberment from the League of Nations (Beinin&Vairel 112). The language and cultural barriers are more than prominent and are the most potent reasons for the inaccuracies portrayed by the western media. The way it portrayed a scenario was strongly backed by the western opinion of democratization. This is rather astonishing considering the fact that it could have expressed all views and opinions from the local perspective instead of showing what the west deemed prudent. THE ARAB SPRING => DEMOCRACY and SECULARISM: The Arab spring is definitely a consequence of such an autocratic rule which paves way for more and more public dissatisfaction and gives a little ear to the problem of their people. There have been perfect examples in history though of Saudi Arabia and Turkey who managed to lead their country with general satisfaction to embark on their endeavor for success on the lines of Caliphate and Kingdom system of governance (Dabashi 341). Yet in some places, rather in majority of countries in the Middle East people lost their tempers came out on the street and staged their agitation. Rulers like those in Syria, retaliated and showed their power. They used illegal force to ensure subjugation of their own people. The Arab spring initiated in 2010 and came to end in the middle of 2012. Yet many analysts believe that the present state of affairs prevalent in the region is an aftermath of the spring (Joseph 341). Be it the Iranian election protests or the Kyrgyz Revolution, whatever gave air to the Arab spring played a definite part in further strengthening the hold of autocratic leaders on their land (Baragona n.p.). Backed by armed forces and other law enforcement agencies these monarchs used force and favor to govern the country and every other aspect of the nation was subjected to their mode of action and execution. Infuriated by the evergreen inflation, corruption and bribery, people took discourse to agitation politics and aimed at overthrowing the government as well as its replacement government, nothing seemed to satisfy them as is the ongoing situation with Egypt (Karon n.p.). While Algeria, Sudan, Iran and Israel were the sites of alarming local protests and agitation, Syria, Libya and Iraq are housing the civil war since ancient times. The conflicts in Yemen, Tunisia and Egypt resulted in ousting the government one or more than one times. Other countries are hit by waves of revolution differing in magnitude at various times. So the entire region is portrayed by the western lens of pessimism (Al-Azm 223). MEDIA COVERAGE DYING DOWN: The western media in all this state of affairs played a brutally pessimistic stance towards the Middle Eastern countries and portrayed how the state of affairs prevailing in these countries can sabotage the global markets especially the large scale investments of Britain and other western countries. They showed the west as veterans with humanitarian motives behind sending their armed forces to solve the region’s problems for it. Iraq can be a clear example of this foreign intervention. The media indicated how the west deemed it necessary to solve issues at someone else’s house, yet suffer a loss of their own men and economy; all this with humanitarian motives (Bowden 340). Moreover currently media has stopped to voice up the Middle Eastern crisis. The decrease of media projection is declining at an alarming rate. In Egypt media is less that 0.3% active while in Libya, it is 1% active, if at all. I would say it is rather futile to go looking for something that your eye cannot see, that doesn’t even exist in your present and might not even be there in the future. Defying the odds, hoping; gives solace only for the moment. Being prepared to confront the odds is what gets us there! No? Well let’s get through the discussion and see for ourselves. Pessimists and realists aren’t always negative. They are practical, logical and more alive to every second of their lives. Call them sensitive but that is like a cherry on top of an already delicious dessert. How so? Well, this cherry topping bestows them a better perception of reality, a better observation and definitely a better outlook on life. They don’t believe or gamble. They do the math! An optimist might call the glass half full and probably be satisfied but the pessimist will see the glass half empty and will go out in search of more water in case a mishap happens (Broger 150). Looking forward to a bright horizon isn’t wrong but just looking for it isn’t right either. Optimism is a more visionary stance. I hope things will get better. But I am just hoping and making no effort towards its accomplishment. That’s where optimism is merely a pleasure to the brain, a sweet delight but once this day dream fades and there is no horizon, sulking is the only option left along with pangs of depression and pessimism. Then will you be finally able to see where things went wrong. It better therefore to tear off that blind fold before it fell itself. We are oblivious, rather ignorant of what could happen to us in the next second. Most of us think that we are less likely to suffer from a heart attack, a lung cancer, get divorced or have our house burnt down. Bitter may be, but this a realistic approach rather than being positive for the inevitability of such phenomena. Most of us are wildly optimistic. Good things are permanent to us while for pessimists good things are evanescent, they fade away. So pessimists do not attach their lives to it; instead they move on looking for a refuge, something that would help them move towards a better, safe tomorrow all the while looking out for hurdles and setbacks. When it pays to be precise, it pays to be a pessimist (Dienstag 37). Taking risks is a part of life in most of our daily professions be it entrepreneurs, pilots, doctors and even a common laborer. You invest money, hoping for a larger profit but you bank on it as the only source of income forgetting to think of another source in case the whole business tumbles down like a house of cards. A realistic approach catered by strong self-criticism creates a perfect paradigm to modify your action according to the needs of the day (Kamalipour 459) Pessimists suffer, they have usually been an object of continuous struggle and strife but they do not mind. All that matters is how they solidify themselves psychologically top cope with the world by brandishing their new sword of courage, bravery and strength and logic right in the faces of their foes. Whatever tragedies and afflictions they might have encountered enhance their personality. Life is not all comfort to them. It is a balance between good memories and ill flashbacks. A pessimist clings to none. Everything is temporary, he must move on a safer path to avoid agony in the name of comfort. THE REASON FOR DECLINE: The media probably caused the gradual demise in general interest because the probability of the democratic sun on the horizon was no more visible. The western people probably expected a fast recovery of the Middle Eastern states towards democracy but continuous and routine upheavals have led them to lose interest. Every idea pertaining to the Middle Eastern crisis no longer appeals to the western people. in fact they are utterly randomized to its existence. Conclusion The large spread differences in the region and ongoing violence might be considered as a step towards democratization yet many analysts believe that western democracy is not the solution to their problems because while democracy is pure and simple, the area’s history and regional differences makes it difficult for its implementation. The western media portrayed the ongoing brutality and showed how it could be ratified by western intervention; it also showed that economic loss for west was inevitable if peace was not brought back to the land. Life is no more than a land of perspectives, however in the end, it rules by the survival of the fittest (Kamalipour 230). Deception at the name of hoping to wake up tomorrow when your neighborhood is under attack is sheer idiocy. Optimism only takes us so far. A pessimist survives; he is capable to withstand the odds. A realist champions them both. A vision accompanied by pessimism can do wonders. If only we would come out of our comfort zones and set forth towards a better understanding of life’s operation, acknowledge the bitter realities, would we be able to compete in Nature’s Arena (Hardy 265). The autocratic rule has also at times in history showed to be successful in easy success towards meeting the objectives, as the people only have to follow the directive principles laid out for them by careful insight and decisive powers of the leading or executive heads of the country; even if it is run by a single family government. Had the world been a heaven full of all needs met; no care and all comfort. No work and all win. All men would die of satisfaction. Their bellies swollen with pride of mere existence; would burst. Wars, massacres and murders would prevail and in the end humanity will punish itself more than the afflictions they suffered at the hands of Mother Nature (Schopenhaeur 4). The direct or indirect western influence should be ignored and the region should embark upon its own outlined path of journey towards better growth and development. References Al‑Azm, Sadiq J., “The Arab Spring: Why exactly at this Time?” Reason Papers, Vol. 33 Fall 2011. Baragona, Steve, "2011 Food Price Spikes Helped Trigger Arab Spring, Researchers Say". Voanews.com.. Bartlett, Michelle Elizabeth. Workplace incivility and conflict management styles of community college leaders in the nine mega states. ProQuest, 2009. Beinin, Joel, and FrédéricVairel, eds. Social movements, mobilization, and contestation in the Middle East and North Africa.Stanford University Press, 2013. Bowden, Jeremy. Arab uprisings: 10 key moments. BBC Edition. 2012. 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Studies in Pessimism.Philosophy.Cosimo, Inc. 2007. Print. Read More