The Arab Uprising
Lecture by Dr. Lisa Anderson, President of American University in Cairo
“Fury” unleashed in Tunisia; “Small scale corruption on a massive scale;” “Armed rebellion [in Libya]” are a few phrases used by Dr. Anderson in her excellent lecture given last week in Manhattan.
Dr. Lisa Anderson is president of American University in Cairo, and her talk, “The Arab Uprisings: The View from Cairo,” was presented at (and recorded by) the Carnegie Council on March 25, 2011.
Dr. Anderson has an impressive resume which includes serving as the James T. Shotwell Professor of International Relations at Columbia University (2008) and as former dean of the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia. She was appointed president of AUC in January 2011, and is a specialist on politics in the Middle East and North Africa. Her talk was insightful, honest and open to the reality of what is taking place across Arab countries.
She discussed the recent history in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya and touched on Syria. Coincidentally, the Syrian government conducted a harsh crackdown on their citizens later in the day.
Dr. Anderson spoke of the contempt the Tunisian regime had towards its citizens, which ultimately “unleashed the fury” of the population.
It was apparent that people in these countries want “dignity,” she said. They want their government to “respect the people and for the people to have trust in their government.” “Dignity” was a universal theme in listening to Dr. Anderson.
People in Tunisia, Dr. Anderson said, had a feeling that this (their rebellion) was the “last straw.” And, predicts that labor will likely produce a significant ruling party, while commenting that the Army refused to rule. Many in the United States may find that last point surprising.
Regarding Egypt, Dr. Anderson commented on the “urban, cosmopolitan, urbane” youth movement that practiced peaceful protests and peaceful disobedience. She said that parents would join their sons and daughters in Tahrir Square in the evenings and were so proud of their children accomplishing something that their generation failed to pursue. The parents are “wistful they didn’t do it [protest the government] themselves,” said Dr. Anderson.
As a semester-abroad student attending AUC (fall 1998), I recall many people exclaiming that “peace in the Middle East” meant peace in their children’s lifetime. Perhaps the efforts to Egypt’s President Sadat, President Jimmy Carter, and Israel’s President Menachem Begin had this year’s monumental events in their minds.
I believe we will soon see many political science writings on the “tactically, stunningly brilliant protest organized by Egyptians” on the bookshelves soon.
In Egypt, Dr. Anderson said, protestors are not transitioning into “tactical governance or political voice.” While Tunisia had “large scale corruption nationwide,” Egypt has had “small scale corruption on a massive scale.” This will be a key component in the country’s future, where establishments of unions will likely be seen to address the corruption issue in everyday jobs.
Regarding Libya, Dr. Anderson said the country faced “armed rebellion from the first, not a protest.” This is mainly due to there being no beaurocratic system in the country, no nationwide administrative organization. She said the “challenges will be huge to knit the tribes back together into a country,” and anticipates very difficult times ahead in Libya.
Dr. Anderson also said religious dimension hasn’t played a significant role in Egypt. It’s a “dignity revolt, not an ideological one.” This generation isn’t ideological, and cautioned the audience to not assume the Muslim Brotherhood will have the power.
Asked if the role of outsiders will be important in Libya, Dr. Anderson replied that Libya has been prickly and sensitive about international influence, citing the role Italy and Great Britain has played in the past. Who goes in to help is very delicate. She suggests that they “take it to the South;” that there are large numbers of global southern countries that have experience with difficult transitions.
Asked about Syria, Dr. Anderson said she didn’t know. [Later that morning, the Syrian government unleashed arms against its citizens who were protesting.]
Dr. Anderson closed the talk by stating that AUC is well represented in the debates taking place. People are attending lectures at AUC, and technical issues involved. In fact, Dr. Anderson said, “four AUC staff members are on leave and [serving] in the Egyptian cabinet.” She sees the faculty and students playing a very constructive role in the New Egypt.
